Eagle Eye Issue 2, Nov. 2013 by Mark Newton

EAGLE EYE November 15, 2013 // Vol. 13 // Issue 2

Lessons

Mountain Vista students share experiences that have impacted their lives. pg. 11

Mountain Vista High School // 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126

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EAGLE EYE

VOLUME 13 // ISSUE 2 // NOV. 15, 2013 BEFORE WE BEGIN

SPORTS

32 // Briefing

4 // Epic Photo

An update of MVHS fall sports and a preview of this winter’s ski season

The boys cross country team repeats as state champions

33 // Feature

NEWS

Varsity football players share what the sport means to them

6 // Election A recap of the recent Douglas County Board of Education election

OPINION

8 // Staff Editorial

34 // Feature Charis Swartley and Andrew McGraw perform in the Stageflight Theater production of Little Women on Oct. 1. Photograph by Karin Wyks

THEME

The crucial flaw in adults’ attitudes towards teenagers

Pity does not have to be the answer.

9 // Stuff That Ticks Me Off

Injuries don’t change your love for the game.

Copy editor Tyler Kraft shares his views on the Highlands Ranch construction

12 Annalee Beram

by Dylan Ingram and Gabe Rodriguez

14 Tanner Smith by Amani Brown

16 Nicole Bills

When things don’t turn out as expected, make the most of them. by Whitney Merrill

18 Blake Graf

Dreams require pushing yourself to the limit, both mentally and physically. by Peter Leonard

20 Marin Lusk

There’s a whole world out there to embrace and explore. by Ana Krasuski

22 Shelby Hafner

SOCIAL MEDIA @vista_now /vistanow @vistanow facesofvista ON THE COVER: Photo by Gabe Rodriguez

Life is short. It is what is. Don’t dwell on the past. by Taylor Atlas

24 Alyssa Oswald

No matter how hard things get, it’s important to never lose faith. by Zoe Blandon, Mallory Christensen and Peyton Reeves

26 Juliana Macht

Physical transformation brings a new mental mindset and emotional changes. by Amy Huang and Hayley Mustin

28 Brady Subart

Always drive like there is a cop around the corner. by Sydney Ostdiek

30 Unified Partners

It doesn’t matter if someone has a disability or not: we are all equal as human beings. by Reagan Fitzke

Senior Kylie Klein has a full-ride scholarship to play Division I volleyball

EAGLE INK

36 // Literary Magazine

A preview of VISTAj’s new supplement, featuring studentproduced artistic content

BEFORE WE END

39 // One Question, Five Answers

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in high school so far?

VISTANOW.ORG

WATCH // Tips for the college application process READ //

Board of Education candidates: true or false?

Kaitlin Zenoni

Amanda Waterman, senior

Gabe Rodriguez

Sierra Funk, senior

Taylor Blatchford

From left to right: Senior Connor Weaver, junior Trevor Spieker, sophomore Ryan Currie, sophomore Paxton Smith, senior Carson Hart, junior Tyler Matzke, senior Blake Graf, senior Andrew Walton.

Molly Reicher, senior

EP!C PHOTO TOP OF THE PODIUM

The Mountain Vista boys cross country team repeated as state champions on Oct. 26, 2013 at the Norris Penrose Event Center in Colorado Springs. Here, they react after receiving the championship trophy. “Winning state was really emotional, because I knew it was my last state meet ever,” senior Connor Weaver (far left), who placed third, said. “I was just looking back on all the years of training that led up to that race.”

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Photograph by Taylor Blatchford Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 18

Kaitlin Zenoni

Amanda Waterman, senior

Gabe Rodriguez

Sierra Funk, senior

Taylor Blatchford

From left to right: Senior Connor Weaver, junior Trevor Spieker, sophomore Ryan Currie, sophomore Paxton Smith, senior Carson Hart, junior Tyler Matzke, senior Blake Graf, senior Andrew Walton.

Molly Reicher, senior

EP!C PHOTO TOP OF THE PODIUM

18////Eagle EagleEye Eye////Issue Issue22 4

Photograph by Taylor Blatchford Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 18

Board of Education: Results, Reactions, Analysis Results of the Election

Photos by Dylan Ingram

Judith Julie Reynolds Keim 51.64% 48.36%

Doug Bill Benevento Hodges 51.49% 48.51%

Meghann Ronda Silverthorn Scholting 53.10% 46.90%

District B

District D

District E

District G

Reactions to the Election

Students

Teachers

DYLAN INGRAM fter Jim Geddes, Judith Reynolds, Doug Benevento and Meghann Silverthorn were elected to the Board of Education, Tom Place, a senior surprised by the results, researched the election during his astronomy class. “I went on a site that gave statistics about funding for all of the campaigns, like who donated to each candidates and how much they got,” Place said. “[The winning candidates were] getting all this money coming in and all of these huge commercials and just bashing the other candidates. I didn’t like that.” Place encouraged other students to get informed about the election as he had, spending his math class explaining the election to his friends. Senior Abhi Sharma said he was upset but not surprised by the results. “I think [people opposing the current board] should conduct discussions incorporating parents, students and teachers to find a certain policy platform,” Sharma said. Not all students oppose the current board. Junior Sami Palma said she sides with the current board because she tends to agree with Republican policies. (Although school board elections are nonpartisan, all four winning candidates were endorsed by the Republican Party.) Before the election, none of these students were involved in any of the campaigns. “I wasn’t necessarily persuading people,” Place said. “My parents had their opinion, my neighbors had their opinions.” Sharma said he was a “passive analyst.” Palma said she never thought about getting more involved. All three students said the election results would not affect them, but that it would affect students in future graduating classes.

DYLAN INGRAM eachers, as employees of the school district, naturally had another set of reactions to the election results. Spanish teacher Linda Hammerton-Morris said she was “extremely disappointed” by the election of the four “reform” candidates. Hammerton-Morris said she had previously thought there had been a “good chance of ” the results of the election being the opposite. “I thought we had a lot of momentum,” Hammerton-Morris said. “The Board that is in there now, in my opinion, doesn’t foster a high degree of respect for their teachers or their teachers’ abilities,” Hammerton-Morris said. Hammerton-Morris said she was concerned about the direction of Douglas County schools. “The general understanding is that education in the U.S. is far below the curve of other educational systems around the world. We aren’t doing ourselves any favors [with the results of this election],” HammertonMorris said. English teacher Tisha Foard said she thinks the policies advocated by the “reform” candidates are not restricted to Douglas County. “I think a lot of these things extend throughout the nation,” Foard said. Locally, “reform” candidates won majorities in the Denver and Jefferson County school districts. Although Foard said she was “a little disappointed” by the results, she also said that because she has worked at the district level, she feels less strongly than many other teachers. “Some of [the board’s policies are] actually good for kids,” Foard said, “and to me teaching is all about what’s best for kids.”

