Eagle Eye Issue 6, May 11, 2016 by Mark Newton

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Taking a look back at how far weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve come and how much further we will go.

eagleeye Volume 15 Issue 6 5.11.16

Congratulations Graduates!

Chick-fil-A Highlands Ranch Town Center To join our team, please visit www.CowsDeliver.com

Contents

EDITORS

Conner Davis Amy Huang Regan Lavallee Zach McClenathan Kit Miller Tara O’Gorman

Kelsey Pharis Katie Pickrell Gannon Rushall Austin Sack Maleah Siegfried Lexi Weingardt

Gabe Barnard Tyler Felske Aly Hofmann Christian Holton Cameron Hogan Savanah Howard Greyson Koinzan Haley Kolseth Lauren Lippert

Jordan MacArthur Tyer Merchant Hayley Mustin Mikayla Olave Charlie Penvari Staci Prevato Tamara Sorg Erica Venable Kenzie Winslow

STAFF

Drama King

Junior Mark Twall screams in shock during Vista’s last production of the year, “It Runs in the Family.” See more EP!C! photos on page 12 and read into the play on page 19. Photo by Kelsey Pharis

POLICY

Eagle Eye, a legally recognized public forum for student expression, is published six times a year by the student journalism class at Mountain Vista High School. Expression made by students in the exercise of freedom of speech or freedom of press is not an expression of Douglas County school board policy. The views expressed in Eagle Eye do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff, adviser, MVHS administration or the Douglas County School District administration. Board policy regarding student publications (JICEA and JI/JIA) are available in the publications room (U328) or the principal’s office.

LETTERS TO THE EDITORS

Eagle Eye welcomes and encourages letters to the editors. This is a chance to express your viewpoint on important issues. Letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters will be edited for space and legal considerations, but not for inaccuracies, grammar or spelling. Letters must contain information pertinent to the students of MVHS. The staff retains the right to not publish any letter not meeting these requirements. Unsigned letters will not be published. Please submit typed letters in person to Room U328 or via mail or e-mail.

CONTACT

Eagle Eye | Mountain Vista High School 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 Phone: 303.387.1500 Adviser: Mark Newton— mark.newton@dcsdk12.org Editors— EagleEyeEditors@dcsdk12.org

DISTRIBUTION

Single copies are free. Where available, additional copies of this paper are available for purchase for 50 cents each. Contact Eagle Eye for more information. Taking more than one copy of this paper is prohibited (C.R.S. 18-4-419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty, will be prosecuted.

Briefing

Feature

Senior Paxton Boyer and the rest of the class will leave a legacy at Vista.

by Kenzie Winslow

04 WE ARE EP!C! 15 LACROSSE 16 FRESH LEADERSHIP NARAL 05 FOR 17 ROOTING BUSINESS TESTING 06 ON A MISSION 18 NEWS 07 PLAYING RUFF 19 LIBERAL VS. 08 CONSERVATIVE AN 20 MAKING IMPACT 12 EP!C! PHOTOS 13 SUMMER CRAFTS by Austin Sack & Lauren Lippert

After recovering from a shooting, PP in Colorado Springs is open for business.

by Savanah Howard & Ivan De La Garza

by Kelsey Pharis

by MVM Staff

by Charlie Penvari

by Amy Huang

by MVM Staff

by Tamara Sorg, Greyson Koinzan & Mikayla Olave

by Katie Pickrell & Christian Holton

by Charlie Penvari

30 News

22 EP!C! PHOTOS 24 SENIOR MAP 26 SPORTS BRIEF 28 DISC GOLF AROUND 29 ALL TOWN TEN 30 TOP OUTDOOR by MVM Staff

by MVM Staff

by Austin Sack

by Katie Pickrell & Tyler Felske

ADVENTURES

by Tyler Merchant & Conner Davis

by MVM Staff

by Charlie Penvari

we are EP!C! Class of 2016 Story by Lauren Lippert & Austin Sack During his time at Mountain Vista, senior Paxton Boyer has made an impact on the entire student body — a feat most students only dream of doing. Though every student has a different way of creating change, Boyer has gone above and beyond as captain of the varsity lacrosse team and a role model in Student Leadership. Since his freshman year, Boyer has been on the varsity lacrosse team. Since his sophomore year, he has been a captain. “Walking into high school I was really excited to play lacrosse for the school and I think throughout my career I established a legacy here at Mountain Vista,” Boyer said. “I’ve helped the program, along with the rest of my teammates, [to become] elite in Colorado.” Greatly impacted by former coach Jake

understanding of wanting to live like he would want us to live and live how he lived. That’s been a huge inspiration to me to be who I am today,” Boyer said. “I had a conversation with Coach Herman one time about how I was

as a whole and from that moment forward I kind of realized that as a captain for the past three years and as a starter for the last four years, I have an opportunity to make a face of this program and make something of this program.” With that inspiration, Boyer also takes joy in helping students establish stronger relationships through his work with Leadership. “I feel like I have given a voice to different groups of people and been able to create relationships with people.” Boyer said. “Four years ago I didn’t think that I the words of his coach who died in January. would get anything from the school, but now I have really fallen into my own here at “Jake Herman is one of my biggest inspirations. [He has] always helped me Vista and it’s going to be brutal leaving and moving onto better things, but that’s part thrive to be a better person and with of growing up.” his passing we kind of developed this

“Our doors stay open” After a terrorist attack against Planned Parenthood Colorado Springs, Vicki Cowart was recognized for the courage her and the other Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains members showed in staying open and continuing to help those in need. Commentary & photos by Kelsey Pharis

Vicki Cowart, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains President, speaks at the NARAL dinner.

t has been five months since the shooting at Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs that left two civilians and a police officer dead. Three people died and the effect of the attack was felt around the nation as thousands came together to support Planned Parenthood and those who worked at and were being treated at the Planned Parenthood and everyone else who was affected. On Dec. 5, 2015 thousands of people around the world came together to show their support and mourn those who died and those who were impacted. Although the attacks were unnerving, Planned Parenthoods around the nation continued to open their doors and help all people who needed their moral and medical support. “Our doors stay open,” Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains President Vicki Cowart said during the National Abortion and Reproductive

Rights Action League (NARAL) ProChoice Colorado Gala. NARAL is an organization that helps fundraise for pro-choice organizations, women’s rights organizations and pro-choice politicians. With a roar of the crowd following, it proved that all 600+ people in attendance, as well as thousands around the country, support what Planned Parenthood does every day. “We will keep working until women’s health care is a priority for all and not just a sound bite on a stump speech,” Cowart said. Although Cowart was recognized at the NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Gala and awarded with the 2016 Choice Award, the purpose of the gala was much deeper and equally as impactful as Cowart’s speech. “Thank you everyone for this award,” Cowart said. “It is because of you that we are able to stay strong because we know that you are with us every step of the way.”

When did

tandardized testing, a popular topic of conversation among educators and administrators, has taken a peculiar turn over the past few years in Colorado. From the change of the Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) to the Transitional Colorado Assessment Program (TCAP) and the introduction of the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS), it’s becoming hard to keep all of these standardized tests straight. Just this past year, the high school data has shown a shockingly low participation rate. For those participating, scores are not as high as they were predicted to be, regardless of grade and gender, all around Colorado. In the 2015 Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) test, 40 percent of 10th graders statewide did not participate in the math assessment. The underachievement also shows up in the numbers. About 23 percent of 10th graders scored in the lowest level of the ELA (English and Language Arts) tests, with only 10 percent scoring in the top two levels. In the eighth-grade math assessment, about 26 percent of students scored in the lowest level. Some speculate the reason for the decline in high school performance is due to the large amount of testing — standardized, AP, course finals — that takes place at the same time. Juniors have the ACT to study for and some are taking the PSAT. Students are paying more attention and devoting more effort to tests that will affect what college they are accepted to and give little to no effort to the tests that don’t determine much of anything. There’s often nothing to motivate students to succeed, especially when there’s already more important subjects students really need to study for. While standardized testing does offer a numerical benchmark for the performance of schools, it doesn’t do its job when students don’t take the tests seriously. And, all too often, they don’t.

[ 28

Story and Graphics By Charlie Penvari

the number of juniors who showed up to take the 2016 CMAS science test at Mountain Vista.

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

[

11th Grade ELA Scores 2015

State standard for proficient: Level 3, Level 4

[

Commentary by Charlie Penvari

By The Numbers

[

state testing become so unpopular?

“The PARCC testing is still relatively new and it’s changing. The levels of student excusals, with so few students taking the test, I’m not sure it’s been determined yet how it going to impact the (high) schools.” -Blaine Haskell, administrative dean

[

Spring signing day commits 10 Vista students Story by Katie Pickrell

fter signing 22 students on National Signing Day in February, Mountain Vista’s athletic programs added another ten students to the list of future collegiate athletes on Spring Signing Day. Girls soccer delivered the most athletes with seven seniors signing national letters of intent. Jordan Alexander, who signed at Union University, a Christian university in Tennessee, saw signing as a chance to continue her dedication to soccer. “To me, signing means a lot because I have put in a lot of

Eight Vista faculty moving on to better things next year Story by MVM Staff

After the 2015-2016 school year, eight faculty members from Mountain Vista plan to pursue other opportunities. Most are moving on to other schools and some are taking time to retire and travel.

