eagleeye
we are giving.
It’s the season of giving, and students and staff are going above and beyond to help the community. Vol. 15 Issue 2 11.23.15
Mountain Vista High School | 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126
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mvm staff.
editors.
Conner Davis Reagan Fitzke 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 Savanah Howard Haley Kolseth Lauren Lippert Jordan MacArthur
Hayley Mustin Mikayla Olave Charlie Penvari Staci Prevato Tamara Sorg Erica Venable Kenzie Winlsow
staff.
contents
policy.
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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.
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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 Unsigned letters will not be published.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.
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open forum content.
Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service and Creative Commons licensing. ©2015 Mountain Vista Media All rights reserved.
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briefing.
06 we are giving
The kitchen staff at Mountain Vista gives back to the students. by Austin Sack
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jj watt
An interview with Houston Texans defensive end JJ Watt about his organization.
by Kit Miller
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presidential picks
Two presidential selections from two different parties for the 2016 election.
by Katie Pickrell and Christian Holton
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how do you give back?
A look into how Vista students give back to the community in different ways. by Haley Kolseth
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editorial
Mountain Vista students and faculty give and share thanks in unimaginable ways. by Conner Davis
feature.
14 art nhs
Art NHS participates in Trick-or-Treat street to give back to younger kids.
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by Kenzie Winslow
16 beyond grades Honors English II works to change the world.
by Staci Prevato and Mikayla Olave
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teaching time
two seniors teach elementary schoolers.
by Amy Huang and Katie Pickrell
20 taking a stand Students fundraised to prevent domestic abuse.
by Lauren Lippert and Savanah Howard
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the earth Roots and Shoots helps the world’s health. by Gabe Barnard
24 math help
Ann Miller spends her Saturdays helping students better their math skills. by Charlie Penvari
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culture.
volunteering Ten ways to give back and who needs it the most.
by Kelsey Pharis
28 hunger games vs.
Star Wars
A comparison of two major blockbusters of the season.
by Reagan Fitzke and Amy Huang
29 ep!c! photos
Some of the best photos of some of the best moments of the fall sports sesason.
30 Sports brief
Look back at fall sports and see what’s to come in the winter sports season.
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EP!C photos.
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1. Junior Austin Sack throws a Frisbee while defender junior Matt Doddemeade tries to block. “My brother got me hooked on Ultimate Frisbee after he started playing in college,” Sack said. “This year I got the opportunity to be one of the captains and it’s a really great way to spread my love for the sport to my other teammates.” The Ultimate Frisbee team now plays games against other teams affiliated with other schools for the first time in Mountain Vista history. Photo credit: Katie Pickrell 2. Senior Elizabeth Tuller performs her twirling routine at the Vista football game against Douglas County High School. “I love entertaining the crowd by doing what I love,” Tuller said. “It’s scary when I’m getting ready, but as soon as I hear the crowd cheer, it’s so exciting!” Tuller is now Mountain Vista’s only twirler and has won awards at the national level for her skill. Photo credit: Amy Huang.
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4 3. A flame burns up towards a soda can during Jody Lanterna-Lewis’ Honors Biology class. “I liked how it was so hands on and it helped me understand the topic that we were learning about more,” sophomore Sarah Miller said. The class consistently uses hands-on learning to gain knowledge about science. Photo credit: Gabe Barnard 4. Senior Georgia Gallagher sings the national anthem during the varsity football team’s first playoff game against Denver East High School. “It was such a huge honor,” Gallagher said. “I’ve been singing since I was really little and it was so exciting to get to share my passion and talent with the school before such a big game.” The Eagles won the game, 19-14, to advance to the second round of playoffs where they lost to No. 1-seeded Grandview High School. Photo credit: Katie Pickrell
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we are vista: kitchen
The staff at Mountain Vista gives everything they can to the students. commentary. Austin Sack photos. Austin Sack
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hanksgiving is a time to give thanks for the students and faculty at Mountain Vista — and the kitchen staff is one not to be forgotten within that spirit. “The kids here at Mountain Vista are seriously the most polite and thankful kids I have ever worked with and that is the honest truth,” Susie Steppins, kitchen manager, said. The kitchen provides healthy foods and is able to provide special request for multiple students who have dietary needs such as gluten-free diets and modifications for students who are diabetic. The kitchen staff not only is dedicated to keep students healthy, but many of the staff have also have developed friendships with dozens of students. “I’ve gotten to know some of the kids on a first-name basis so I feel that they are more appreciative of what we do in the kitchen,” Sarah King, kitchen assistant, said. It is often assumed that the chefs in the kitchen just prepare the same meals everyday, but most don’t know all of the individuals on staff have a creative side to them. “We have a lot of really good cooks here who are also mothers that make very healthy meals that are good tasting. It would be really fun and creative of all of us to be able to bring that here to Mountain Vista,” Steppins said.
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Sadly, it is hard to have these home-cooked meals at school because the food the kitchen prepares is regulated and the staff in the kitchen has to craft all meals by rigorous procedure. “I would have to say that the worst thing about working in the kitchen is that we are so held back with what we want to do. We can’t be very creative and have to follow procedure exactly. It’s very frustrating sometimes to not be able to make more food that kids like,” Steppins said. Sometimes students only think of the cafeteria as a place to get food and don’t think of the staff that makes it possible for them to eat everyday. For the kitchen staff at Mountain Vista, it is a completely different story. The kitchen not only ensures student health, but offers many new exciting meals, such as the breakfast burrito and Nacho Day. “The best thing about working in the kitchen is to be able to interact with all the kids on a daily basis because we have a great group of kids here,” Steppins said. It easy to think of only what someone does and not think of who is doing it, but in this time of giving back it is important to thank every staff member who helps benefit our school on a daily basis — especially the amazing staff in the kitchen.