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Superintendent

DYLAN INGRAM // AJ STOWELL or Superintendent Elizabeth CelianaFagen, the election was business as usual. “No matter what board is elected, if they allow us to stay, then we will work in the best interest of students, so that’s kind of the way we approach it,” Fagen said in an exclusive interview with the Eagle Eye. Fagen said she had very little impact on the results of the election. “There is a law in Colorado that says that a school district may not use its resources to influence the outcome of an election,” Fagen said. “The same is true for anybody in the school district: teachers, principals, anybody.” (District employees are, however, allowed to express their political opinions outside of work.) Fagen said that community members can get involved in a variety of manners. “I think that the best way for all of us to come back together is to get on the same page regarding what we want to do collectively, why we want do it and why that’s best,” Fagen said. Fagen said her door is “always open” and that she has committed to meeting with every parent who wishes to do so. “We wrote a strategic plan that we started in March of 2011 that was approved and will be done this year,” Fagen said. “We are in the process of writing a new one for the next three years, so we have all this attention with the community and it is a perfect time to give us input on the plan.” Fagen also said she acknowledged the community did not entirely agree with the current board. All four of the elections were within 6 percent. “Does [collaborating] mean everyone’s going to agree on every single thing? Of course not,” Fagen said. “No one ever does.”

Judith Reynolds

Jim Geddes

Doug Benevento

Meghann Silverthorn

Sources from Douglas County Clerk and Recorder

Analysis of the Election

What can we do about these results?

AJ STOWELL o begin, I would like to clarify a commonly misunderstood aspect of the democratic system. Undisputed elections are undisputed. There are no ifs, ands or buts about the fact that un disputed election results are a true and accurate representa tion of the votes cast in the community. The results are not flawed. There is no point in debating them. The “reform” slate was fairly elected. That being said, I would like you, as the reader, to have a little faith in our democratic system and realize that elections are not the only way to influence and change the course of public policy. The real question is what can you do now to make a difference? Join the Student Advisory Group for the district. This program is completely built for discussing issues within the educational system and voicing them to the Board of Education. SAG is a professional platform that gives you the ability to directly discuss the issues that you feel are the most important in education. Attend Board of Education meetings. Although considered by some to be a lost cause by, these meetings provide crucial information within the district and the opportunity to raise questions to the board in specific. As it is in a professional setting, the issues raised have the potential to make major changes within the district. Schedule a meeting with a member of DCSD administration. By using direct communication, you are able to voice your opinions and worries to administration in a professional manner. You can schedule a meeting with an administration member by contacting them through email, phone or letter. Before making any irrational decisions, understand that emotionally driven actions are not the way to go. Realize that professional avenues are a much more successful course of action when trying to influence change within the district.

The New Hashtag: #DownWithDCSD

Jim Barbra Geddes Chase 52.09% 47.91%

• 106,812 unique ballots cast in the school board election • 500 unique visitors per minute viewed the website to see the results at one point Nov. 5

AJ STOWELL earing the results first hand during early classes Wednesday, high school students in the Highlands Ranch area began to take to social media to vent their opinions about the Board of Education election. Using Twitter as a platform for their comments, a select amount of students jumped on the attack against the Board of Education. These personal views soon changed to a trend using the hashtag “Down With DCSD”, which demonstrated their displeasure with the results of the election. With around 200 hundred tweets

What will we do about these results?

*source: ednewscolorado.org WES EDWARDS he amount of energy and enthusiasm that the recent Douglas County Board of Education election created in the community is beyond impressive. Impressive not only because it was just a school board election which, historically, have dismal turnout rates and civic engagement, but impressive because of the sheer lack of information fueling such a highly contested race. Passions were high over the debate between the Republican-supported, reform candidates and the fresh-faced, teacher union-supported candidates. Cardboard signs filled front yards, cars were painted and canvassing was in full swing as flyers were hung and doors knocked. There were a lot of strong opinions out there. Americans For Prosperity, a national conservative political action committee, even purchased airtime on local networks, which isn’t cheap, to air advertising in favor of the “reform” candidates. However, it is a tragedy that such emotions were evoked and such a serious issue was handled without hardly any information, except what came from campaign material. Aside from the campaign materials provided by each side, more numerous in the case of the reformers, there was very little coverage or information about the candidates readily available. The election had only a superficial investigation on the major local news sources for the Highlands Ranch area such as 9News Education and Channel 4 CBS News. Even the Denver Post failed to cover the candidates and the race in-depth. When voters had to make their decision, the only information they had at their disposal and the only basis of their choice was the campaign material which had been propagated through places like YouTube attack ads and yard signs. Perhaps that’s why the incumbents, raising over $165,000 collectively, beat the newcomers who raised only $56,000 between them.

in total the hashtag soon turned into the actual name for an account representing the student voice and opinion. This account was eventually linked to a group of students at Thunderridge high school. What began as a local trend on Twitter, eventually turned into student action at Thunderridge. An attempt at student sit-in took place during the early hours of the school day. Coupled with heavy security and a low student turnout, the event quickly ended. Despite earlier failures, student activists continue to press for change within the District.

Photo courtesy of Halina North

Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 7

Board of Education: Results, Reactions, Analysis Results of the Election

Photos by Dylan Ingram

Judith Julie Reynolds Keim 51.64% 48.36%

Doug Bill Benevento Hodges 51.49% 48.51%

Meghann Ronda Silverthorn Scholting 53.10% 46.90%

District B

District D

District E

District G

Reactions to the Election

Students

Teachers

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Superintendent

Judith Reynolds

Jim Geddes

Doug Benevento

Meghann Silverthorn

Sources from Douglas County Clerk and Recorder

Analysis of the Election

What can we do about these results?

The New Hashtag: #DownWithDCSD

Jim Barbra Geddes Chase 52.09% 47.91%

• 106,812 unique ballots cast in the school board election • 500 unique visitors per minute viewed the website to see the results at one point Nov. 5

What will we do about these results?