Mike Dougan, one year at Vista

“Dougan came in at a really hard time and he’s doing great as a first-year teacher. I can’t wait to see what he does in the future.” –Senior Aaron Albury

Jeff Geary, 11 years at Vista

“Other opportunities came up, possibly one at Rock Canyon. Every day at Vista is a great memory with all the interaction with the students.”

Rue Graham, one year at Vista

“I’m going to miss all of my kids. All of my students have been really awesome. After losing [Jake] Herman, they were all very excited to get to know me.”

hard work over the years to get here,” Alexander said. “I’m super excited to get to play at the next level.” Here’s the list of spring signing athletes:

Jordan Alexander — Soccer at Union University Trey Boeyink — Basketball at Luther College Erin Gordon — Equestrian at New Mexico State University Ashley Jasunas — Volleyball at South Dakota School of Mines and Technology Tamarin Joubert — Rugby at Davenport University Nick McDaniel — Cheer at the University of Colorado, Boulder Keely Ruby — Volleyball at Fort Hays State Paxton Smith — Cross country at the University of Colorado, Boulder Matt Yockey — Football at Western State

Neathery Manucci, two years at Vista

“Leaving was a hard decision to make. Vista took a chance on me as a young teacher. I feel I owe a lot to our school, my students and the staff that [has] invested in me over the past two years.”

Pat McCabe, six years at Vista

“I can’t even answer [what I’m going to miss most] in less than a book. I love it here. I love the people I work with. I don’t have better friends anywhere else.”

Ann Miller: 45 years teaching, 15 years at Vista

“Forty-five years is a lot of kids, a lot of teaching. It’s time to move on. My husband and I are going to ride horses through the lavender fields of France.”

Amber Phillips, two years at Vista

“Amber Phillips has been our speech pathologist for the past two years. She’s absolutely amazing. Her and her fiancé are getting married and moving to Ohio.” –Principal Michael Weaver

Justin Villard, 20 years teaching

“Teaching at Vista’s no longer a good fit for me. I’m moving to Australia. There were a lot of really, really good students here.”

Equality

One difference between the left and the right is the definition of equality. Conservatives tend to favor equality of opportunity rather than equality of outcome. Equality of opportunity is the notion that everyone should have the opportunity to be successful and that an individual’s success is a reflection of their abilities and choices. On the flip side, liberals tend to believe that equality of outcome is more important. A great example of this is the left’s obsession with equality in the workforce and colleges. The left looks at the disparities between races in the workforce and believes that there is a discriminatory system that has lead to this disparity, hence the reasoning for policies like affirmative action. The problem with this mindset is that statistical disparities don’t necessarily mean that discrimination is present. The left fails to recognize that America allows every single person a chance to be successful through equality of opportunity, and equality of opportunity is the only form of equality that is valuable because equality of outcome eventually requires discrimination to ensure numerical equality among race and gender.

CON

SER

VAT

Diversity

Another concept that the left and right seem to have different ideas about is that of diversity. There are two main types of diversity: diversity of skin color and diversity of thought. Conservatives value diversity of thought because it is the only meaningful type of diversity. America is a marketplace of diverse ideas and concepts and the fact that as Americans we are allowed to voice our thoughts and differing opinions is what makes America the greatest country the world has ever known. Liberals are more drawn to diversity of skin color, which to conservatives seems pointless and irrelevant. The level of melanin in a person’s skin should not have any bearing on our perception of that person, but the left tends to disagree with this claim. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be in contradiction with the left’s definition of diversity, as the great pastor once said people should be judged by the content of their character and not the color of their skin.

Socialism v. Capitalism

Since the rise of Bernie Sanders, the modern-day progressive movement has become increasingly socialist. While the utopian-like concept of socialism seems ideal, application of this system has proved to be catastrophic. The reason that socialism is not feasible is because it extinguishes incentive among citizens, which in turn, leads to a decrease in creativity, production and overall morale. The reason why conservatives place their faith in capitalism is because less government restrictions on business lead to the highest rates of ingenuity and economic growth. Capitalism rewards hard work and thus creates incentive for citizens to work to their full potential. Another great aspect of capitalism is the competition that it induces. Capitalism’s “cutthroat” style means that only the best products will find success on the market, causing consumers to not only have access to the best products available, but to also be afforded these products at lower prices.

IVE Commentary by Christian Holton

We can both appreciate our

freedoms.

t’s pretty apparent that the two of us don’t agree on much of anything, but there are a few points that we see eye-to-eye on. To start out, even if one side of an issue doesn’t agree with the things the other side says, no one has the right to prevent anyone from exercising their freedom of speech. Above all else, everyone should value free expression. If we prevent others from speaking because we don’t like what they have to say, we prevent society from learning and becoming more accepting. Along with this comes the notion that the appropriate response to ideas or speech you don’t like is oral debate, not violence. Too often in America, extreme groups, on both the right and the left, resort to acts of

The environment should be a priority.

LIB

ER AL Commentary by Katie Pickrell

violence in an attempt to get their point across. Bullying those you don’t politically agree with into submission doesn’t only at times cause physical harm, but also silences the differing, unique viewpoints that make America so strong. The concept of liberty is the ability for people to voice their opinions, without the fear of being attacked. Even though there is a divide in the beliefs of the left and right, the belief in free speech, civil debate and open-mindedness are essential to American democracy and without these concepts, the liberty and democracy we enjoy would be nonexistent. It’s for this reason that together we’ve spent the year writing these commentaries in a civil manner. We wanted the student body to not only learn more about what’s happening, but also to look deeper into why there’s such a divisive culture in American politics. Whether you personally fall on the left side of the right side of politics, it’s imperative you remember to respect someone’s opinion and hear out their logic. That’s the only way you’ll be able to work toward finding any kind of middle ground.

The scientific community has spoken and it has said very clearly that we are witnessing devastating climate change caused by human activity. The only way that we can go about combatting this is to implement policy initiatives that lead the international community in combatting climate change by transferring to clean, sustainable energy, straying away from the use of fossil fuels, revolutionizing our public transportation system and taking the country back from the fossil fuel lobby that is able to pour endless amounts of cash into the American political system. If our nation fails to act, the coming years will provide a deeper plummet into environmental degradation. We will see the impact not only in rising shorelines, but in rising violence and instability around the world in countries most affected by drought and famine.

Our country is still fighting for justice.

The United States has come a long way from the segregation that can be seen throughout the majority of the nation’s history, but as much as things have changed, many have stayed the same. We have rid society of legal segregation in our stores and our schools (at least not based upon race), but we haven’t eradicated discrimination or the hatefulness behind it altogether. There’s still a visible correlation between race and access to healthcare or housing, race and incarceration, race and general economic standing. The only way to go about re-piecing our society to be fair and just for all is to use legislation that can attack the root of our nation’s problems. We can see a lack of access to proper education, a rise in inherently segregated communities and a shortage of employment opportunities — all issues we have the potential to alleviate.

When you pay more in, you get more out.

It seems there’s a fear of a “tyrannical” government raising taxes — even if it’s for the benefit of the majority of society. On the contrary, having more vacant houses than homeless people is tyrannical. Having people go hungry while others are throwing their food away is tyrannical. Having people die and go bankrupt to pay for their healthcare is tyrannical. Asking for a progressive tax rate in which the wealthy are forced to pay more than the poor and tax dollars go toward higher education or food stamps or healthcare, however, is not tyrannical.

It all comes down to one thing: Compassion.

It’s not possible for me to sum up the reasoning behind a liberal conscious in one paragraph, but I can contest that all of my beliefs are built on the basis of compassion. If you put yourself in the shoes of others who don’t have it as well off as you do, you might find yourself thinking a little bit differently when it comes to the way the government is ran.

see your year

ELEVATED

Pick up your 2016 Aerie

Wednesday, May 11 from 4-7 p.m. in the small gym

Thursday, May 12 during

Taste of Vista in the commons

vista_now 2017 Yearbook Recognition Ads

Congratulate your Class of 2017 grad in the 2017 Aerie yearbook.

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Attention Class of 2017!

Early-bird Deadline — October 6, 2017 Regular Deadline — November 1, 2017 Final Deadline — December 1, 2017

REPLAYIT PRIVATE PHOTO SUBMISSION

GET YOUR PICTURES IN THE

YEARBOOK! The yearbook staff invites students and parents to submit photos for the yearbook. If you’ve got great photos of school and community events or you and your friends just having fun, we’d like to see them. Our photographers can’t be everywhere. Help us get as many photos as possible to create a terrific book everyone will want to have.