a heart
of gold
The JJ Watt Foundation works to provide funding for school athletic programs. commentary. Kit Miller photos. courtesy of the JJ Watt Foundation
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e’ve all heard the stereotype before: football players are meatheads. They aren’t smart, they aren’t compassionate and they aren’t serious; they’re just a large concentration of testosterone rolled into a slab of meat. However, there is a lot of evidence that proves that stereotype is wrong. Twenty-six professional football players graduated from Stanford University. Five graduated from Harvard University. Seven graduated from Vanderbilt University. A survey conducted by NCAA in 2006 showed that college football players spent an average of 32 hours a week (on weekdays) practicing football — that’s the same as having a part-time job. An unpaid part-time job at that. But perhaps one of the biggest indicators of the truth is the character we see from professional football players both on and off the field. From Pink Week appreciation to Fuel Up to Play 60, a partnership between the National Dairy Council, the National Football League (NFL) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to promote physical wellness in schools, football players have proven to be big teddy bears with hearts of gold. One of the biggest teddy bears of the NFL is defensive end
for the Houston Texans, JJ Watt. Watt is the president and founder of the JJ Watt Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides after-school athletic opportunities for students in middle school. He started the organization in his basement with his mom when he was a junior in college. In just a few short years, the organization donated over $1 million to schools. “Every kid that we affect, it hits home to me because I know what sports can do,” Watt said. “I know how athletics can help change a life.” Watt’s generosity is also shown in his commercial with American Family Insurance, where he surprises fans by supporting them in their endeavors. “We finally get a chance to go out there and support other people’s dreams. And when the tables are turned, it’s pretty cool to be someone else’s fan,” Watt said. Watt’s selflessness is an example of the diversity that exists in the NFL. Not all football players are meatheads — in fact, most of them aren’t. Players like JJ Watt, and countless others in the NFL, can inspire us all to be better people.
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cruz control America needs a courageous conservative.
opinion. christian holton
America is facing many issues. An unstable Middle East, the threat of radical Islamic terrorism, Iran having nuclear capabilities, our immigration policy, religious liberty, and a stagnant enonomy are some of the issues that the next president will have to address. The current republican polling numbers have startled me. The candidate leading the field, Donald Trump, is not fit to run this country. The only reason Donald Trump has made it this far is because Americans are upset with the way the country is being run and Trump is good at evoking anger and passion from those angry voters. However, I am confident that as we get closer to November 2016, candidates with no political experience like Donald Trump and Ben Carson will be passed by seasoned politicians like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. My favorite candidate for the 2016 election is Cruz, a U.S. senator from Texas. Cruz is a strong Christian with traditional conservative values who adheres to the constitution. Cruz also has a very impressive resume. He attended Harvard and Princeton, and while at Princeton, he was a national speech and debate champion. After college, Cruz attended Harvard Law School where famed professor Alan Dershowitz said that Cruz is one of the best students he has ever had. It is also worthy to note that Cruz has an audiographic brain. An audiographic brain is similar to a photographic brain except those with an audiographic brain remember everything they hear instead of everything they see, which is a pretty impressive skill for a potential president. As Solicitor General for the State of Texas and in private law, Cruz had a number of huge victories, like defending the Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms and defending the constitutionality of the Ten Commandments monument at the Texas State Capitol. In 2004 Cruz was involved in the high profile Supreme Court case Elk Grove Unified School District v. Newdow. This case questioned the constitutionality of public schools reciting “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. Cruz won the case by unanimous decision. Cruz’s U.S. Senate resume is also very admirable. As a senator, Cruz has led the fight to try and pass Kate’s Law, a law I believe is relevant in America today. Kate’s Law was inspired after 32-year-old Kate Steinle was killed by an illegal immigrant hiding in the sanctuary city of San Francisco. If passed, Kate’s Law would force any undoc-
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umented alien who has been convicted of an aggravated felony and decides to return to America after being deported to serve a 5-year federal prison term and prevent these criminals from reaping the immunity that sanctuary cities currently supply. While in the Senate, Cruz was a huge advocate against the Iran deal, calling it “the single greatest national security threat to America.” Cruz vowed that if elected he will rip to shreds the Iran deal (frankly I don’t see the problem in allowing a country that routinely chants “death to America” and burns American flags to acquire nuclear capabilities, but hey that’s just me.) The Second Amendment is a very important right the American people possess and Cruz is one of the nation’s leading defenders of it. While in the Senate, Cruz has authored legislation to strengthen Second Amendment rights. He was awarded the National Rifle Association’s Carter-Knight Freedom Fund Award for his role in defending gun rights in the supreme court case McDonald v. Chicago. Senator Cruz’s tax plan is also notable. Cruz’s tax proposal is a simple flat tax. For a family of four there will be no taxes on the first $36,000 of income and everything earned beyond that will receive a 10 percent tax. Cruz also plans to have a flat tax for businesses of 16 percent. The simplicity of Cruz’s plan would eliminate the Internal Revenue Service. The growth of radical Islam is a major threat to America and I am confident Cruz is the best candidate to deal with it. Personally, I am more than frustrated with the Obama administration’s nonchalant approach to dealing with the threat of groups like ISIS and Boko Haram. Cruz perfectly pointed out the problem with the Obama administration’s handling of ISIS and radical Islam: “You cannot win a war on radical Islamic terrorism with a president who is unwilling to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism.” Cruz’s plan to destroy ISIS involves two steps. The first is to hit them with overwhelming air strikes and the second is to arm the Kurdish army with advanced weapons. Cruz also has authored legislation called the Ex-Patriot Terrorist Act in hopes of weakening radical Islamic terrorism. The
legislation states any American citizen who joins a radical Islamic terrorism group automatically loses his or her citizenship. I am confident the threat of radical Islamic groups would greatly diminish if Cruz was president. America needs a courageous conservative, like Cruz, to lead this country. Under a Cruz administration America would be a country that stands with innocent victims like Kate Steinle and not with violent criminals. A country that supports every American’s religious and second amendment rights. A country that supports our ally Israel and refuses to make disastrous deals with countries that dare to chant “death to America.” A country that taxes everyone at the same rate, encourages business growth and finally, a country that actually acknowledges the growing threat of radical Islamic terror and is willing to do something about it. A vote for Sen. Ted Cruz is a vote for American prosperity.
feel the bern Is America ready for the political revolution? Because I know I am.