Photo courtesy of Halina North

Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 7

Photo by Wes Edwards

VISTAj STAFF Editors-In-Chief Taylor Blatchford Wes Edwards

Managing Editors of Newsmagazine Taylor Atlas Dylan Ingram

Copy Editors Jason Keller Tyler Kraft AJ Stowell

Photo Editors Mark Maggs Gabe Rodriguez

Social Media Editor Kaitlin Zenoni

Web Editor

Whitney Merrill

Design Editor Erica Tagliarino

Managing Editor of Broadcast

Senior Allie Knudson uses the lessons learned through her religious experiences to define who she is and what direction she wants to take with her life.

ids are just kids. Kids don’t know what they’re doing. Kids are bound to make stupid decisions. Kids can’t be expected to act like adults. They are, after all, kids. However, this is always the attitude that is adopted after a youth makes a mistake, isn’t it? Beforehand, teenagers are told that they are almost adults now, and it’s time to start acting like it. It’s time to shape up, get serious, stop playing games and mind your manners. You should know better by now. Not only is it wrong to have such high expectations of teenagers, it is simply impossible to expect teenagers to act like adults if there is no time allotted to let the change from child to adult to take place. Our culture fails to realize the need for life changing experience and events in the years leading up to adulthood that will come to shape each individual as a person. It’s a well-known fact that the brains of teenagers are not fully developed, or at least developed to the same degree as most adults. Without going into too much detail, the prefrontal cortex, the area where the decisionmaking process occurs in one’s brain, doesn’t fully develop until the age of about 20. This means that teenagers, who appear to be done growing on the outside, are still developing in their brain. It seems there is some sound scientific reasoning behind why most adults don’t consider most teenagers completely competent or capable of making informed decisions. It is the cultural assumptions, however, that perpetuate the idea that teens are rash and illogical most of the time. By latching onto the science, they are confirming their own bias.

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The saying “kids will be kids” comes to mind. This culmination of cultural stigma and hard science creates a situation which is not only hypocritical but also unfair. Adults expect teenagers to fulfill certain responsibilities but rarely grant young people the necessary respect to fulfill such responsibilities. At this point it is necessary to concede the fact that teenagers can do some pretty stupid things. There’s a lot of things that our current generation will look back on with confusion simply asking themselves, ‘Why’? It is through some of these questionable decisions, however, that children transform into adults. The period of time in between, consisting of middle and high school, is the transformation process. Such a drastic shift cannot happen overnight. The problem lies in the cultural mindset that children should be coddled, protected and shielded from the world, safe in their parents’ arms. As soon as that child turns 18, though, they should be ready to launch into the world with the same maturity as any other functioning adult member of society. It is the events that youth experience in their teenage years which shape them as a person and have the greatest effect on their character. Not only is this a belief shared by the VISTAj staff, this is an idea which we have supported with our theme for this issue. As you will read later in this issue, the students of Mountain Vista have their own stories about lessons they’ve learned from their experiences, proving that at least some teens are capable of acting like adults.

Gretchen Cope

Managing Editors of Yearbook Devon Miner Kelsey Warden

Adviser

Mark Newton, MJE

Staff Members

Zoe Blandon Alex Bonner Lauren Borchardt Amani Brown Megan Callister Mallory Christensen Logan Clark Caitlin Cobb Cameron Cox Shelby Crumley Jacob Cushatt Reagan Fitzke Antonia Fornaro Dylan Freeman Joseph Ginn Amy Huang Graham Henderson Ben Holland Kyle Johnson Ana Krasuski Peter Leonard Hayley Mustin Tara O Gorman Sydney Ostdiek Savannah Raisor Peyton Reeves Tori Soper Anna Theis Olivia Thomas Francesco Viola Kyle Waters Karin Wyks

Policy

Eagle Eye, a legally recognized public forum for student expression, is published six to nine times a year by the Journalism class for students 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 journalism/publications room (U328) or in 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 email: mark.newton@dcsdk12.org. Publication email: 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. 18-4419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty under C.R.S. 13-21-123, will be prosecuted.

Open Forum Content

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service and Creative Commons licensing. ©2013 Eagle Eye/Mountain Vista High School. All rights reserved.

Stuff That

TICKS Me Off Photo by Gabe Rodriguez

ecently, I have seen an increase in orange, cone-shaped structures on many major Highlands Ranch roadways. I have also seen an increase in neon yellow apparel with bright orange stripes accompanied by a strange white hat. Now, I’m not sure if I just missed out on the latest fashion trend or if a new cult has been formed in the midst of Highlands Ranch. I actually believe I have found the answer. After intensive research, I have found it is not a horrid trend or a mysterious cult. I have found the members are actually a part of the five construction teams spread throughout Highlands Ranch. I have sat back long enough, watching the teams tear up our streets. I have watched them close every lane except for one in order to construct a new sidewalk. So I decided to figure out why our roads are being shredded and our commutes are being delayed. I turned to the allpowerful Google. I first looked up “Highlands Ranch.” I found the site designated to the Highlands Ranch Metro District. Upon opening the site, I immediately saw what I thought was a link to “construction of major roads.” As it turned out, it was just a block of text. I decided to go higher up. I went to Jeff Case, the Director of Public

My attempt to expose the cult that has invaded Highlands Ranch TYLER KRAFT

Works for Highlands Ranch. Case struck me as a professional. The man who has been bringing the men in neon jackets to Highlands Ranch for 32 years knows what he is doing. I learned that not one but FIVE construction crews have invaded the “bubble” in the past few months. The crews have proceeded to tear up nearly every bit of concrete and asphalt in town. They have done everything from ripping the concrete from the roads to

tearing up the sidewalks. That construction is relatively small compared to what is happening now. The current company is currently “grinding” the roads. I went out to find out what this “grinding” was. As I drove around on a Tuesday morning, it soon became apparent that not much work was being done. I drove past countless cones and road blocks and only encountered one work site. The big machines that were supposed to be “grinding” were sitting unmanned and the workers were nowhere to be seen. The work, or lack there of, caught my eye. I was told that the target date for the ending of our oppression was Dec. 1. At this rate, we will be lucky if it’s all done by Dec. 1, 2020. Another piece of construction machinery caught my eye. There were many of these devices that stretched for as far as the eye could see. The devices were sometimes thick and sometimes narrow. All of them were painted orange and had white stripes. These devices are called “traffic cones” and “traffic barrels.” The barrels and cones are supposed to guard construction zones and protect drivers from going over something they shouldn’t. To me, it seems that these devices’ sole purpose is to make life miserable for anyone who encounters them.