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SUBMIT YOUR PHOTOS ONLINE LOG ON TO: images.jostens.com Enter Login ID:

405493596

• Browse to select the photo(s) you wish to upload, click on “Select My Images.” • Enter information about the photo and provide contact information in case the staff needs additional information. • Click “Upload Chosen Images.” It’s that easy! Submit your photos today!

䐀愀椀氀礀䐀爀椀瘀攀吀攀猀琀猀㌀栀漀甀爀猀挀氀愀猀猀爀漀漀洀琀椀洀攀洀漀渀琀栀氀礀伀渀氀椀渀攀䌀氀愀猀猀攀猀䄀瘀愀椀氀愀戀氀攀㘀栀漀甀爀猀戀攀栀椀渀搀琀栀攀眀栀攀攀氀搀爀椀瘀攀琀椀洀攀

The last day to submit your photos is: Thursday, October 6, 2016 匀䄀䘀䔀 ⴀ 倀刀伀䘀䔀匀匀䤀伀一䄀䰀 ⴀ 伀一䔀伀一伀一䔀䄀吀吀䔀一吀䤀伀一 ⴀ 䄀䘀䘀伀刀䐀䄀䈀䰀䔀 ⴀ 倀䄀夀䴀䔀一吀倀䰀䄀一匀䄀嘀䄀䤀䰀䄀䈀䰀䔀

KAREN FINDS CARS! Karen Pavone Independent Auto Broker AutoTrek 8297 SouthPark Circle Littleton, CO 80120 The yearbook staff will review all photos and determine final yearbook content. We cannot guarantee that all submissions will be used in the book. © 2014 Jostens, Inc. 14-0747

Karen@AutoTrek.com 303-589-2891

YOUR SUMMER

ESSENTIALS

Lemonade b 3 cups fresh lemon juice (about 20 lemons)

Strawberry Watermelon Slush b 2 cups seedless watermelon + b ½ cup pomegranate juice + b A handful of strawberries + b ½ cup ice cubes What to do

1. Combine ingredients and blend until smooth 2. Yum

+ b 2¼ cups sugar (healthier option: ½ cup agave nectar)

+ b 12 cups cold water Mix it once…Mix it twice 1. Mix the juice and sugar 2. Stir until the sugar dissolves. 3. Add water. 4. Serve over (crunchy) ice.

CORNHOLE

You need... b bean bags b cornhole board 1. Establish teams and rules for scoring so there’s no salt later 2. Throw the beanbags into the opposing cornhole board Pro-tip: Throw the beanbag like a Frisbee so it lands smoothly on the platform as opposed to tumbling off.

Homemade Ice Cream

Summer Chicken b Chicken breasts b Corn on the cob b Onions b Green peppers b Yellow squash

b 3 cups of suga’ b 4 eggs b 2 tablespoons flour

b Zucchini

1. Mix together 2. Add quart of half & half and 1½ tablespoons vanilla (DON’T FORGET) 3. Blend ingredients with a mixer 4. Pour in gallon container and fill the rest with milk (about half a gallon) 5. Make sure there’s enough ice to keep the ice cream cold while it’s mixing. 5. Enjoy *make sure you have an ice cream maker prior to starting this project

b ½ teaspoon salt

What you do

1. Grill chicken and other veggies 2. Take corn off the cob 3. Add paprika and rosemary 4. Mix 5. Enjoy

FIREWOOD

JENGA

You need... b firewood pallets 1. Stack up the firewood 2. Play Jenga 3. At the end of the night, after the tower collapses, build a bonfire.

EP!C! 2

PHOTOS

1. Senior Jazmin Valladarez performs “The Climb,” the Class of 2016’s song, during Goldust. Valladarez started singing at a young age when she would sit on her grandpa’s lap in Mexico as he played the guitar. “Once I got older, it was hard for me to visit (my family in Mexico). My sophomore year, my grandpa got super sick and I couldn’t be there,” Valladarez said. “I found out he passed away before going on stage for my concert. Ever since then, I got way more passionate about [singing] and have dedicated every single concert to them. It’s a way that I can connect with them and I know they’d be proud.” Photo by Katie Pickrell 2. Sophomore Brian Shockley launches his rocket “Moon or Bust” for Tech Lab II. “I took this class because it looked very interesting and fun,” Shockley said. Photo by Amy Huang. 3. Junior Marc Twal performs in Stage Flight Theater’s last production, “It Runs in the Family.” Photo by Kelsey Pharis. 4. Video teacher Jeremy Goldson helps senior Lauren Taylor edit a video. “I teach because I like making art and I like helping young people find their passion and helping them have a good time [in high school],” Goldson said. Photo by Zach MacClenathan.

3 4

Vista’s varsity lacrosse team

I COUNT ON YOU, YOU COUNT ON ME

Story by Kenzie Winslow

All of Vista’s sports teams consider themselves to be a family, but the lacrosse program takes its bond to heart, chanting it up before every game. Photo by Haley Kolseth

While many people get to experience the feeling of playing their favorite sport for their high school, few get to experience the family bond that rarely comes along with a group as large as the boy’s lacrosse team. Each year, Vista’s lacrosse team grows in size, but that doesn’t stop the older boys from welcoming the new kids into their “family.” Players on the lacrosse team get to live a brotherhood everyday. They play together, eat together, travel together and go to school together. This spring, like every year, the team traveled together to Saint Petersburg, Fla. The trip stood out among others from years past. “Spring break was a major step for the team. Even besides practicing and competing with each other, we were able to spend time with one another and really come together as a team. I feel like everyone knows one another better now, and we will be able to play better because of it,” senior Kyler Mills said. That brotherhood that was seen in Florida has since carried into this season’s attitude. Former head coach Jake Herman started a tradition three years ago upon his arrival to the Vista lacrosse community. Before each game the team circles up and repeats the phrase “We are family, I count on you, you count on me,” three times. That tradition has been carried out before every game since then. “It reminds us before every game that we’re playing for each other,” junior Judd Erickson said. “Also, you know that you can count on people to do their jobs, and that others are counting on you to do yours.” Herman strived to bring the boys together. He wanted to foster a bond that was unparalleled to the program’s previous years. “We all already treat and know each other like family members,” sophomore Griffin Bonjean said. “The chant is something that reminds us before every game that we are playing with and for our brothers — and for Herman.” This tradition does more than just bring the boys together, it inspires them to play harder and with more heart. “I think we really found our identity of our team and how we want to play,” senior Coby Petau said. “I feel like we’re well on our way to doing big things.”

Sam Atlas

Student Body President Elect Story by Savanah Howard

Desa Paich

Student Body Vice President Elect Story by Savanah Howard

LEADING EAGLE

Only a day after his election, junior Sam Atlas was prepared to share his detailed plans for the coming school year as Student Body President (SBP). He not only shared his plans, but he voiced his pride to be a Golden Eagle and in being elected, too. “I think the passion I have for this school and how bad I want everyone to have as great of an experience as I did showed in my speech,” Atlas said. Seeing a drop in school spirit in the past year, Atlas plans to find a way to bring back the excitement. “This year there was a bit of a downfall [in school spirit] and I think that we can bring it back up,” Atlas said. “[I want to] work on improving the MV Unit again, bringing it back to what it was when I was a sophomore and freshman.” Not only does the new student body president want to break records, he also wants to change the lives of students.

“I expect to leave a legacy where everyone here at Mountain Vista felt as though they belonged and were supported by the rest of the school,” Atlas said. “All [students] (should) feel as though they had a year they will never forget due to the support they received from the student body. “The board and I are trying to create a more diverse MV Unit with people from different groups and try to appeal to a wider variety of the student body,” he said. As the days for seniors narrow down, the new president has a message for the graduating Class of 2016 and SBP Morgan O’Connor. “Morgan did a great job this year [as SBP.] I am really proud of all the work she did, especially with [Lindsay] Jaffe out for so much of the year,” Atlas said. “And to the Senior Class, [they] were always at the lacrosse games, the basketball games, etc. and I think that was pretty cool.”

POSITIVE VIBES

Junior Desa Paich is all about positive vibes. Having siblings graduate from Vista, Paich wants to make an impact on the school she’s known and loved for so long. “All of my sisters went to Vista,” Paich said. “I’ve always loved this school and wanted to make it the best it could be and [being student body vice president] is one of the most direct ways.” One of her epic goals as VP is to bring the student body together. “I want to leave [Vista] as the most connected school where everyone has a bond with each other,” Paich said. “[Also,] we want to try and raise $100,000 for Wish Week, so that’s pretty big.” Paich said she hopes to put her plans into action, starting with increasing school spirit. “I think by making the MV Unit stronger and communicating better between upperclassmen and underclassmen, [we can] up

the school spirit,” Paich said. “When people are in a happier environment they tend to be happier, so [my hope is] it would kind of ripple and everyone will have a love for Vista like I do.” When it comes to her partner, Student Body President Sam Atlas, Paich lsaid she is looking forward to working with him. “I’m excited to work with Sam,” Paich said. “[But] we both have strong opinions, so here’s to hoping it goes well.” Paich knows not everything about being vice president is glamorous, and she is prepared for it all. “I think a lot of people have issues with Student Leadership, so I think just trying to make everyone happy versus certain groups [will be a challenge,]” Paich said. “I think I have a lot of energy [and] I’d like to think I’m pretty nice so I’ll definitely be more involved than past VPs.”