opinion. katie pickrell
The elections of 2016 will mark the first time I can and will legally vote in an election — and I can guarantee I’ll be pushing out a progressive conscience on my ballot. Things I’m against include mass incarceration, degradation of the environment, racism, the disappearance of the middle class and the rich getting richer. Things I’m for include affordable education, accessible health care, a viable planet, eradicating poverty and societal equality. More simply put, I’m ready for Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), now running as a Democrat, to take over. The old, white guy fits the stereotype of the general political makeup of the United States — until he opens his mouth. A self-proclaimed feminist and socialist, Sanders isn’t running for power, he’s running for the people. His platform ranges from protecting LGBTQ rights to pushing diplomacy and protecting our environment. There isn’t a single issue in my mind that Sanders hasn’t posed an understandable solution to. Starting with the happenings inside our country, the economy isn’t in a viable state for many Americans. Just last year, 15 percent of the U.S. was living in poverty — living in the richest country on earth is useless when all the money is going directly to the richest of the rich and poverty rates are comparable to that of developing countries. It’s unacceptable to assume anyone’s right to wealth is worthy of degrading someone else’s right to a livable lifestyle. But what are we to do about it? Sen. Sanders has a few ideas: Stop corporations from outsourcing jobs and evading taxes, increase the minimum wage to a living wage, invest in infrastructure jobs, place money into disadvantaged youth programs, institute paycheck equality, make education affordable, expand social security, guarantee access to healthcare, increase paid leave and expand workers’ unions. Also within the U.S., we’re facing drastic issues with race relations. Sen. Sanders is the only candidate who has explicitly stated he believes systematic racism is far from ending in the U.S., Mass incarceration is one of the most disappointing aspects of our country. The war on drugs accounts for the largest amount of arrests. It also accounts for ruining lives, increasing weapon accessibility, perpetuating racism and creating tension between the police and civilians. As president, Sanders would demilitarize the police, end the war on drugs, re-enfran-
chise more than two million black individuals, ban privatized prisons and invest money into at-risk youth programs. Sanders also proposed legislation to eliminate the federal ban on marijuana. All of this has the potential to combat gun violence, race violence, drug violence and political violence. Something else close to my heart, and obviously so, is the fight for women’s rights. News regarding the election has brought about the idea of defunding Planned Parenthood and leaving thousands of women without full access to healthcare. “We are not going back,” Sanders has reiterated, to a time when a woman’s right to full reproductive healthcare is objective to an individual’s moral standing. If someone was to use an argument against abortion as an argument against Planned Parenthood, they would have to ignore that no public funds can be legally attributed to abortion. They also ignore that Planned Parenthood allows access to sexually transmitted infection testing, cancer prevention and general healthcare services for women. Sanders has recommended that we not only support Planned Parenthood, but expand it. Along with that action, Sanders will also work to ensure women receive equal pay, equal representation and equal opportunity in the United States. Another pro of a Sander’s presidency occurs beyond the borders of our country. A lifelong opponent of unnecessary warfare, Sanders will work to actually utilize diplomacy, actually close Guantanamo Bay and actually limit military combat. Sen. Sanders is one of the only current presidential candidates to have originally voted against the Iraq war. Sanders clearly made the correct choice as all the war did was further destabilize the regions and allow for terrorist organization to grow and prosper. Recently, the Iran deal has been causing headlines and increasing worry among the public regarding a nuclear attack (despite that the aim of the deal was to prevent one). Sanders has supported the deal as the best out to make it so Iran cannot threaten other countries with a nuclear weapon and ensure another war does not break out in the region. Within the realm of a looming terrorist attacks, Sanders supports our freedom as
Americans more than anything. He’s voted against the Patriotic Act and the USA Freedom Act stating he values our constitutional rights more than an “illusion of safety.” Also, while Sanders doesn’t believe in acting as an international police force, he does believe that we — with the help of other nations — need to promote human rights. The basis of much of Sander’s campaign has been protecting people by first protecting the environment. We should tax carbon emissions, we shouldn’t put oil pipelines above giant aquifers and we must invest money into one of the largest fields in modern day science — alternative energy. Sanders has voted against the now rejected Keystone XL Pipeline and introduced legislation to combat degradation of the environment. His voting record and history in the government is an argument in and of itself for a Sanders’ presidency. He’s been loyal to his values and honest and truthful with the American people — something not many other politicians can acclaim.
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I’ve volunteered with the football team for the last four years. It’s made me a better person, and I’m glad I’ve been able to support those who support us. Kyler Mills, 12
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My mom used to work at Make-A-Wish, so I would be there a lot to volunteer. It has been a big part of my life and taught me to be more appreciative. Jenna Yoss,12
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I volunteer at a sports camp for kids out of my church. Basically, I pick a sport and then teach kids about God and that sport for a week. Tyler Soper, 10
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how do give
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Every year I go to the Ronald McDonald Playhouse in Aurora and volunteer to help little kids who are dealing with cancer treatments. Charlee Johnson, 9
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Every Saturday I work with the Special Olympics at D.U. I teach people with special needs how to ice skate. I perform with this girl named Stephanie. Rachel Peterson,10
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story. Haley Kolseth
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you back?
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With Interact Club, I do food drives and read books to kids at the elementary school. I’m able to help families in need and teach kids valuable lessons. Ryan Lane, 11
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Dear #1 Mom and #1 Dad,
It’s almost too late to get a senior tribute ad into the 2016 Aerie yearbook. I know you want to tell the student body how much you love me. The final deadline isn’t until Dec. 1, meaning you have a little bit of time to pick out the best bathtub photo. Pricing differs depending on how much you love me. With love, Your favorite child find pricing information on theyearbookcompany.com ㌀ ㌀ⴀ㘀㤀㐀ⴀ㘀㔀
眀眀眀⸀瀀爀漀琀攀挀琀愀渀搀猀攀爀瘀攀愀挀愀搀攀洀礀⸀挀漀洀
㌀ 䔀⸀ 䌀漀甀渀琀礀 䰀椀渀攀 刀搀Ⰰ 唀渀椀琀 㤀 䰀椀琀琀氀攀琀漀渀Ⰰ 䌀伀 㠀 ㈀㈀ ⨀一攀砀琀 䐀漀漀爀 吀漀 吀栀攀 䐀䴀嘀
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
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
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vistanow.org bringing you all of the freshest news of the MVHS community
we are giving editorial. Conner Davis
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s the falling leaves give way to falling snow, the season of giving begins — a time for not only reflecting on all we have, but also for giving back to those in need. Whether it be on their own, in conjunction with friends, with family members, or in a club or a sport, Mountain Vista students and staff don’t hesitate when given the opportunity to give back to their community. Giving back doesn’t have to be a huge mission trip to a Third World country to build a school or hospital (although it often times looks like that, which is quite charitable). It can range anywhere from that to donating a couple of dollars to a charity or helping out at a soup kitchen. Any form of returning the favor to the community is helpful. Along with a large-scale to small-scale project spectrum, there is also a global to local way of viewing giving back. Math teacher Ann Miller donates her time on various Saturday mornings to helping her students who need help with with calculus. That’s what giving back to the Mountain Vista community looks like. The football team, like Miller, gives back within the community. They met a young boy, Joe Wren, who is staying in The Children’s Hospital for Prune Belly Syndrome. Wren joined the the varsity football team when running out on the field to start off the Vista vs. Highlands Ranch game. On a more global scale, Melissa Clark has each of her sophomore Honors English classes choose a community service project and then come up with the best way to raise money. A few of the charities that Clark’s classes will make donations to include Women Against Rape and Hope for Haiti Foundation. Any act of donation will give something back to a group or a specific person, whether it be time, money or clothes to get them throught winter. Giving back may not always look the same, but is always greatly appreciated by those who benefit. Mountain Vista students and teachers find one—or several—ways to donate to help someone who needs it a bit more than we do.