Many times the cones and barrels are guarding perfectly good road. The work being done often only encompasses a small portion of the road. Sometimes, the cones block three lanes when the sidewalk is the only thing being shredded. Another problem with the roadwork is that many drivers have seemingly forgotten how to drive. On my tour of the roads, someone went onto the opposite side of the road, remembered that he or she was actually not in England, then swiftly cut off another driver. Other drivers simply become jerks. I know that I am going 25 mph down a major roadway. I am doing this because I just saw someone get pulled over for going over the speed limit. I am not trying to make you late. I am protecting you from yourself. Please stop acting like a NASCAR driver drafting three inches from my car. Others take a different route to pass people who are following the law. They speed down a lane that is going to end and then expect to be let back in. To those of you that do this, realize that it just became my life’s goal to never let you out of that lane. I think all the construction workers need is a prize for finishing. They should get a bonus paid in Starbucks or maybe unlimited Chick-fil-A. All I am saying is that the road construction needs to end. Maybe the Chick-fil-A idea is a good idea. Maybe an eight-count nugget meal would encourage the workers to fix more than 10 feet a day.

Photo Illustration by Gabe Rodriguez

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10 // Eagle Eye // Issue 2

Lessons

Freshman Alyssa Oswald

Sophomore Julianna Macht

Senior Nicole Bills

Senior Blake Graf

Senior Shelby Hafner

Lessons are an important part of any teenagerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life. They help us to grow, to learn and to understand the situations in our lives. Whether they are the lessons we learn ourselves each day, or those which we learn from those around us, every lesson leaves its own impact. These are the lessons that Mountain Vista students have learned through their lives. These are their stories, and hopefully, their stories will add to your own.

12 14 16 18 20 22 24 26 28 30

Annalee Beram Tanner Smith Nicole Bills Blake Graf Marin Lusk Shelby Hafner Alyssa Oswald Juliana Macht Brady Subart Unified Sports

Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 11

The Art of Getting Up Name: Annalee Beram Grade: Junior Number of Hours Beram Sleeps after a Seizure: 16 Lesson: Pity does not have to be the answer.

“E

STORY BY DYLAN INGRAM & GABE RODRIGUEZ PHOTO BY GABE RODRIGUEZ

verything skips,” 7-year-old Annalee Beram said to her mother. Neither her mother nor Beram knew what this meant. As it turned out, Beram had been experiencing petit mal seizures, during which she would pause midthought and then resume her train of thought after a few moments. As she grew older, entering Arapahoe High School, Beram began to experience grand mal seizures, during which she would black out and lose control of her actions. “When you have a seizure, you feel really far away,” Beram said. “You feel really, really hot, and you feel like you’re being pulled towards the ground, because your body’s wanting to fall.” Although Beram is always aware that she is about to have a grand mal seizure before going unconscious, she loses memory after the seizure ends. “When I wake up, I don’t remember who I am, where I live, who my parents are, anything, for at least an hour,” Beram said. “It randomly will come back, piece by piece, and then I’ll even remember where I was when I had the seizure.” Still, nobody knew what was causing these episodes. “I actually was treated really badly, by kids and the faculty,” Beram said. Beram only knew that she had seizures. Doctors could not figure out what was causing them until May 2013. One day in class, she had a grand mal seizure. “Kids thought I was faking it,” Beram said. “They hit me this way” — Beram demonstrated by striking herself on the right shoulder — “and I fell down, and I hit my head on the side of where I was having a seizure, and that made damage on the other side. That’s partially why I have problems in my right side.” During the summer of 2013 Beram confided to her best friend, Mountain Vista junior Analeece McAllister, that she no longer wanted to go to Arapahoe. McAllister jokingly offered the idea of coming to Vista, and that idea soon became reality. That summer, Beram, now a junior with McAllister at Vista, was finally diagnosed with epilepsy. In September 2013, Beram adopted a service dog, Shadow, as a precaution to help with her seizures in public.

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Shadow, a white German Shepherd, warns Beram of her seizures several minutes in advance. Nobody entirely understands how Shadow recognizes the seizures, but Beram said that he probably detects chemicals her brain releases. The first time Shadow detected a seizure, Beram’s family did not understand what he was doing. “Shadow was running around our house just howling. We thought he was just being a dog,” Beram said. “I went up in my room and had a seizure, and he was scratching at my door, so he was trying to notify my parents, but we didn’t really understand what he would actually do to notify us, and now we know.” “It’s kind of scary [to see her have a seizure]. It’s really dramatic when it happens,” junior Caulder Wasmuth, one of Beram’s new friends, said. “I mean, you know she’s going to be all right and everything, but it’s still pretty scary.” To warn Beram and others of seizures, Shadow stays with Beram in all public places. “Having a dog walking around in the school is definitely weird,” Beram said. “I literally have to explain [Shadow] three to four times a day. It’s ridiculous.” As much as Shadow helps Beram, she still deals with many issues on a daily basis. Beram takes daily medication, constantly practices moving her right hand, cannot drive alone, wears a seizure-detecting watch at night and sleeps with a video monitor in her room. “When I’m trying to do homework, math literally looks like a different language to me, and I can’t even read for like three days [after a seizure],” Beram said. Beram’s seizures have also caused damage to the right side of her body. “I don’t feel temperature on the right side of my body, so my friends love to put ice on me. I can’t feel it,” Beram said. “It’s really annoying, but my friends are awesome.” Beram’s right hand constantly shakes. At times, her right eye sees in black and white. Her right knee gives out occasionally. “I’ll be walking and then I’ll fall for no reason, and that’s why [Shadow’s] there,” Beram said. “I hit my leg a lot to make sure if I still have reflexes, because if I don’t, I know I’m going to have a bad day because I’ll just be falling all over the place.”

Beram’s seizures come “in waves.” She can go for weeks without having a seizure, or have multiple seizures in one week. One week in September 2013, Beram had three seizures. “I literally could not move,” Beram said. “I was in my bed for five days just not knowing where I was, lying down, and this little freak

[Shadow] was right next to me.” Beram and her friends have begun to look past the seriousness of her condition, even finding humor in it. “Some of [Beram’s seizures] are funny,” McAllister, who has helped Beram during two grand mal seizures, said. “She doesn’t really have them anymore, but she used to have absence

[petit mal] seizures where she would stop ... and then she would just keep going. She was fine, and we called it ‘buffering.’” Beram and her friends feel that Beram’s condition is improving. “She’s getting a lot better, so it’s a lot better than it was a few months ago,” McAllister said. “She’s not having as many seizures.”