Ryan Fitzke & Adele Shaw

Four DECA students make it to nationals. Photo & story by Lexi Weingardt

Gabrielle Camp

Bringing back Vista’s commitment to the environment. Photo & story by Gabe Barnard

DECA THROWS DOWN

Four members of Vista’s DECA team attended the organization’s national conference in Nashville, Tenn. April 23-27. Although only four students were able to attend, there were about 16,000 kids at the conference from all over the world. “My favorite part was just hanging out around Nashville as a chapter because it was a great experience exploring a new town we’ve never been to before,” senior Ryan Fitzke said. “I also liked meeting new people from different backgrounds from around the country and even the world.” Junior Adele Shaw said she met a variety of people, including students from Canada, China and Puerto Rico. Because there were not many students who qualified for the national conference, those who did

were provided with a very unique opportunity. “It’s pretty hard to qualify,” Shaw said. “Only the top five in each event qualify and there was roughly 75 people in my event.” The students spent four days in Nashville exploring the city as well as attending the conference. “My least favorite part was that we only had four days in Nashville,” Shaw said. “I could have spent another week there because of all of the cool places to see and people to meet.” The students who competed won’t get their results back for some time, however they know that they didn’t win or place. “I can’t really pinpoint a bad thing other than nobody from our chapter won anything,” Fitzke said. “It was kind of a shame, but nationals is really competitive.”

NEW MANAGEMENT

Senior Gabrielle Camp, president of the Vista’s Roots and Shoots Club, has brought back to life the mission of preserving the environment around the school and encouraging students to look outside of Highlands Ranch at the broader issues facing the Earth after the club has been non-existent for the past few years. “Ever since freshman year, I have asked [Lori] Schwendeman if the club is going to be a thing. She has said no, so [I was inspired] to start it again this year,” Camp said. “[As president] I ran the meetings, decided what we were going to do next in the club and coordinated all of the members of the club.” The first priority for the club was to raise money to support their plans for the school year. Members hosted a fundraiser that sold a random assortment of goods, including t-shirts, candles and blankets. Since then, the club set a goal of building a crow box to contribute to

the cleaning of the school campus. A crow box is a contraption that resembles a bird house and has a space for crows to drop trash into in exchange for a peanut. The idea is that the crows will learn to collect scraps of litter from around the school campus and deposit the items in the box. The construction of the crow box involves a good amount of wiring, which proved to be tedious work. Constructing the machine was difficult and too time-consuming, so it has to be left for next year’s leaders to take care of. “I hope that the next president will carry on the original ideas and get the crow box running,” Camp said.”[This year] was a good start for the club. Right now we have money [that we’ve gathered from fundraisers] and that will be a good start for next year. I hope that our actions have raised some awareness for the environment.”

Annie Chambless & Hannah Brown

Sophomores Annie Chambless and Hannah Brown went to Ethiopia for 11 days to church plant. Photo courtesy Annie Chambless. Story by Amy Huang & Hayley Mustin

GIVING IN A FLASH

While the intent of a mission trip is to serve others, for sophomores Annie Chambless and Hannah Brown, their trip to Ethiopia benefited them as much as it did the villagers. The two girls traveled to Ethiopia in April to church plant. In order to establish a new local Christian church, Chambless and Brown trained natives to plant churches in the villages, interviewed the church planters, checked up on the ministry and worked with orphans through the widow and orphan care side of a Christianbased organization called the Petros Network. Additionally, they went to a village market and a community water source. While the trip itself was memorable, it was a trip to a water source that stood out. With 35 kids, Chambless and Brown hiked down to the nearby water source, a little river, about a half-mile away. They got caught in a flash flood, with the roads turning quickly into muddy rivers. The unexpected support in a near catastrophe was an example of the reciprocity they witnessed. “Annie and I were wearing long skirts so the little girls were trying to help us stay dry even though that was impossible. They were trying to give us scarves and things to help us,” Brown said. “Then we got to this really bad part where the roads were completely out and this Ethiopian women, tinier than me, grabbed my arms and picked me up on her back and carried me across the river.” For Brown, the trip was a dream made reality. She has wanted to go to Ethiopia since she was five years old when her father first visited the country in east Africa. Both girls have experience with other mission trips and took advantage of another opportunity to serve. Like previous mission trips, this one was an eye-opening experience. “I’ve been on mission trips before and seen a lot of poverty,” Brown said. “It just always reminds you how lucky we are. It just made me think about taking stuff for granted and to just be really grateful for what you have because even if we don’t always have water and electricity, they never do. It’s just a different perspective.” In this way, the girls learned a very powerful lesson from the villagers. “We really do have so much and want more and they really don’t have anything and they are happy with it,” Chambless said. “And, they want to give to everyone,” Brown added. “[They serve] others even when it’s hard. They were serving us even though we were there to serve them. It was really amazing to see that.”

Nate Cushing

Freshman stars in the final play. Photo by Kelsey Pharis. Story by Tamara Sorg & Greyson Koinzan

Meet Riley

Vista introduces therapy dogs to help students. Story by Mikayla Olave

NO FAMILY DRAMA Juggling schoolwork and extracurriculars is stressful, but through all of the craziness, freshman Nate Cushing found a home away from home in Mountain Vista’s Theater Department. “I was trying to find the group where I already was in a family. At first, that was my lacrosse team, but when I went to the Theater Department. They were so inviting and it was such a fun place,” Cushing said. “I get to have fun with the people I love, doing what I love.” Most of the time, casts for shows are large, even up to more than 100 actors plus the tech crew. “It Runs in the Family” had a smaller cast and crew than most. Having a small cast and crew allowed for better and stronger relationships with everyone, Cushing said. Cushing added those

relationships really helped strengthen the recent show. “This cast was a really small cast, which was a really good thing for us because it gave us a better opportunity to form relationships with the cast, even with the tech crew,” Cushing said. “I really got to meet new people and make some good relationships and it was a really good way to finish off my freshman year with all these new relationships.” During the process leading up to the play, there was a lot of stress. Cushing said director Jeremy Goldson helped with this. “He made everything much easier and organized ,so that helped a lot. But, matching rehearsing and tech days with other school work is kinda stressful,” Cushing said. “For this play, we didn’t do great overall in time management,ºº so we had to pull together right at the end.”

THERAPY DOGS

Riley is one of the therapy dogs that Mountain Vista has adopted to bring a more positive environment to the school. “We are starting from the ground up,” Vista counselor and Riley’s owner Emma Schofield said. “We are the first school in Douglas County to do this and [we] want to establish a model.” Therapy dogs are a way to relieve stress and help distract students from all the exhaustion school brings. Jessica Wheeler’s English III class had the idea of getting therapy dogs to reduce stress and took action as a class project. The goal of getting a therapy dog was to increase compassion and empathy within the school. School is a leading cause of stress with teens, and a group of Wheeler’s students wanted to put their plan into action and get a dog for Vista.

“At my old school we had a therapy dog and it helped a lot of students,” junior Tamara Sorg said. “I thought that people who aren’t very forward with their problems or just students who need a break could use a therapy dog to help.” Throughout the school day students who need a break from school or some down time from life can come to the counseling office to visit the therapy dog. There are some responsibilities that come with having a therapy dog at Vista. The students need to be trusted with Riley, as well as letting him have down time and not overwhelm him. “Student’s faces light up and have immediate smiles as soon as Riley is there,” Schofield said. “The dogs help bring a positive energy to the school, and give students the opportunity to have a break from anxiety or the overwhelming school day.”

Impactful Teachers

Stories by Regan Lavallee, Lexi Weingardt, Staci Prevato, Mikayla Olave & Haley Kolseth

How have teachers at MVHS impacted you?

Source: MVM Twitter poll

Jaclyn Caschetta While walking through the 500s, many will probably notice a door covered in hearts and positive hashtags. This door belongs to Jaclyn Caschetta. “I had my Advisement make hearts and cut out hashtags such as #VistaStrong and #Love to spread a more positive environment in the school,” Caschetta said. Since she came to Mountain Vista two years ago, Caschetta has become a widely loved teacher. “My students know that they can come to me for help or advice,” Caschetta said. “I’m available during SOAR, on my off (planing periods) and after school. I also make sure to schedule time to meet with kids.” Caschetta joked that she should start charging for her legal advice to students. However, she made it clear that she loves the students just as much as they love her. Caschetta said her favorite part about teaching at MVHS is the students because they make all of the effort worth it in the end.