Joe Wren and trainer Joe Ekhoff
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smarts, arts
and treats Art NHS gives back through creativity. story. Kenzie Winslow photos. Mikayla Olave
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ids flocked to the tables that filled the school’s main entrance. Even if they had to wait, the children wanted the chance to sit in that chair. Students in Mountain Vista’s Art NHS worked tirelessly during Trick or Treat Street to tie all the kids’ costumes together: They used their artistic talents to paint faces and truly transform kids into their costumes. Over the Halloween holiday, students in Art NHS chose to treat the kids of Highlands Ranch, instead of tricking them. On the night of Trick or Treat Street, participants in Art NHS sat outside of the school for hours and drew pictures for the kids to walk over on their way into the school. The drawings not only highlighted the students immense talent, but gave the kids something to look at as they waited in line to get into the school. Chalk drawings of ghosts, zombies, pumpkins and spooky sayings were just some of the things students left outside. After the outside of the school was appropriately adorned with Art NHS’s imaginative decorations, they turned their attention to the inside of the school. Two tables were set up for the artists to sit at. Kids then had the chance to have their face, arm or hand painted by the students. Art NHS is a new club this year, one has to be taking an art class in order to be considered for induction. Each individual in this NHS has to acquire at least ten hours of community service by the end of the year. Usually, one gets his or her required community service by volunteering at a soup
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kitchen or by picking up trash after an event. Art NHS is different, however. Art NHS strives to give back to the community through unique experiences and emotions, such as astonishment or amazement. The group is proposing ideas of making interactive installations in the school; allowing the community to truly become one with the art that is donated. Members also want to give the community the gift of art through murals throughout Highlands Ranch. Art is the one thing in a community that has the power to unite people from every background of interest. Take the Sistine Chapel for example. People from all over the world swarm to
Art adds beauty and interest to bland places, which provides a better environment for everyone.
Art NHS is going to continue with their ideas of giving back because they liven up the community. At Trick or Treat Street, members stepped outside of their comfort zones in order to give back to the community. You can’t liven up a community unless you’re willing to fail. “Many of us had no prior experience with face paint, so there was a definite learning curve. Too much water made a couple of crying cat faces. There was a time or two when we had to stop for a moment and redo a painting,” senior Kira Amels said. Art NHS members used this opportunity to grow both in an emotional way, through giving, and in a talent based way, through trial and error. “Despite our lack of technical skill, most kids lit up when they saw what we painted. While it may have been the roughest, most lopsided ghost you’ve ever seen they were just excited to be there,” Amels said. This spooky opportunity for the kids really allowed them to get into character before walking the halls and trick-ortreating. It also showed them how a community of high schoolers are in fact cool enough for you to approach and talk with. Art NHS was welcoming to the children and that teaches the kids through leading by example. “One adorable, little astronaut came to me hoping for the NASA logo to be recreated on his cheek,” Amels said, “so I gave him a nervous smile and asked if a simple star would suffice.”
Who showed up?
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things to know
the chapel to see Michelangelo’s painting. Tourists will stand for hours staring at his work and they don’t care who is next to them. It’s one of the only places that societal boundaries are ignored -- art brought that about. “We aren’t giving anything tangible away, it’s more of what we are hoping people get out of seeing our art mentally. Maybe it makes someone smile, think about the world in a new way, or inspire change,” Art NHS president Hannah Avner, senior, said. Art NHS uses this as a way to connect people. By bringing about emotion, Art NHS students have the power to connect with those who will see their art and also the power to spark connections. “Even if it doesn’t touch someone deeply, art adds beauty and interest to bland places, which provides a betterenvironment for everyone,” Avner said. Giving back through art has endless possibilities, which the teachers and students of Art NHS are aware of. Imagine seeing an interactive piece of art in the school -- art you can actually touch.
Trick-or-Treat Street welcomed teachers, parents, children and students to join them for Mountain Vista’s one spooky night of the year. Over 1,000 kids showed up to trick-ortreat. Vista was prepared: students from eight different clubs stepped up to volunteer.
How can you get involved? Art NHS is a new honor society this year. To be inducted you must be taking an art class and submit a five-piece portfolio of your artwork. This year’s application deadline has already passed, but if you want to give back through art apply next year! Upperclassmen only.
Where is Art NHS going next? In order to reach their ten hours of community service, Art NHS is planning on painting the hallways of the art and English departments at Vista and painting a mural in the community. They also will be teaching art at local elementary schools.