Beram hopes to no longer have epilepsy by the time she turns 18 years old. “90 percent of people with childhood epilepsy, it’s gone by the time they’re 18, and I’m 17 right now,” Beram said. “So I’m just waiting for the year to go away, because then I’ll be seizurefree.”

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The Art of Getting Up Name: Annalee Beram Grade: Junior Number of Hours Beram Sleeps after a Seizure: 16 Lesson: Pity does not have to be the answer.

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STORY BY DYLAN INGRAM & GABE RODRIGUEZ PHOTO BY GABE RODRIGUEZ

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A Season on the Sideline

Name: Tanner Smith Grade: Senior Position: Returning Varsity Running Back Recognition: All-Conference Player, Pre-Season All-State Selection Lesson: Injuries don’t change your love for the game. STORY BY AMANI BROWN PHOTO BY AMANI BROWN

enior Tanner Smith began his final high school football season as an all-conference running back on the field. He ended it watching from the side-

line. With a 3-7 record, this season has not been an easy one for the Golden Eagles football team. For Smith, a team captain, it has been the hardest one yet. Just two games into the season, two minutes into the first quarter, an injury that he hoped was small changed everything. “We were playing on a grass field for the first time all year,” Smith said. “I cut outside and my leg bent in and buckled and I felt and heard pops.” He had wanted to get back in the game, hoping the injury was something minor or just a sprain. Unfortunately, all hope was lost when he found out the severity of what just happened to him. “I found out I tore my ACL and meniscus in two spots,” Smith said. The ACL is one of the very few ligaments that does not heal itself, making recovery time extensive. Smith knew right away the season was over for him. “I knew an ACL injury can put you out for up to nine months so I didn’t have any hope of playing this season,” Smith said. Head Coach Ric Cash immediately knew Smith’s injury would cause a change for the team. “When we found out how severe the injury was, it was huge disappointment not only for Tanner, but how Tanner’s loss would impact the team,” Cash said. Just two weeks after Smith’s injury, both backups for his position were out due to injuries. Junior Nick Schmalz took over the running back role. “Knowing that he went down and having to carry on what he did as one of the best running backs in the state was something I definitely had to step up into,” Schmalz said. “They were big shoes to fill.”

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Things on the field were certainly different without Smith, but after making changes and putting Schmalz in his spot, the team was able to adjust to the new game plan. “He did very well,” Cash said. “He’s a different type of running back than Tanner and he’s got his own strengths. We felt like with what we changed that helped him to be more successful and hopefully gives us a good start for the future.” Although Smith’s time on the field was cut short this season, he did not stop being a part of the team. “I still (went) to as many practices as I (could). The night before a game we (had) a team dinner and I (went) to those,” Smith said. “They’re really fun and we bond as a team. And, of course, I (went) to the games. I (was) with the team as much as I (could) be.” Schmalz describes Tanner as a team player. “He was always there and did anything he could for the team,” Schmalz said. This injury was a setback, but Smith said he is nowhere near done with the game of football. He had scholarships to the University of Arizona and San Diego State University, but his injury got in the way of those. “Those both went down the drain after I got hurt,” Smith said. Now, he spends most days after school rehabilitating and preparing to get back on the field. “I still want to play football after high school. Doing rehab is going to get me to that goal,” he said. The loss of scholarships isn’t stopping him. He said he plans to walk on to a Division 1 school by using the lessons he’s learned throughout his football career, and specifically his injury this season. “Patience is definitely a key when it comes to injuries,” Smith said. “Football has taught me about family and brotherhood between the players. Even if you’re not really playing, it’s still strong and it won’t disappear.”

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A Season on the Sideline

enior Tanner Smith began his final high school football season as an all-conference running back on the field. He ended it watching from the side-

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Expect Nothing. Appreciate Everything.

Name: Nicole Bills Grade: Senior Musicals Involved In: “Annie Get Your Gun,” “Once Upon a Mattress,” “Little Women” Lesson: When things don’t turn out as expected, make the most of them.

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STORY BY WHITNEY MERRILL PHOTO BY WHITNEY MERRILL

erves and adrenaline race through her as she stands on the stage. She is surrounded by other people, but she might as well have been alone. It will be her first solo. She can’t mess this up. Finally she hears her cue and starts to sing. All the stress melts away and is replaced with absolute joy. In that moment, she knew she wanted to do this forever. Senior Nicole Bills joined choir her freshman year. Her singing career up until this point was limited to singing in the shower. The realization that she had talent came with a solo at Gold Dust. Bills was also accepted into concert choir and Golden Silhouettes. “I think I was one of the first [freshman] to get a solo at Gold Dust,” Bills said. “I just remember that it was a really big deal because choir teacher Schehera McKasson, came up to me and said, ‘There are going to be girls that are going to be talking about you and some are going to hate you.’ I guess it was a big deal.” It was that solo where Bills realized that she had found what she loved. “It sounds so stupid, but when in that moment when you’re singing you think ‘Oh my gosh, I never want to leave this stage. This feels amazing,’” Bills said. It didn’t stop at that. After Gold Dust, theatre teacher Jeremy Goldson tried to get Bills to take theatre. Bills said Goldson told her, “When I see talent I latch on to it and I don’t let that person get rid of that talent.” As a result, Bills started to take theatre and was a chorus member of “Annie Get Your Gun” during her sophomore year. Things took a turn for the worse during Bills’ junior year. The main production was “Once Upon a Mattress,” a musical based off Hans Christian Andersen’s story “The Princess and the Pea.” She didn’t get a part. “It was really hard,” Bills said. “Everyone knew that in the cast. It was mostly hard because it was all of my best friends in (the cast) and I was just the little assistant stage manager in the background. There were girls who dropped out since they didn’t want to be in the musical. People would ask Mr. Goldson, ‘Why won’t you put her in that spot?’ It was a really hard decision to stay and do tech.” May of her junior year brought another