Melissa Clark “I started teaching because I love to read,” English teacher

Melissa Clark said. “Every single year I learn something new from my students from a book that I (already) have read, perhaps up to 20 times.” Clark structures her class with the intent of challenging her students to share ideas and make connections in literary analysis and composition to gain an appreciation for English. “I want to see that development in their writing,” Clark said. “I want them to develop into people who are able to articulate and convey their ideas in an effective manner.” Clark keeps the curricular material engaging to keep her students invested in what she teaches. “I try to make what we are doing applicable to the real world,” Clark said. “Part of what keeps them excited, I think, is that I am passionate about what I teach.” By giving students the foundation in reading and writing they need to thrive, Clark strives to make an impact that goes further than what they read and write in the classroom. “I really hope that ultimately, (my students) in some way grow as individuals,” Clark said, “and that I had some sort of impact along that journey.”

Pat McGuire Patrick McGuire, an AP Psychology, U.S. History, World

History and U.S. Government teacher, uses his passion for music to help teach the changing trends of history. McGuire, a member of an organization named The Rockand-Roll Forever Foundation, incorporates his love for music into his curriculum to teach history using rock-and-roll’s development and influence on history. “The history of rock-and-roll is really my history. I mean, I grew up in the ‘60s having all this music affecting me as just a kid, then young adult, then an adult,” McGuire said. “What it’s really done for me is connected all the dots and it made me realize how powerful this is, particularly because I believe that virtually every kid is listening to something and music is a universal language.” As a byproduct of being a foundation member, McGuire has been able to meet the foundation’s founder Steven Van Zandt, a member of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street band. “(‘Mac’) is hilarious and super laid back,” McGuire’s student, senior Erika Solderholm, said. “He takes time to make sure all of his students are succeeding.”

Mark Newton

Sometimes, the best way to help students learn and grow as people is to allow them to direct their own learning. As the adviser of MV Media, Mark Newton creates an environment where there are no limitations on what his students can choose to do. “The passion he puts in everything he does and the drive he has translates into the work we do,” senior Kenzie Winslow said. “I know if I need something, he is always a safe place to go to.” While failure is expected in the growing process, Newton pushes his students to go above and beyond what they think they are capable. “Mostly, I want them to get that things are hard but they get better and they have the skills to handle it,” Newton said. “I think [students] struggling is a good thing. There is nothing better then when students realize they can do something and be good at it.” If there is one thing his students can be sure of, it is that Newton is their biggest fan.

Eva Kiss

When a group of German IV students learned they would not be able to continue in Vista’s German program, teacher Eva Kiss offered to give up her planning period so those advanced students could continue their studies. It came as a shock to Kiss’s German IV class at the end of the 2014-2015 school year when she told them the school was discontinuing the program. “I was really upset,” junior Kit Miller said. “We were on a roll. We were on our way to mastering the language and then it was over just like that.” Miller and fellow junior Rod Stewart began taking German at Vista when they were in seventh grade, and every year they watched their class grow smaller and smaller until there was no class left. Knowing how important the language was to them, Kiss gave up one of her off periods to teach them. “She sacrificed one of her planning periods to teach us,” Stewart said. “That says something about her dedication to teaching.”

EP!C! PHOTOS

1. Junior Colin Munro carries the ball down field during the game against Palmer High School May 4. Vista dominated the Terrors and won, 15-7, solidifing the top seed in the Continental League. Photo by Kelsey Pharis 2. Junior Katie Joella dribbles a ball around a Dakota Ridge High School player. Vista soccer won the game, 2-1. Photo by Haley Kolseth 3. Junior Evan Clarke-Resendez pitches during the junior varsity baseball game against Heritage High School. The spring weather posed problems for Resendez and his team during the regular season. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest challenge we had to overcome was the crazy weather and makeup schedule that had us shoveling the field in May and playing three games in one Saturday,â&#x20AC;? Resendez said. Photo by Greyson Koinzan

What’s your dream

SUMMER DESTINATION?

It doesn’t get False any better than Colorado.

The great outdoors are awesome, but I don’t like being far from a city.

True

Glenwood Springs Glenwood Springs is home to some of the best hikes and the prettiest lakes.

se Fal

True

San Juan National Forest San Juan National Forest is arguabably the best place to camp in Colorado. There is biking, climbing, fishing, hunting, horse riding and some of the best fourteeners or other moderate trails to hike. Don’t forget to bring a camera to capture the picturesque mountains.

You don’t have to stay outdoors to enjoy the outdoors. Breckenridge offers some of Colorado’s most beautiful day hikes, such as the Mohawk Lakes trail or Quandary Peak, and a plethora of lodging options in both hotels and cabins, as “Breck” also serves as a typical Colorado mountain town.

True

Mountains over lakes any False day.

I’d rather be in a tent than in a hotel.

Breckenridge Lodging False

Pearl Lake State Park Pearl Lake is one of Colorado’s hidden gems. Nestled in the heart of Steamboat Springs, the state park is available for hiking, camping, fishing and swimming. In the summer, the wildlife around the lake is abundant. Thousands of acres of forest can be accessed by the trails near the camping grounds.