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our voices
working together
Two MV classes work to make the world a better place.
story. Staci Prevato and Tamara Sorg photos. Kelsey Pharis he English Department is working to give back to the world. Jessica Wheeler’s second-period class is giving back to the MVHS community and Melissa Clark’s sixth-period class is focusing its efforts on a country over 6,000 miles away: Niger. With Niger being one of the poorest countries in the world, citizens cannot even provide the most basic hygienic needs for their children on account of them earning less than one American dollar per day. The project is called Kits for Kids, as these sophomores recognize that Niger’s poverty and conflict is stopping young children from receiving the most basic of hygienic and medical supplies. The class is teaming up with Project Commission of Urgent Relief and Equipment (CURE) to help bridge the gap of medical necessities in Third World countries. ProjectCURE focuses on empowering doctors’ and nurses’ abilities to treat diseases and deliver vaccines. Rather than simply asking for the goods and be done with it, the class is focusing on bringing the Mountain Vista community together to help by having a Kits for Kids cook off. “We decided to do a cook off because food tends to bring
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people together,” sophomore Kaitlynn Husovsky said. “It was a unique way in which we could raise money and have fun.” The cook off was a success, as the class managed to raise over $1,000. The class plans to use the funds to buy medicine cabinet supplies, such as bandages and toothbrushes. “We are going to buy about 50 kits and fill them with the supplies we buy and then they will be sent around the world to families in need,” Husovsky said. Fundraising is a difficult processes that requires dedication and hard work towards your goal as well as support from those around you. “Our class put in a great deal of effort and we received lots of support.” Husovsky said. “It truly was a great experience to be a part of such a fantastic fundraiser. We really felt like we were making a difference in the world, since we were raising money for kits that would be going to the people who needed them,” sophomore Julianna Marsh said. Through the Vista community and its own efforts, the class managed to create a successful event that was able to help a country in need. The Vista community has always made amazing efforts to help others, and Wheeler’s second-period class thought it was time to give back a little closer to home. The class has noticed an overall increase in stress and a decrease in positivity throughout the school. Upon learning in depth about the stress levels Vista students have, the class began pushing for a therapy dog in the counseling office.
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Fundraising is a big project that requires lots of work, support, and effort.
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“It will help create positivity throughout the day knowing there is a dog in the school,” sophomore Isabella Workman said. To do this, the class started with researching facts, statistics and legal problems. After they researched all this information they started working with the administration to see how administration felt about getting service dogs. Emma Schofield, a counselor offered to allow her dogs to go through training and be at the school. Now Wheeler’s second-period class is working on creating fundraisers to help raise all the money to put the dogs through training. It’s a lot of money, but the class says they are determined.
things to know
Money raised during the cook off. . .
Pertantage of stressed Vista sudents
“We are so determined because it is a great way to pay for the dog’s training so it does not put such a financial burden on Ms. Schofield,” junior Tabitha Diehl said. The class’ goal is to increase positivity throughout the whole school. Not only are they trying to get therapy dogs, but they have a group called AP Good Vibes that wants to send messages, helpful sayings and reminders. “Our job is to keep people informed and update the latest news and events of the therapy dog mission through Remind 101 texts,” said junior Max Lavaux. These two classes are working for great causes, one around the world and one right here at home. It’s time to give back.
Students working for a change
57 source: survey of 200 students
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spreading
the knowledge Two MV seniors use their free time to teach elementary schoolers. story. Katie Pickrell and Amy Huang photos. Katie Pickrell hursdays are usually the best days for students at Mountain Vista given waking up comes later than it does any other day of the week. But for two seniors, Erika Soderholm and Olivia Penna, their alarms go off at the same time they do most days so they can teach at Summit View Elementary School during SOAR. Soderholm and Penna’s mornings are spent teaching children ranging from first to third graders. Both of the Vista students chose to participate in the teaching program, Peaceful Schools, after learning about it through Interact Club. “I went to Summit View as a kid and thought it might be fun to try [teaching],” Penna said. “I ended up loving it and coming back each time.” For Soderholm, her involvement rooted out of her desire to work with younger students. “I volunteer at an elementary school because I love working with kids,” she said. Part of what encourages Penna to continue her volunteer efforts is the vibe of the setting she gets to work in and the attitudes of the children she’s able to teach.
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“I love the idea of elementary school being a more fun environment if everyone is nice,” Penna said. During the visits, they take a small group of children and read books about various issues such as bullying and diversity. To ensure the children are receiving the underlying message of the books, Soderholm and Penna ask them questions and discuss the book. One portion of why she enjoys teaching is that she feels she has the ability to make an impact on how the think and, better yet, how they learn. Penna and Solderholm both agree that the children they teach appreciate the work they put into coming out on Thursdays. “I love how the kids are so interactive,” Penna said. “They get so excited to see the high schoolers.” Understanding the excitement the younger students show, Soderholm and Penna try their hardest to show up to Summit View as much as they possibly can. “The kids are excited to see us every single week,” Soderholm said. Both agree their work at the school has been one of the
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The kids are truly engaged and want to learn, so I know that the lessons we teach are being understood and taken to heart.
“I think it’s important because these kids are the future,” Soderholm said. “We [work to] educate them on treating people right from a young age.” Hopefully, Soderholm expressed, the kids she comes into contact with will take the lessons she gives them and carry them into the future. Penna recognizes the possibility that her students are in fact listening and absorbing knowledge and is confident that her work will impact the future of the kids. “Teaching younger kids is important because these are the kids that will actually listen to older people,” Penna said. “They are the next generation and can change the way the world works.”
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students attend Peaceful Schools
alongside Penna and Soderholm there are
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most prominent aspects of their educational careers. “These kids are going to be the most impressionable,” Penna said. The way the students react make Penna feel that the work she’s doing has a genuine, positive impact on each student’s education. “It makes me happy to see their faces light up when they see us in the room,” Penna said of her teaching experiences with Soderholm. Though both of the girls enjoy participating in their volunteer work at Summit View Elementary School, each individual places value on different aspects of the experience. “My favorite part of volunteering is being able to see the impact we are making,” Soderholm said. “The kids are truly engaged and want to learn so I know that the lessons we teach are being understood and taken to heart.” Penna and Soderholm are both taking the volunteer opportunity as a way to make an early impact on the generation below them.