chance to be in another musical. Bills, along with other students, auditioned for the stage version of “Little Women.” Going into the audition, she wasn’t as nervous even though she had not made it into the musical her junior year. “This [was] my last time and I might as well go for it. I didn’t have anything to lose, but I had everything to gain,” Bills said. Bills had come home from callbacks. Sitting on the couch, she looked up the results online. Looking up results only brought disappointment. Although she had made it in, she was cast as the character Meg, who is one of the sisters which the story focuses, but not the part that Bills wanted. To her, Meg was stupid and had no point in being in the musical. The beginning of the production was a grim time for Bills. She was angry at the girl who had gotten the part that she wanted. As a result of this sadness that she felt, she didn’t even want to sing anymore. She couldn’t even look at some of the cast members because she was so angry and jealous of them. She decided that she couldn’t continue feeling like this. Prayer is what helped Bills get through this period. “I just wasn’t happy so I just had to kneel down and say, “Please help me to be happy. Please help me to be happy for her,” Bills said. Over time, her feelings of anger and jealousybegan to disappear. “I describe it as how the sun rises in the morning. It isn’t instant,” Bills said. “I’m sure at some points I just wondered, ‘Why can’t I just be happy and have fun,” but it didn’t happen that way. It was kind of a day by day thing. It’s really incredible how changed I am from that time in May to where I was at closing night. I am now such good friends with the girl I was so angry at.” As a senior looking back on her past experiences, Bills would give her younger self some advice. “You don’t know this yet but you’re going to be involved in choir and theatre and you’re not going to be number one all the time, but you’re going to be good,” Bills said. You’re going to have your time and you’re going to have times that are really hard, but it’s all worth it and even though certain things aren’t how you want them to be it’s how they need to be. Take every single moment because it only happens once.”

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Expect Nothing. Appreciate Everything.

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STORY BY WHITNEY MERRILL PHOTO BY WHITNEY MERRILL

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Against the Wind Name: Blake Graf Grade: Senior Number of State Titles: 2 Lesson: Dreams require pushing yourself to the limit, both mentally and physically. STORY BY PETER LEONARD PHOTO BY GABE RODRIGUEZ

lake Graf never expected to be running for the 15th best cross country team in the nation, one that now has won back-to-back state championships. “In my middle school races I couldn’t even run two miles straight,” Graf said. In the winter of his eighth grade year, Graf, senior, decided to try cross country. “In eighth grade I did the winter program and that was the first time I got to see what high school practices were like,” he said. “It was really cool and all the people seemed really nice on the team and seemed like a big family.” Now convinced he had found an activity he could continue throughout high school, Graf went into his freshman year committed to cross country. “I think it was my freshman year when over that winter conditioning I was pushed by some of the upperclassmen to really open up my potential,” Graf said. “I ran in a few varsity races that [sophomore] year and after that I stuck with the varsity crew and ran with them, which was a great experience.” Going from middle school races where Graf could barely run from Mountain Ridge to Starbucks without walking, to running a threemile state course and helping win a team title, required learning a lesson that would stick with Graf through even the toughest of courses. “I think it started out with the people I was running with. At first I was like, ‘Oh, they’re running too fast. I have to slow down,’ but I knew I could stay up with them and I knew if I stayed in it mentally I could continue running with them,” Graff said. “That’s how I learned that the mental part was key. Cross country is not only a physical sport, but a mental one, too.” Graf joined the varsity squad full time his junior year, a year in which he ran in the varsity boys’ squad for its first cross country state title. Entering senior year, Graf knew that expectations had changed. Instead of being the underdog, Mountain Vista was now a known name. Other schools would go up to the neon green-clad runners and heap praise or distaste. “At the beginning of the season we kind of knew that we were going to have a target on our back,” Graf said. “That means we had to train

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even harder, pushing each other and ourselves mentally and physically further so that we could have a chance to win state again.” After running a stellar season, one in which the varsity boys won all seven of the races the full squad competed in, the boys varsity cross country team was now at state defending last year’s state title. “We were all definitely pretty nervous. We [the varsity boys] just kept it in the back of our mind though that we had to do good today, had to push each other and push ourselves and try to get another state title.” But solace was not found. Right after finishing the race, Graf confronted another problem. The coaches were not sure if the team had won. Hearing this hit a few members especially hard. “Some of us started blaming ourselves and saying ‘Oh, if we don’t win it’s my fault because I didn’t have that great of a race.’ But no, we’re a team. If we don’t win, it’s because as a team we didn’t do well,” Graf said. The tension did not last long. “We went to the stadium where they announced that we had won. Once we heard we were not third or second we were like, ‘Alright, we’re pretty sure we are first.’ All that doubt we had was put aside and replaced with excitement, excitement to win state again,” Graf said. Six years of years of running and pushing through the pain had finally paid off. “All throughout the year you’re just doing your workouts and building yourself up. You’re putting money in the bank and once you win, you get to cash out,” he said. “It feels great to finally get rewarded for all the hard work you’d been saving up for.” Graf, along with 30 other select Vista runners, is now looking to their largest race of the year. The season is coming to a climax Nov. 23 in Arizona at the Nike Cross Country Regionals, which brings the opportunity to compete with some of the best teams in the country. For having come this far, Graf has learned a valuable lesson. “Just don’t give up,” he said, “continue running and push because through cross country you’ll not only meet your best friends, you’ll have a sport that you’ll love to do.”

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Going Back Home Name: Marin Lusk Grade: Senior Countries Travelled To: 10 Lesson: There’s a whole world out there to embrace and explore.

STORY BY ANA KRASUSKI PHOTO BY ANN RASSMUSSEN

ot many people get to say that by the time they are 17, they have travelled 8,387 miles outside the United States. Senior Marin Lusk is among the few who have gotten the chance to leave America for a mission abroad. This past summer, Lusk jetted from Denver to Los Angeles to Bangkok, Thailand for a month of missionary work in southeast Asia. Although she enjoyed a month abroad, Lusk said there were many challenges that she had to overcome. “By the second week,” she said, “I was really homesick because I hadn’t learned to embrace the culture. I kept comparing it to America. I could easily be critical with things, like some of the restaurants weren’t very nice and were unsanitary, and I really missed my friends at home.” Instead of being judgmental, Lusk was openminded and ready to tackle any challenge that came her way. “One night I was talking to one of my friends on Facebook and telling her how I was homesick and she was telling me that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and that I just needed to embrace it,” Lusk said. “From that point on, I was determined to embrace it and not be critical, and look for all the good things about Thailand. After that I had such a great time and it was one of the best trips ever.” Coming from a family of missionaries, Lusk was born in Thailand and lived there until she was two years old. She said she is proud of where she comes from and stated that she has a “soft spot” for Asia. “It was really cool going back to where I was born and being able to have an identity that’s so much bigger than Highlands Ranch,” Lusk said. A month of being on another continent brought on a variety of hardships and situations she was not prepared for. After missing a flight from Bangkok to Singapore due to the stomach bug, she had to travel internationally on her own. Everyone on the mission team got a stomach bug at least once, and for a couple of days Lusk was bedridden. When she had to travel by herself without the comfort of her parents and peers, Lusk confessed to feeling a little nervous. “When I was on the airplane, at first I was really scared,” Lusk said, “but then the song called ‘This Is The Life’ by Two Door Cinema Club came on while I was