Adams, Lauren-Regis University•Adams, Riley-Cornell University•Addison Zach-Colorado State University•Albury, Aaron-Arapahoe Community College•Alexander, Jordan-Union University•Algiene, Alex-Colorado Mesa University•Allen, Sam-Colorado State University•Amels, Kira-University of Colorado, Boulder•Anderson, Kevin-University of Nebraska, Lincoln•Anderson, Mitchel-Colorado Christian University•Anker, Roman-Metropolitan State University of Denver •Aoyagi, Emalee-Colorado Christian University•Assante, Nick-Florida Institute of Technology•Atchinson, Thomas-University of Colorado, Boulder•Aten, Alex-University of Colorado, Colorado Springs•Avner, Hannah-University of Wisconsin, Madison Babineau, Steven-Undecided•Bain, Ross-University of Northern Colorado•Barnett, Emma-University of Northern Colorado•Barnett, Rebecca-Colorado State University•Barrett, Sean-Loyola University•Bates, Hannah-Gap Year•Bauch, Ryan-University of Northern Colorado•Bean, Kimberly-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Beebe, Brittany-Colorado Mesa University•Beifuss, Cory-Arapahoe Community College•Berner, Reilly-Creighton University•Bertrand, Colby-Arapahoe Community College•Bewley, Tryston-Fort Lewis College•Bigner, Lauren-Colorado State University•Billups, Cydney-University of Texas, Austin•Blais, Tyler-Fort Lewis College•Blandon, Zoe-Colorado College•Boeyink, Trey-Luther College•Boje, Heaven-University of Arizona•Bolster, HollyColorado State University•Bond, Austin-University of California, Los Angeles•Bond, Kelly-Arapahoe Community College•Bonjean, Logan-University of Colorado, Boulder•Borchardt, Lauren-University of Colorado, Boulder•Borden, Tristan-University of Northern Colorado•Bowden, Alex-Arapahoe Community College•Boyer, Paxton-United States Air Force Academy•Bradley, Taryn-University of Wyoming•Brady, Jenna-University of Oregon•Bricker, Cassie-University of Tampa•Bricker, Christa-Eckerd College•Brooks, Andre-Arapahoe Community College•Brown, McKinnon-Brigham Young University, Hawaii•Bruhn, Alex-Virginia Wesleyan College•Buffo, Matthew-Arapahoe Community College•Burgoyne, Zachary-Mission/Brigham Young University, Provo•Burr, KirstenColorado State University•Butler, Ryan-Red Rocks Community College•Byun, Elvin-University of Colorado Denver Cain, Jeremiah-Arapahoe Community College•Callister, Megan-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Camp, Gabrielle-University of Alaska, Fairbanks•Campbell, Brooke-Marquette University•Capocelli, Nick-Colorado State University•Carlson, Eric- University of Northern Colorado•Carr, Lauren-Colorado State University•Cash, Kat-Taylor University•Chaffee, Madison-Colorado Mesa University•Chambers, Alex-Undecided•Chambers, Kyle-The Bridge Program•Chapman, Cameron-University of Colorado, Boulder•Chatwin, Hope- Colorado State University•Cheng, Christina-University of Colorado, Colorado Springs•Cheng, Susan-Carnegie Mellon University•Chengrian, Elizabeth-Colorado School of Mines•Chenoweth, Meg-Undecided•Chrysler, GabbiUniversity of Colorado Denver•Cobb, Courtney-Colorado State University•Coe, Mykala-Colorado Mesa University•Coffman, Clayton-Undecided•Coil, GrantBall State University•Coleman, Nick-Arapahoe Community College•Collins, Ashleigh-North Carolina•Contreras, Jorge-Colorado State University•Coplen, Kyser-Life Paciﬁc College•Cote, Sam-Hockey•Crellin, Paige-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Crockett, Sam-Utah State•Crowson, Reed-University of Colorado, Boulder•Currie, Ryan-Oklahoma State University amle, Rachel-Gap Year•Danek, Hanna-Colorado State University•Davis, Tini-Undecided•Davis, Kailynne-University of Colorado, Boulder•Davis, Palmer-Music Industry•Davidson, Nina-Loyola University•Day, Kevin- University of Colorado, Colorado Springs•DeConza, Marisa-Montana State University•DeGraca, Bryce-University of Northern Colorado•Dehner, Cole-University of Northern Colorado•Delano, Victoria-Araphoe Community College•Dempsey, Olivia-Fort Lewis College•Detmer, Katrina-Fort Lewis College•Devlyn, Riann-Colorado State University•Dixon, Will-Brigham Young University•Dreiling, Kassie-Colorado Mesa University•duBray, Taylor-Coker College•Dudek, Mari-Colorado State University•Dunnaway, Keri-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Durand, Olivia-France•Durgempudi, Pranathi-University of Colorado, Boulder Eilers, Hailey-St. Gregory’s University•Ellingson, Kenna-Idaho State University•English, Cassandra-Colorado School of Mines•Ernest, Hunter-University of Colorado, Boulder•Eslinger, Will-Indiana University Fairbairn, Spencer-University of Colorado, Boulder•Farr, Bryon-Unknown•Faller, Ally-University of Colorado, Boulder•Fang, David-University of Colorado, Boulder•Faraci, Jordan-University of Colorado, Boulder•Feldman, Nicole-Fort Lewis College•Felske, Tyler-Colorado State University•Ferraz, StephanieColorado School of Mines•Fiedler, Danielle-Colorado School of Mines•Finn, Ryan-South Dakota School of Mines and Technology•Fisch, Kyra-University of Denver•Fishman, Taylor-Colorado State University•Fitzke, Reagan-Colorado State University•Fitzke, Ryan-Creighton University•Flitcroft, Tayden-Colorado State University•Flynn, Will-Montana State University•Foster, Nathan-Montana State University•Freitag, Josh-College of duPage•Frerichs, JordanUniversity of Washington, Seattle•Friedman, Charlie-University of Arizona•Friedrichs, Alisha-University of Colorado, Boulder•Fu, Alex-Oklahoma State University•Funk, Hayley-Chapman University•Furgeson, Brennen-University of Northern Colorado Gallagher, Colby-Workforce•Gallagher, Georgia-University of Alabama•Gallagher, Walker-Colorado Mesa University•Gallegos, Zach-Fort Lewis College•Galligan, Mary-Oklahoma State University•Gatchis, Kristin- Colorado State University•Ghia, Steven-University of Oklahoma•Gillis, TannerUniversity of Colorado, Colorado Springs•Gimenez, Aranza-Chile•Ginn, Joseph-Community College of Denver•Gleeson, Robert-Biola University•Gonzales, Jessica-Colorado State University•Gordon, Bailey-University of Colorado, Denver•Gordon, Erin-New Mexico State University•Govett, MackenzieLouisana State University•Granado, John-United States Army•Green, Kennedy-University of Alaska Anchorage•Gregorio, Jacob-Colorado State University, Pueblo•Griego, Adrian-Arapahoe Community College•Grieser, Mason-Oral Roberts University•Griggs, Lauren-Coe College•Grindeland, ColinUndecided•Gross, Katie-Undecided•Grossi, Matias-Colorado School of Mines•Grusing, Bethany-Colorado State University•Gunnare, Nick-Johnson & Wales University Hack, Alexa-Arapahoe Community College•Hamko, Lauren-University of Colorado, Boulder•Hammer, Noah-University of Wyoming•Hampton, Todd-University of Wyoming•Hardman, Austin-Mesa Community College•Harris, John-Point Loma Nazarene•Harris McMaster, Julienne-Arapahoe Community College•Harrison, Aubrey-University of Colorado, Boulder•Harvey, Jake-Undecided•Hausmann, Rhys-Undecided•Heline, Madison-University of Northern Colorado•Hellier, Addison-Oklahoma State University•Hendren, Abby-San Diego State University•Hernandez, Javier-Colorado State University, Pueblo•Hildebrand, Tyler-Hawaii Paciﬁc University•Hipp, William-Colorado State University•Hirshorn, Noah-Colorado College•Hogan, CameronMetropolitan State University of Denver •Holland, Ben-University of Colorado, Boulder•Holton, Christian-University of Oklahoma•Hovland, MercedesUniversity of Wyoming•Howard, Molly-University of Colorado, Boulder•Huang, Amy-Emory University•Huang, Steven-University of Texas, Austin•Hubert, Dominic-Arapahoe Community College•Humann, Conner-University of Hawaii at Manoa Iacolino, Cortland-University of Colorado, Boulder•Ingram, Lyndon-University of Nebraska, Lincoln•Ingram, Sean-Montana State University•Inoue, AtsukiJapan Jain, Divya-University of California, Los Angeles•Jasunas, Ashley-South Dakota School of Mines•Johnson, Kyle-Arapahoe Community College•Jones, Ethan-University of Mississippi•Jones, Madelyn-Pepperdine University•Jones, Olivia-Colorado Christian University•Joseph, Peyton-University of Missouri•Joubert, 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D E F

G H I J K L

Molly-South Dakota School of Mines and Technology•McClarin JuMena-Red Rocks Community College•McClenathan, Zach-Redstone College•McCloskey, Maeve-Iowa State University•McCoy, Max-Colorado State University•McCullough, Rose-University of Colorado, Boulder•McDaniel, Nick-University of Colorado, Boulder•McFarlane, Daniel-Colorado State University•McGavern, Reilly-University of Colorado, Boulder•McGlynn, Tessa-Colorado State University•McGowan, Tate-Colorado State University, Pueblo•McGraw, Moira-Arapahoe Community College•McIntosh, Kaylie-Grand Canyon University•McKay, Cody-Colorado State University•McVey, Makaela-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Medina, Andrew-Humboldt State University•Melendez, Carlos-Brigham Young University, Idaho•Meredith, Douglas-Colorado School of Mines•Metcalfe, Kara-Ohio State University•Mietzner, Graeme-San Diego State University•Miller, Casey-University of Colorado, Boulder•Miller, Cole-Black Hills State University•Miller, Elizabeth-University of Northern Colorado•Mills, Kyler-Colorado State University•Mills, Landon-University of Northern Colorado•Minnihan, Brandon-Colorado School of Mines•Mitchell, Hayley-Colorado Mesa University•Moede, Jordan-University of Colorado, Boulder•Moffat, Courtney-Colorado Mesa University•Morey, Mason-Arapahoe Community College•Morris, Melia-University of Colorado, Boulder•Morrow, Tristan-Gap Year•Murphy, Hannah-Regis University•Murphy, Ivy SklenarUniversity of Northern Colorado•Murphy, Victoria-Colorado State University•Murray, Zane-Arapahoe Community College•Mursau, Alexis-Metropolitan State University of Denver•Mustin, Hayley- University of Texas, Austin•Muthe, Sayalee-Texas A&M University•Mutton, Andrew-University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Nats, Jamie-Boise State University•Nats, Matthew-Colorado State University•Natwick, Emily-University of Kansas•Netherland, Tyler-Undecided•Neyland, Tyler-Colorado State University•Nguyen, Jonathan-University of Colorado, Denver•Nguyen, Mikka-Colorado School of Mines•Nickell, Ryan-Front Range Community College•Niessink Isaac-Arapahoe Community College•Nohr, Alina-University of Colorado, Denver•Novota, Grant-University of Colorado, Boulder O’Connor, Morgan-University of Wyoming•O’Daniel, Ashley-Oklahoma State University•O’Donnell, Colton-University of Wyoming•O’Gorman, TaraUniversity of Colorado, Boulder•O’Sullivan, Michael-Drake University•Oliver, Kathleen-Metropolitan State University of Denver•Olson, Sarah-University of Colorado, Boulder•Ortiz de Zarate, Lara-Baylor University•Osburn, Ethan-Hockey•Osowski, Allison-Colorado State University•Oxley, Brandon-United States Military Paap, Ryan-University of Colorado, Boulder•Pahs, Filip-The Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich•Parker, Brady-Utah State University•Patterson, Chandler-Arapahoe Community College•Pavey, Madison-University of Colorado, Boulder•Peaker, Emma-University of Colorado, Boulder•Pearson, Chelsea-University of Colorado, Colorado Springs•Peeples, Nathan-Front Range Community College•Peet, Mary-Katherine-Texas Tech University•Pemberton, Mac-Metropolitan State University of Denver•Penman, Danielle-Colorado State University•Penna, Olivia-Colorado State University•Pepper, MeganMontana State University•Person, Tynan-Undecided•Petau, Coby-Colorado College•Petau, Keegan-Colorado State University•Peters, Teagan-University of Colorado, Boulder•Petty, Allyson-Weber State University•Pfeifer, Erik-Colorado State University•Pharis, Kelsey-University of Missouri•Pharo, RylandUndecided•Pickrell, Katie-University of Colorado, Boulder•Pisciotta, Adam-Arapahoe Community College•Polack, Tucker-Western State Colorado University•Pontius, Maddy-University of Colorado, Boulder•Pope, Anwyn-University of Hawaii, Manoa•Possehl, Grant-Colorado State University•Probst, Jack-Colorado State University•Pugh, Mal-University of California, Los Angeles Radman, Seth-University of Colorado, Boulder•Raisor, Savannah-Undecided•Ramsay, Jenna-Santa Fe University of Art and Design•Ray, 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As Continental League champions, girl’s tennis sets sights on state title