group leaders
including Penna and Soderholm
Penna and Solderholm
read books like
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One Stone Soup and The Knight and the Dragon
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standing
against violence Working to provide hope, peace and prosperity one sister at a time. story. Savanah Howard and Lauren Lippert photos. Lauren Lippert and Katie Pickrell amantha Atchison, sophomore, took giving back to a deeper level, and not just within the community. Her mother helped start the foundation 7Sisters Global, a group that supports women who face domestic violence and offers them refuge. “They focus on helping woman that need assistance in their life,” Atchison said. In 2011 and 2012 Atchison’s mom went down to Puerta Vallarta, Mexico to help build a battered woman shelter with the 7Sisters foundation. Puerta Vallarta is known as a vacation hot spot. According to the Huffington Post, 85 percent of domestic abuse victims are women. The World Health Organization reports that on average, 30% percent of women who have been in a relationship have experienced some form of physical or sexual violence. “The ultimate goal is to provide sanctuary for women and their children,” Atchison said, “(and) help them get away, create a new life for themselves or just have a couple of days to collect themselves before they have to go back into the situation.” To help spread awareness and gain support Atchison, along with sophomores Erin Soloman, Andie Srdoc, Lauren Lippert and Alysa Carpenter pitched an idea to their Honors English class and Mrs. Clarke to host a movie night and bake sale to raise money for 7Sisters Global. Student’s friends and families gathered to watch “The Nightmare Before Christmas” in the Southridge Rec Center auditorium on Friday, Oct. 14th. Tickets were sold at
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the door for 3 dollars. One-dollar raffle tickets were sold at the door for a raffle called “50-50.” Each person who bought a ticket had the chance to win $25. At the movie night a costume contest was held for kids ages 12 and under. A girl dressed in a candy corn costume and a boy dressed as Captain America both took first. Over $500 was raised at the movie night. Another member of the group, Alysa Carpenter, sophomore, said she was proud of the turnout at the movie night. “It was cool to see people come and support us because of the cause and seeing different people from our community,” Carpenter said. The week of the movie night, students also held a bake sale during both lunches and SOAR. The bake sale brought in almost half of the money raised. Each student in Atchison’s English class brought in some kind of baked good for the sale. “I helped facilitate the money,
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I just think it’s really awesome that we’re trying to help. We’re helping break the cycle of the violence... abuse... terror.
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sold at the event, got the reservation together and helped organize the bake sale,” Atchison said. Between the movie night and the bake sale, Atchison’s English class raised 846 dollars. Giving back doesn’t end there, Atchison’s class participates in competitions within the class to help raise even more money. Students are in grroups of five to six attempting to genereate ideas on how to raise more funds for their service projects. Ideas range from a Chick-fil-A night to going door-to-door for donations. “I think it would be awesome if [more] people could participate because it would help widen the awareness,” Atchison said. Erin Solomon, sophomore, said she appreciates Samantha’s mom for stepping up to help with their project. “Her words of wisdom really helped to motivate us through the time when we were struggling trying to get everything organized,” Soloman said. With her English class helping to contribute to the cause, Atchison SAID SHE appreciates the act of giving back. “It’s helped me realize how hard it really is to raise money, even if it is [for] a viable cause,” Atchison said. “I [also] realized how much hard work my mom puts into this, and how much change her organization is making.
“I think it’s really actually kind of scary because it’s really really close to home. But it’s a totally different world. I just think it’s really awesome that we’re trying to help,” Atchison said. Currently the 7Sisters foundation is in the middle of a project in the Denver Metro area helping under privileged young women get educational scholarships.
Q&A: What was your favorite part about the movie night? I think it was cool to see people come support us because of the cause and seeing different people from our community. Alysa Carpenter, sophomore
Why do you think it’s important for people to be aware of domestic violence? It’s something that can be prevented but no one stands up for it. It’s something that just needs awareness. Erin Soloman, sophomore
What was your favorite part about the service project? I liked the fact that we were in control of something that was going to benefit other people. We put it all together by ourselves. Samantha Atchison, sophomore
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rooting
for awareness Roots and Shoots gives back to the environment.
story. Gabe Barnard photos. Gabe Barnard or the past two weeks at both A and B lunch, Sara Prokosch, junior, has been joining Roots and Shoots in hosting a fundraiser in an attempt to raise enough money to complete a project in the school library. The wide variety of items that were sold in the fundraiser run by the members of the club include things like candles, a blanket, t-shirts and other miscellaneous items. Roots and Shoots Club will use the money that they raise from the fundraiser to complete one of the goals they have set for the school year: buying the supplies for and setting up a terrarium in the school library for students to appreciate. “[A terrarium] is a big glass container that we put dirt in the bottom of,” Prokosch said. “[Then] we put plants in it and it becomes a self-sustaining ecosystem.” Terrariums can be open or closed and are often sealed in order to allow water to circulate throughout the space, enabling the environment to preserve itself independently from the area around it. They are usually opened once a week so that there is not too much water drifting around the space and drowning the plants inside. The club hopes the terrarium will help students be more aware of the environment that they live in and also be more inspired to help keep it healthy and sustain it. “It will help bring the outside world inside of [Mountain Vista] and make people more connected to it,” Prokosch said. “[As a club] we want to spread awareness [to the students] about the environment.” As a member of Roots and Shoots Club, Prokosch enjoys
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helping the environment and wants to help make sure it is still around in the future for others to admire. She also stresses how important it is to take care of the environment so the planet can support all of the life that exists on it today as well as in the years to come. “[I participate in Roots and Shoots Club] because I love the environment and I want to help it,” Prokosch said. “We have to take care of [the environment] in order to take care of ourselves.” At home, Prokosch does her best to give back to the environment that she loves by attempting to reduce how much she pollutes the atmosphere, therefore lessening the negative impact she makes on the environment around her. “I recycle and I try to walk as much as I can instead of drive so that I am not hurting the environment.” she said “I also try to ride my bike to places.”
I participate because I love the environment and I want to help it, we have to take care of [the environment] in order to take care of ourselves. The club may also try to complete another project with the newly-introduced crow-feeding program run by AJ Deets, biotechnology and zoology teacher. “We might try to interact with the [crow feeding program] outside,” Prokosch said. Prokosch is only a member of the club, so she is unaware of the specific plans the club has for this school year to meet their intended goals but she said she hopes members will be able to make a ripple that will spread environmental awareness to students throughout the school. “I’m not the leader so I don’t have a lot of insight on [our plan] yet,” she said. “Right now we are going for getting the terrarium set up and then we will see what happens next.”
About transportation At Mountain Vista, 96 percent of of the students normally drive to school and only 4 percent normally walk or bike to school. Yearly, transportation contributes more than half of the carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxides emitted into our atmosphere.