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looking over the clouds and I thought, this really is the life. Not many people get to do what I’m doing right now. After that, I was fine.” Being in a third-world country triggered different emotions and gave Lusk a greater appreciation of where she lives now. “Just walking around the city and seeing different things was sad because you would see really nice, first-world type buildings right next to really shanty villages and homes and people on the streets. It made me appreciate where I grew up and I’m really thankful for America,” Lusk said. Even though Asia is not the first place Lusk would prefer to travel, she said, she appreciates many things about Thailand and their culture, and chose to see the good in the situation. “Everyone wants to go to places like Greece and Italy and other places in Europe, but Thailand is really cool as well,” she said. “Once you embrace the culture of other nations it’s so much fun to travel.” She said that her favorite part about Thailand was the people she encountered. “Thailand used to be called Siam, which means the land of smiles. People are really happy and friendly,” Lusk said. Lusk said she learned a lot from being in a third-world country for so long, and it gave her a broader, more global perspective. “I think ultimately it gave me a greater global vision of the world and of people and an appreciation for different cultures,” she said. Lusk said it was also a challenge coming back to America after such a fun, eye-opening trip to a place with so many people who were less fortunate. “It was weird coming back, especially to school, because everyone was so focused on the little things, like who’s dating who — silly things that aren’t very significant. But my mind was so focused on the future and things beyond Highlands Ranch. It totally expanded my view and it was sad to see that other people didn’t have the opportunity to see what I saw and experience what I experienced,” Lusk said. When asked how she felt about the trip as a whole, Lusk said she wants to go on more missionary trips in the future. “It helped me realize that I want to go to third-world countries to do missionary work and be a nurse overseas,” Lusk said. “It’s not every day that you get to see the world and to get out of your comfort zone.”

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Going Back Home Name: Marin Lusk Grade: Senior Countries Travelled To: 10 Lesson: There’s a whole world out there to embrace and explore.

STORY BY ANA KRASUSKI PHOTO BY ANN RASSMUSSEN

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Injury Prone Name: Shelby Hafner Grade: Senior Fastest 5K Race: 21:50 Lesson: Life is short. It is what it is. Don’t dwell on the past.

STORY BY TAYLOR ATLAS PHOTO BY TAYLOR ATLAS

he dark doctor’s office was typical looking, with an X-ray machine and a table. Senior Shelby Hafner anxiously watched the doctor carefully zoom in and out of the X-ray of her foot, looking for her source of pain. “[The doctor] looked at the X-ray and then walked out of the room, leaving me not knowing what had happened,” Hafner said. “Then he walked back in with a box of Kleenex, and that’s when I started bawling.” The doctor broke the news: she had a broken foot. The devastation was evident, not only on Hafner’s face, but her dad’s as well. “I looked over at my dad and he looked like he was ready to cry,” Hafner said. Hafner saw her senior year of sports disappear, as a broken foot would keep her off both the soccer field and the cross country course. “The hardest part was watching everyone, knowing that I could be out there,” Hafner said. “The fact it was my senior year did not make it any better.” Hafner has been playing soccer since she was five years old and began running cross country in seventh grade. This is not how she saw her high school sports career coming to an end. But she is no stranger to rough starts caused by injury. “Freshman year I tore my ACL in a preseason soccer tournament, so that was a sixmonth recovery to start high school, and then I tore it again freshman year in a high school [soccer] game that spring,” Hafner said. Hafner had been hoping to participate in cross country her freshman year, but the tear occurred right before the season began, dashing her hopes of competing. Her second ACL tear was not quite recovered for her sophomore cross country season, keeping her from participating once again. Senior year, she thought, would be the year that she could finally compete. “I was really hoping to be able to run this year, but once again an injury ruined it for me,” Hafner said. “And it took me out of soccer again, all because I got stepped on during soccer practice by a cleat so hard that it broke the bone.” But through it all, Hafner knows she will get through it. “I have gotten through other injuries, and I guess I just keep telling myself that my foot could have been worse. Six weeks is a lot better than the six months it would have taken to recover from another ACL tear,” she said.

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While Hafner often wanted to give up while recovering from her second ACL tear, her motivation to heal the broken foot has been extremely strong. “When I tore my ACL a second time, having to go through the healing process again was really hard and some days I did not want to do it,” Hafner said. “But with my foot, I actually wanted to fight through it and get better.” With a lot of support, especially from her dad, and a passion for sports and competition, Hafner said has been able to find the bright side of her injuries and realize that there are worse things in the world then missing a few sport seasons. “I’m just fortunate that I have the opportunity to come back because there are so many people out there who don’t, for one reason or another,” Hafner said. She understands now that the past cannot be changed and that it is best to let it go. “Life is short. It is what it is. It happened, but don’t dwell on the past,” Hafner said. “This is not just for the injuries, but for life. The past cannot be changed.” Hafner said she also is not going to let the past dictate her present life or scare her away from what she loves. Even though she has been hurt three times, Hafner does not regret returning to sports even with that recurring fear of injury. “I love sports too much to not try and come back,” she said. “If I would have given up, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life.” When she says that sports are her life, she means it. “I wanted to run so badly again that I was willing to disobey my doctor’s orders not to and run before I was supposed to,” Hafner said. Each day marks a step towards full recovery, and Hafner cannot wait. She plans to even attend the Nike Cross Country Regional race in Arizona Nov. 21, which will act as an unofficial end to her short cross country season. “Since I only got to run one race this season, I am so excited to be given the chance to run another race, especially NXR,” Hafner said. Even though she constantly pushes through and moves on, the fear of getting injured is always there every time she steps onto the soccer field or laces up her running shoes. “The thought [of getting injured again] is always in the back of my mind,” Hafner said, “but I just have learned to push it aside and move on.”

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Injury Prone Name: Shelby Hafner Grade: Senior Fastest 5K Race: 21:50 Lesson: Life is short. It is what it is. Don’t dwell on the past.