Casey Zhong

Story by Regan Lavallee

ack to back to back. The girl’s varsity tennis team claimed the title of Continental League champions for the third year in a row. This is the first team in school history out of both tennis programs to hold three consecutive titles. Varsity head coach Jim Flanigan took over the girl’s tennis program three years ago. In those three years, he helped the varsity team earn its first league title in school history. Since then, Flanigan has continued to shape the program toward success by coaching the the players on how to play to win. “The past two years, we have been undefeated. Three years ago we lost to Rock Canyon High School, who took fourth, but beat Ponderosa and Heritage high schools, who won second and third (respectively),” Flanigan said. “That’s why we are back to back to back [Continental League champions].” Having beat the nine other teams in the league, the varsity team has placed themselves in the prime position for state. “We get to host our regional, so we get a little easier path to state. If you win the league, you get an easier path to get all your players to state,” Flanigan said. This is only the beginning. Not only does Flanigan intend for the team to maintain this title, he plans on securing the tennis program’s first team state title. “I think that Continental League Championships are great. But what makes you a standout forever? Flanigan said. “I think that State Championships do that.” In order to earn the title of state champ, the Golden Eagles must beat Cherry Creek High School. “We are trying to take down the team that has won (the 5A state title) 19 years in a row. It is not a small feat,” Flanigan said. “We are really excited to hopefully be that team to take them out.” Varsity ended its season undefeated and won the Western Slope Tournament. In addition, various players placed in the top three at the Phil Kraus Tournament. Flanigan said their hard work throughout the season has prepared them for the state tournament this Thursday, Friday and Saturday in Denver. “The girls have done a fantastic job, but this wasn’t the end goal,” Flanigan said. “The plan is to keep playing our best and make sure the girls feel prepared.”

Girl’s varsity soccer shoots for another 5A state title

Story by Lauren Lippert

The girl’s varsity soccer successful regular season ended with a 11-3-1 overall record and the sixth seed in the 5A state playoffs. Vista was scheduled to play 27th-seeded Fossil Ridge High School Tuesday. The girls are prepared for playoffs with hopes of another state title. “I think we’re going to kill it in the playoffs,” junior Hayley Schueppert said. “We have the right mentality and I know we have the talent and the players who are willing to put in the effort to do whatever it takes to win.” Aside from the girls’ triumph playing as a team, the Golden Eagles still faced obstacles on and off the pitch. “Recently, one of our players broke a collarbone,” sophomore goalie Kylee Love said. “We came together and decided to win for her.” The outcome, Love said, was a 4-0 victory over Heritage.

ALL I DO IS WIN

Junior Casey Zhong hits the ball back to her opponent during warm ups before a match she won against a Ponderosa player. “I [focus] on winning points one at a time,” Zhong said. Photo by Regan Lavallee

Girl’s Soccer

Athletic Director Pat McCabe to move to Arapahoe High School Story by Regan Lavallee

at McCabe, the athletic director at Mountain Vista, is moving on to Arapahoe High School beginning next school year. “I’ve been the athletic director [at Vista] for six years,” McCabe said. “I started my career at Arapahoe, when there was an opening at Vista, I thought (principal) Steve Johnson would be fantastic to work for, so I applied to come over here.” Looking back on his career at Vista, McCabe remembers various athletic and academic achievements, but the main thing that stands out to him is the friendships he made in his time here. “I will cherish the friendships I’ve built here. My best friends work at Mountain Vista,” McCabe said. “The people that I work with, they are the best friends I have. These guys, Mr. Long, Mr. Ceglie, Mr. Peterson and Mr. Weaver — I’ve learned from these guys. McCabe’s friendships are only the beginning of his favorite things about Vista. “There’s been a lot of greatness here that I will remember forever,” McCabe said. “The culture of Mountain Vista — the kids, the coaches, the parents — is what I think high school should be about. I’m going to miss that like crazy.” Leaving behind Vista was a hard decision, McCabe said, but he is conﬁdent in the program he is leaving behind. “Vista is the best comprehensive high school in the state. Along with that, I think we have the best comprehensive high school

Swim making its way to state

A FAMILY MAN

McCabe spent his time at Vista with two of his olderst daughters, Robbie and Molly (pictured). He will be with his youngest daughter, Emma, at Arapahoe next year. Photo by Kelsey Pharis

athletic program in the state,” McCabe said. “Of all the greatness that is in the things that we do, it has 0 percent to do with me and 100 percent to do with the kids and the coaches in the programs. We promote kids here to do all kinds of things. We are coaching the elite. We want kids to experience multiple activities that push them out of their comfort zone and make them work to be great.”

Darren Woon

Story by Kelsey Pharis

Story by Haley Kolseth

The Highlands Ranch swim team, the combined team of Mountain Vista, Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge and Highlands Ranch high schools (and based out of HRHS), is currently ranked ﬁfth in the state. The varsity and JV teams have two more meets left in the season, including their respective league meets and the state competition. Varsity has won its league meet for the past seven years. “I don’t think much would change this year at leagues,” senior Darren Woon said. “It’s usually a fun precursor to state and you’d be surprised how many kids qualify to state at leagues.” The JV team also has seen some ﬁne accomplishments this year, including a few athletes who got A league cuts, which will earn them a varsity letter. “I’m looking to improve from where I was last year in placement and to (my) drop time,” sophomore Jake Leichner said.

Varsity lacrosse wants three-peat

Men’s Lacrosse

May 4 marked the day the varsity lacrosse team solidified its spot as Continental League champions. With only one loss on its record, (to Regis Jesuit High School that was previously ranked first in state), the team is now on a three-game winning streak and coming back from a major win against Arapahoe High School, ranking them first in the state. The AHS game was much like a replay of last year’s second-round state tournament game and Vista again pulled out the win, 14-11. “It’s our third year straight being the sole winner of the league,” senior Noah Hirshorn said. “It’s a tough league and I’m happy we were able to win.” Heading into the 5A playoffs, the team is preparing for a tough road against opponents such as last year’s champion Cherry Creek High School and Regis. “[I’m looking forward to] being able to go out with my team for two more weeks and test ourselves,” Hirshorn said.

Got Disc Golf? Top Places to Play in Highlands Ranch

May all of your shots go straight, long and towards the chains. By Austin Sack

Highlands Ranch are David A. Lorenz Regional Park Disc Golf course, the Ken As summer break slowly arrives you Caryl Disc Golf course, Fehringer Ranch may find yourself sitting at home not Disc Golf course or you can just go play knowing what to do. Well, next time at Mountain Vista. this happens stop being a couch potato, Every player has his or her favorite grab some friends and hit the closest spot to play, local or out of state. disc golf course. For Kessel, it’s both. Disc golf is a fun leisure sport and “I began playing because my grandpa although those who play the game and uncle showed the sport to me and know of its fun aspects, it is not that I’ve stuck with it ever since,” Kessel popular. said. “My favorite place to play is a The game is a mix up of golf and course in Oregon, but in Colorado I’ve Ultimate Frisbee. The goal is to throw only played at a few courses. Most often the disc into the chains. Wherever it I play at the course off of County Line, lands is where you have to throw again which is the David A. Lorenz Park.” until you get it in the “hole.” Like golf, The biggest issue with disc golf is the lowest score wins. that not many people know about the “I like playing disc golf because it sport and are willing to go out and play. combines my two favorite sports, golf Although it only requires one person to and Ultimate frisbee,” junior Drew play, the more the people there are, the Kessel said. more fun it can be. Every disc golf player has a different “More people should get involved reason for why he or she plays. with disc golf because the sport is not “I like disc golf because I get out in very big and if people try something the fresh air with some friends and get new they might even find there new to have a friendly competition,” junior favorite thing,” Doddemeade said. Matt Doddemeade said. Disc golf is an enjoyable sport that In Highlands Ranch there are only everyone can and should get involved. a few courses to play, but luckily for If one hasn’t tried disc golf before, it is students at Mountain Vista, there’s a never too late to join the fun. course right here in their back yard. “Summer is the perfect time to grab A couple of years ago some Boy Scouts some buddies and hit the courses made the nine-hole course for their for a relaxing game of Disc Golf,” Eagle project. Doddemeade said. Some of the other locations in

Mountain Vista High School (9 holes)

David A. Lorenz Regional Disc Golf Course 8422 S. Colorado Blvd. (18 holes)

Ken Caryl Disc Golf Course South Continental Divide Rd. (9 holes)

Your summer travel list

Denver Metro Area

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Denver

Colorado

The Mile High City

Spread by Tyler Felske & Katie Pickrell

1. Marquis Theater 2009 Larimer St. 2. Lollicup 1589 S. Colorado Blvd. 3. Coors Field 2001 Blake St. 4. 16th Street Mall 16th Street 5. Red Rocks 18300 W. Alameda Pkwy., Morrison 6. Voodoo Doughnuts 1520 E. Colfax Ave.