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things to know
There are also multiple ways for the student body to help contribute to saving the environment. Many of them are tasks that many students perform every day while completing homework or classwork without thinking about what consequences it could have on the environment. “Recycle all your papers and don’t throw them away,” Prokosch said. “When you are using the computer, don’t print stuff out, share it instead.” Roots and Shoots Club has a set of goals in mind for the 2015-16 school year and the terrarium will provide the club with a general idea of how well the student body will react to their efforts to spread environmental awareness as well as give them an idea of what to do differently in the future to make a more lasting impression on the students. “We have a couple goals, we are not sure if we are going to go for them or not,” Prokosch said. “We are testing the water because this is our first year back, we are taking baby steps”
On recycling 62 percent of students at Mountain Vista get rid of their trash at home using a trash bin, whereas 38 percent of students use recycling or comopst to dispose of waste. Also, 60 percent of the student body resuses plastic bags at home.
The overall environment The percentage of people at Mountain Vista that oftentimes think about how their actions affect the environment is 48 percent, with the remaining 52 percent of students not often thinking about the environment.
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the extra
time
Ann Miller gives back to her students most Saturday mornings. story. Charlie Penvari photos. Charlie Penvari oing above and beyond sometimes goes beyond excellence in the classroom. Every Saturday from 8-11 a.m., when most people are at home enjoying their coffee or sleeping in, AP Calculus teacher Ann Miller is up and about helping her students achieve their desired goals on the AP exam. Miller runs an out-of-class study session called “Doughnuts and Derivatives” where calculus students can come in and ask questions or receive help on assigned homework. “My first idea to start this was when I first taught Calculus BC, I realized that people in California and where I lived in El Paso, they taught Calculus as a block class everyday. We don’t get that and we’re taking the same test, so we make it up with three hours on a Saturday morning,” said Miller. In the eyes of many students calculus is seen as a challenging course, and even
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more challenging when students have to make by on a 50-minute schedule three out of the five days of the week. The calculus students are also taking the same AP Calculus exam, that students from schools with a block class for AP Calculus classes every day. “It may seem unfair, but that’s why we get Saturday mornings, and if you spend the time doing the homework then you should be fine,” said senior Filip Pahs. Because of the limited class time calculus students have at Mountain Vista, many students, like juniors Cody Sparrow and Cole Riechert, take advantage of out-of-the-class help time. “We love it. I don’t know another teacher who would dedicate her time to this,” said Sparrow. “It really helps. There’s not much time other than Saturday for some students.” All Golden Eagles know excellence be it in education, sports or activities, but going beyond excellence sometimes means coming to school on Saturday — but with a doughnut.
1. Juniors Cody Sparrow and Cole Reichert work out problems on the windows of teacher Ann Miller’s classroom. “It really helps. There’s not a lot of time other than today for some students,” said Sparrow. Reichert and Sparrow come to Miller’s room every Saturday that they are in need of help in order to ensure they both gain the knowledge they need and earn the score they want on the AP Exam. 2. Miller works a problem with a student. “It’s about meeting kids where they are and then bringing them forward,” Miller said. “Being successful, especially in high-level math classes, often means learning math chronologically, step by step.”
Information from the AP College Board
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fall in love with your own aerie yearbook $
75
until December 1
Yearbooks will be $85 after December 1. To purchase your 2016 Aerie Yearbook, please visit Jostens.com or check out VistaNow.org for more information.
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ways T to
give back
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Every Monday you can volunteeer to serve hot meals to the needy. Food serving is from 1-5 p.m. For information visit streetreach.wordpress.com. Wonderbound is looking for volunteers to help construct scent cards for Winter, a four-dimension production. Work times are from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Dec. 1-4. Littleton Care and Rehabilitation is asking for people with interesting travel stories to talk to the residents because they can no longer travel around the world. Check out Sloan’s Lake Rehabilitation Center to play music for 30 minutes during lunch or dinner. Up to four people can come so bring a group of friends! Play Santa Clause during Christmas at Englewod Post-Acute and Rehabilitation. You can volunteer on either Dec. 23 or 24 from 2-3 p.m. or 10-11p.m.
hanksgiving is a time to be thankful for what you have as well as give back to the community for all its members and organizations do for us during the year. This list is just a few of the ways to give back that are easy and fun during this holiday season. From serving food to dressing up like Santa to helping support families in need, there are always volunteering oppurtunities for everyone.
story. Kelsey Pharis
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Packs of Hope needs help with “Fill a Pack & Fill a Need” by donating new clothes for a child in transition into fostercare. For more information go to packsofhope.blogspot.com HOPE Online Learning Academy Co-Op has helped families through the holidays via the HOPE Families In Need program. You can join the team to donate to those in need. The Denver Rescue Mission is looking for volunteers during the week and on Sundays to help serve and prepare meals for the homeless. Fill a bag with important necessities such as food, water, socks, jackets and anything else that could impact a homeless persons life and give them out on Thanksgiving. Have your family participate in Adopt-A-Family through the Denver Rescue Mission. Even if you can’t support a family, any donation helps.
people to help
in the community
Information from The Gathering Place and National Law Center for Poverty and Homeless
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mockingjay pt. II VS star wars episode VII T
wo of the biggest upcoming films this holiday season are those of pre-existing worldwide phenomena: Star Wars and the Hunger Games. “Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens” will be released Dec. 18 and will be set 30 years after Episode VI. The last movie was released in 1983. “Mockingjay Part II” is a continuation of the final installment of the Hunger Games trilogy. “Mockingjay Part I” was released last November, with this movie coming out a year later on Nov. 20. Both of these movies are bound to be extremely popular, but this begs the question: Which one is better?
he said|she said
Junior Peyton Elliott: Star Wars
“I grew up with it all my life and even before I watched the movies I still knew of its existence. My whole family loves it. My brother loves it, my dad loves it, all my friends love it. When it comes to the Hunger Games, I kind of lost interest.”
Senior Hunter Ernest: Mockingjay
I’m excited for [Mockingjay], but I love Star Wars, too. Probably more Mockingjay because it’s sooner. The last movie’s ending was amazing. They did it so well with making it like the books, where I feel like with Star Wars they changed so much.”
twitter poll the statistics
The two movies are projected to make a certain revenue based on popularity and previous series sales. These are the expected incomes.