1. The Marquis Theater is a concert venue in the heart of downtown Denver. It is also home to some of the best pizza you can get in the city. Whether you’re going there to see a local band or just walking by, stop in and grab a slice for only $3.

A full pie starts as low as low as $8. The theater’s specialty pies take names after famous punk bands, such as the “Against Meat!” (Against Me!) and the “Tofugazi” (Fugazi). 2. Tawainese bubble tea has come up big in the last couple years. At Lollicup Denver, you can get almost any flavor of slushie, smoothie or (nondairy) milk tea.

2 3. Colorado’s pro baseball team, the Rockies, play a plethora of home games over the summer. There are specialevent days where the first couple thousand fans through the gates get a special item, such as socks or a Pop Socket. With tickets starting at $16, there is no reason why you (yes, you!) shouldn’t go to a game this summer. 4. Full of shops and street performers, the 16th Street Mall is a necessary destination. With over 40 cafes and dozens of restaurants, the options are limitless in this

outdoor social hub. 5. A certain staple in the music scene of Colorado, Red Rocks is back and with a schedule bigger than ever. Between folk, rap, reggae, rock and even metal, there will be at least one show you will want to go to this summer. Artists performing this summer include Bob Dylan, Ben Harper, Brand New, Zed’s Dead, Slipknot and, the millenial generation’s favorite, Twenty One Pilots. 6. Who doesn’t love a good doughnut? Voodoo Doughnuts is the prime location for your sweet tooth. With dozens of options, everyone will find something to enjoy at this culinary hotspot.

On this side of town Breakfast

Pierre Michel French Bakery is one of the best breakfast places in the Ranch with classic French foods like crossiants and quiche. They also serve lunch until close at 2 p.m.

Eat

Located off of Quebec and Arapahoe, Yuan’s Mongolian Barbecue is the best hole-in-thewall mongolian grill around the Ranch.

Drink

Solid Grounds is the largest independentlyowned coffee shop in the Littleton area. Great coffee aside, it’s a comfy hangout spot.

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PLACES TO AND

CAMP HIKE TIME TO GO OUTSIDE AND TAKE IN ALL THAT NATURE HAS TO OFFER.

Spread by: Conner Davis & Tyler Merchant

Hiking and camping are on the agenda for many as the muchawaited summer break approaches. The clear trails and flowing streams and rivers make the idea of spending anywhere from an hour to a few days outside appealing. Hiking can be a great way to start experiencing the outdoors and an even better way to start preparing for an extensive backpacking trip. Whether the hike is long or short, steep or flat, unmarked or marked (although it’s typically a good idea to stay on marked trails when exploring the great outdoors), there is a trail fit for everybody. Distance and trail running are both good substitutes for hiking if walking is too slow for your style. Many — if not most — of the trail systems in Colorado offer exciting remote running trails with twists, turns, bumps and dips. If staying put is more your speed, camping is the way to go. Colorado caters to all comfort and experience levels. Places like Chatfield Reservoir offer an outdoor experience while still being around plenty of people and civilization, while seclusion of deep-forest camping in the mountains can be found along any number of backpacking trails. The following list provides options and details that meet the needs of anyone wanting to experience the Colorado outdoors this summer.

WATERTON CANYON

Waterton Canyon is an almost completely flat trail that comes to an end at the Strontia Springs Dam. Hiking, running, walking and biking are all suitable activities for the trail. Sadly, unauthorized motor vehicles are not allowed. The Platte River runs alongside the trail for the majority of the 6.2 miles, which makes for a great opportunity to bundle a hiking and fishing trip. Wildlife can often be spotted along the sides of the extensive canyon.

2 RAMPART RANGE

An abandoned mill in Victor, Colo., a partial ghost town which was the largest gold-mining city in the Cripple Creek Mining District.

Fourty-five minutes outside of Sedalia lies Rampart Range, an expansive off-roading, ATV, hiking and camping area. The campsites are dispersed at about 75 yards. Each site is free of charge and no booking is required, however there is a limit on your stay of 14 days. Some sites are big enough to fit five tents and five cars, so the large, flat areas of dirt offer plenty of customizability as to where you and your friends pitch your tent and build your fire pit. About 15 minutes away from the campsites is the Devil’s Head Lookout Trail, a 2.8-mile roundtrip hike that ends at a fire tower lookout station.

STEAMBOAT LAKE STATE PARK

Steamboat Springs is a quaint town in the northwestern corner of Colorado that has gift shops, candy shops, souvenir shops and pretty much any kind of shop a visitor could hope for. It’s a popular tourist town and a great place to visit, even if you don’t camp, but camping only makes the experience better. Outside of the town is Steamboat Lake State Park, a beautiful campground with over 180 campsites along Steamboat Lake. The sites range in capabilities and amenities from those with electric charging stations for recreational vehicles all the way to a plot of dirt with just enough space for a tent and a fire. Regardless of the site you choose, experiencing Steamboat Springs while camping will be an experience you will not soon forget.

HANGING LAKE

Hanging Lake offers one of the most rewarding hikes in Colorado. The trail, just outside of Glenwood Springs is only a mile long, but is very rocky and steep so it ends up being slightly strenuous. The stunning lake and scenery at the top make the tiring accent worthwhile. Once you get to the top, continue climbing to get a view of the smaller falls and take in the surrounding forests and mountains.

QUANDARY PEAK

Standing approximately 14,250 feet high with only 3,450 feet of elevation gain is Quandary Peak, the highest peak in the Tenmile Range. Quandary is famous for being a good hike for those looking for a fourteener to climb but haven’t had much experience. On the contrary, Quandary can be a challenging hike in the winter for those who seek thrills and prefer to live dangerously. Mountain goats and other wildlife is very common along the 3.4 miles to the summit. After completing your hike, you can stop in the town of Fairplay. It is a small rustic town that gives off an old western vibe and is fun to explore.

ECHO LAKE CAMPGROUND

Echo Lake, a campground located near Idaho Springs and on the Mt. Evans Byway, is a perfect first-time camping spot. There are wooden picnic tables, a large fire pit with a grate for cooking and a predesignated area for your tent at each site. Hiking and backpacking trails are nearby, making exploring and adventuring just a few steps away. Echo Lake is just a five-minute walk and offers beautiful views and fishing. There is a $17 fee to camp, and you must reserve your spot ahead of time.

AUDUBON

CENTER

Located about two minutes away from the Waterton Canyon parking lot, the Audubon Nature Center is a twisting and turning maze of trails that goes across the South Platte River and through a forest. It is extremely easy to lose yourself in these paths, so make sure to bring a map if you are unfamiliar with the intricate trails.

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) has five campgrounds within its boundaries: Aspenglen, Glacier Basin, Longs Peak, Moraine Park and Timber Creek. The five campgrounds have almost 600 sites between them and allow for campers of all skill levels to visit RMNP for a night or even a week. Aside from camping, RMNP has endless hiking and running trails within its 415 square miles of mountainous terrain, allowing for lots of exploring and adventures while you camp.

PIKES PEAK

Pikes Peak, located in Colorado Springs, is the 20th highest mountain in Colorado, but first in the ranks of best doughnuts on a fourteener. Aside from the attractions at the top, there are beautiful sites while traveling up the mountain such as the Broadmoor Seven Falls, a set of seven waterfalls inside of a box canyon. The peak is accessible in many different ways, including the scenic Cog Railroad. No matter the transportation, the peak has an incredible overview of the Rocky Mountains and a gift shop with doughnuts.

CRYSTAL MILL

The Crystal Mill lies six miles east of Marble, in western Colorado. It’s a great adventure for anyone willing to drive across a treacherous, one-lane, four-wheel-drive trail. For those not up to the task, there is still access via walking, biking and even guided Jeep tours. If you choose to take the walking method, it’s about a ten-mile out-and-back hike. The trails can become somewhat treacherous, as the Jeeps and other off-road vehicles use it to get to the Crystal Mill as well. Along the trail is Lizard Lake. You can stop and fish here, but carrying all of your fishing equipment will make the hike more challenging. Once at the Crystal Mill, you can continue along the road/trail for another half-mile until you reach the town of Crystal. There is still an open gift shop to help you remember your trip, but aside from that, it is a cool ghost town to explore.

THANK YOU FOR MAKING

2016

EP!C!