Vista Now! conducted a poll asking if either Mockingjay or Star Wars was preferred. Here are the results. Mockingjay Star Wars
Source: proboxoffice.com
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EP!C photos
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1. Senior Tamarin Joubert, the only Vista member of the Highlands Ranch Harlequins, carries the ball past defenders. Photo credits: Staci Prevato 2. Senior Matt Yockey and junior Judd Erickson celebrate a touchdown during the playoff game against Denver East High School helping the Golden Eagles win the game, 19-14. Photo credits: Kelsey Pharis 3. Sophomore Maren Peng vaults during the regional gymnastics meet. Photo credits: Katie Pickrell 4. Senior Brent Lackey kicks a ball down the field in the soccer game against Arapahoe High School that ended, 2-1, for MVHS. “I felt really good about the win,” Lackey said. “We obviously were the underdogs going into the game, but we knew that we were good enough to win. I’m just super-proud of the whole team.” The victory sent Vista on to play No. 1 Fairview High School, who they also defeated, 1-0, before falling to Broomfield High School, 2-1, in the state championship. Photo credits: Katie Pickrell
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cross country
Q&A
back to back to back to back.
story. Hayley Mustin photos. courtesy of John Walton
with senior Tyler Watts
How did you think the season went overall? “The season went pretty well. We could have had a better game against Chap, we did not play as well as we could have, but we had a pretty solid season.” What were some of your favorite parts of the season? “Bonding over the summer and all the camps we had. We stayed overnight at the Gorilla Camp. Winning the Ranch, too.” Being your last season, was there anything significant about it? “I just wanted to go out and do everything I could in this season, since it was my last season.”
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ross country boys won state for the fourth year in a row and the girls team placed fourth. Paxton Smith placed fifth, Joshua Romine sixth, Alex Fu eighth, Parker Mackay 11th, Shayan Zarrin 22nd and Ryan Currie 26th. The boys team finished with a total of 50 points and the next closest team had 110. “We all went out and raced as
a team and pushed each other to make all our work pay off in the end,” sophomore Parker Mackay said. The team was set to participate in the Nike Cross Southwest Regionals in Casa Grande, Ariz. Nov. 21. If they succeed at the regional meet, they will go onto the national competition in Portland, Oregon on Dec. 5.
men’s soccer
volleyball wrap up
football’s new player
Although the men’s soccer team had a 5-5 record in league play and were ranked No. 28 in playoff seeding, the team still carried high spirits and managed a huge comeback toward the end of the season. “I think at the end of the season we started to come together as a team more,” senior Matias Grossi said. Despite being called the underdog, the team made it all the way to the State Campionship in a true “Cinderella Story” falling to Broomfield in a sudden death overtime, 2-1.
Varsity volleyball ended its season at regionals, losing in the finals to Coronado in the fifth match. That loss prevented the Golden Eagles from moving on to state. “I felt it was a strong season. We worked hard each and every day during practice and even though we were sad about our league loss, we know we did our best and all we could to get there,” senior Keely Ruby said. They went 20-5 over the whole season and 8-2 in league. The girls were ranked 275 nationally and on the state level they were ranked seventh.
Joe is a kid who loves football. When the varsity football team held an arts and craft community service project at Children’s Hospital, players first met Joe. “Joe came down and he had a football,” Matt Yockey, senior, said. “Eventually, a big ol’ football game just broke out in the Children’s Hospital lobby.” After meeting Joe, the team invited him to go on the field at a game. “It was amazing to see the happiness on his face,” Yockey said. Joe changed the football boys’ point of view, similar to how he changed theirs.
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wrestling
men’s basketball
Trent Shultz, junior, has been preparing for the wrestling season the whole year as he was runner up in last year’s state wrestling tournament. “I’m looking forward to competing for my first state title and the chance to accomplish goals that I set for myself over a decade ago,” Shultz said.
It is time to ball out.
story. Regan Lavallee and Kelsey Pharis photos. Kelsey Pharis and Katie Pickrell
women’s basketball “I think this season we have a lot of talent,” senior Chelsea Pearson said. The basketball team hopes to go further in the state tournament than they did last year, after losing in the third round of playoffs to rival ThunderRidge High School. The first game is Dec. 18 at Ralston Valley High School
hockey
Hockey is currently ranked No. 1 in the state of Colorado by CHSAA. The Golden Eagles head into the 2015-16 season coming off of a record of 12-1 from last year. The team has high expectations for the season and is already looking towards a playoff run and a state championship title.
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ith winter comes indoor sports. This means it is time for basketball. For the past three years, the varsity men’s basketball team has reached state playoffs, and last year they made it to the 5A Great Eight. This season will introduce new challenges for the varsity team. “We are pretty small and we’re young, too, so that can come into play,” junior Isaac Phillips said. As the first game approaches, the excitement can be seen on and off the court. This season, new talent will be added to the varsity team moving up from junior varsity.
There will only be four seniors on the team this year and none of them were on varsity last year. Two players have the most varsity experience: Phillips and junior Jake Belknapp. “I’m looking forward to playing with all the new guys coming up from JV,” Phillips said. “They put a lot of work in this summer and they have gotten a lot better.” The team started practicing Nov. 14 and its first pre-season game is against Arapahoe High School on Dec. 3 at 7:30 p.m. in the main gym at Vista. Arapahoe was 7-17 last year and was knocked out during the first round of playoffs.
Q& A with head coach Keri Trimble How do you think we won state in it. poms season will I am really exicted go this year? to get back into the jazz division Keri Trimble: I’m and I think we will really excited do really well. about this team. We’ve moved into What things do a new division, we you anticipate haven’t competed will be the in the jazz division biggest obstacles since 2010 when the team will
face this year?
to us so it is going to be learning the new category, but they are really strong dancers and I know they can do it.
KT: I think for us it is changing divisions because nobody on this team has competed in high school jazz. They What are you have competed in most excited for pop and hip hop so this season? jazz is really new
KT: I’m excited for people to see the piece that we’ve worked so hard on and I hope that people understand the amount of work and dedication that has been put into it.
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#thnkflvista Thankful Vista
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