STORY BY TAYLOR ATLAS PHOTO BY TAYLOR ATLAS

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Never Lose Faith Name: Alyssa Olswald Grade: Freshman Time Spent in Recovery: 6 Months Lesson: No matter how hard things get, it’s important to never lose faith. STORY BY PEYTON REEVES, MALLORY CHRISTENSEN & ZOE BLANDON PHOTO COURTESY OF ALYSSA OSWALD

n April 7, 2008, 9-year-old Alyssa Oswald, now a freshman at Mountain Vista, wakes up to find a lump on her chest the size of a golf ball. Curious, but not too worried, her family schedules an appointment to have it looked at after school. That afternoon she is diagnosed with Stage-2 Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in her chest and clavicle regions. This was just the beginning of a six month period spent in the hospital, in which she received six rounds of chemotherapy. “I was scared and crying. I thought I was going to die.” Oswald said. She looks back knowing that the experience taught her a lot. Oswald had a long, painful experience in the hospital. “I had pain in all of my joints and bones, I lost my hair, and I was nauseous and tired. I couldn’t play sports and school was difficult since I missed so much. I was always scared of what might happen but I tried to stay positive,” Oswald said. Despite her situation, she always remained positive and hopeful. “I had a lot of support from family and friends,” Oswald said. Recounting her experience, she realized it brought her family much closer together. They supported her throughout her entire time within the hospital, and always told her to never give up. Oswald overcame a six month period of chemotherapy and accomplished so much in her life. Entering Mountain Vista as a freshman, Alyssa looks forward to the school year. Oswald is taking honors classes and is on JV volleyball. “It’s amazing to know that I have come so far and to

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know that I can still do the same things anybody else can,” Working hard and never giving up are evident in Oswald’s work ethic. “It’s completely out of your control and you’re overcoming it. If that doesn’t show you that you can overcome anything then I don’t know what will.” Oswald said. She is very humble about her whole experience and doesn’t let it affect her day to day life. “I like the fact that people don’t look at me any differently knowing that I had cancer but can still look up to me and know that in any situation things can get better,” Oswald said. Going through this has taught Oswald many lessons that she continues to carry with her daily. “I have set standards for myself and have made the decision to watch what I do,” Oswald encourages students to avoid things like drinking and driving. “Having something serious that could take your life really makes you think about all of the other stupid things that could put your life in danger. Stay away from those things,” Oswald said. This entire experience has really put Oswald’s life into perspective. Going through something this severe has affected her and changed the way she views her life day to day. Oswald has learned and gained knowledge from this journey. Her lessons have left an imprint on her and her family. Three words. “Never lose faith,” Oswald said. Oswald always had hope and faith, which helped her overcome hard times. Oswald is extremely optimistic about her current situation. She has been in remission for five years now. Through her eyes, this whole experience has made her a stronger person and taught her lessons she will keep with her forever.

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Extreme Weight Loss Name: Juliana Macht Grade: Sophomore Pounds Lost So Far: 63 Lesson: Physical transformation brings a new mental mindset and emotional changes.

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STORY BY HAYLEY MUSTIN & AMY HUANG PHOTO BY GABE RODRIGUEZ

t 4:30 a.m., most students are still in bed, but this is when sophomore Juliana Macht wakes up every day. Half-an-hour later she is at Crossfit working out for the next two hours. This workout regime, amongst other things, is how she has lost 63 pounds in the last five months. Macht is on the TV show “Extreme Weight Loss” on ABC. With the help of hosts, Chris and Heidi Powell and her trainer Elyse Pearson, Macht and her father hope to reach their own individual weight-loss goals. The father-daughter duo will air in their own two-hour-long episode sometime next summer. “Extreme Weight Loss” helps people physically, but Macht said it patches relationships, too. “My dad and I used to have a horrible relationship,” she said. “I didn’t want to be his daughter, to say the least. I’ve learned not jump to conclusions with my dad, how to be patient and be a daughter. I learned to be understanding because he’s going through this process the same way I am.” The process is long and difficult but rewarding at the same time Macht said. Her overall goal from the show is to lose 105 pounds to weigh in at 160 pounds, which is a reasonable weight for her height and age. Once she reaches 160, however, she does not plan to stop. “I want to have a toned body,” Macht said. “I want to have defined arm muscles. I want to work towards abs after I lose the fat.” Her personal goal is to be a size eight and a medium in clothing. Macht said she hopes to achieve this goal by following her early workout routine. After school, she walks a mile to the King Soopers. Following homework and a carbfree dinner, Macht typically runs for 45 minutes. Through this journey she has found she really enjoys running and is hoping to join track and field in the spring. To reach her final goal, Macht must undergo the four phases of the TV show. Phase One is essentially bootcamp: the contestants can not have any communication with family or friends. “Phase Two is the hardest goal because you come home from boot camp and you’re on your own. They check up on you a couple of times,” Macht said. In Phase Three, contestants should have almost reached their weight loss goals.

After, in Phase Four, contestants who “qualify,” meaning they have a lot of extra skin, will have skin removal surgery. Other contestants will use the three-month phase as recovery time. Eating right is an equally important part of the weight loss process according to “Extreme Weight Loss.” The show requires girls eat 1,500 calories through five meals a day. Macht said the hardest part of dieting for her is craving things she can’t have. “I think about [unhealthy foods] and even though I really want it, in in the long run it’ll hinder me because I can’t just stop at one,” she said. “It’s like with cigarettes. If you have one cigarette, it’s hard to stop at just one cigarette.” Macht said she could not have made it this far in her journey without the help of her loved ones. She looks up to Heidi Powell, the wife of show host Chris Powell. “She always says ‘Keep your promises’ and we will talk about it,” Macht said. “Our biggest motto is “Recommit.” So, you say ‘OK, I did this,’ and you go back to your set schedule. You don’t think about what you did wrong because that is just gonna make you have more bad days.” Through “Extreme Weight Loss,” Macht has experienced significant mental changes. “I used to be a very reserved girl,” she said. “I didn’t talk to very many people. I was severely depressed. I cut myself almost every week and I tried killing myself last March. I was in a very dark place that no one should be, especially as a teenager.” Through her weight loss experience and therapy, Macht has almost completely recovered from that tragic stage of her life. “The show forced me into counseling,” she said. “I don’t care what you say, therapy helps.” Macht sees a therapist every Thursday at 3 p.m. “That’s my time,” she said. “That’s how I get through the week because I know I can talk about my problem, on Thursday at 3:00. That’s the time where I can let all my problems out and to talk to someone who I know is there.” Macht advises students to not give up. “You don’t have to be as extreme as I am, but you can. Start off little. On your first day of working out don’t try to run a marathon. Just keep going. It’s hard to wake up and tell yourself, ‘OK, you have to wake up and go do this.’ But think about your end goal and think about where you want to be. If you want that bad enough, the middle part is easy because you know this is what you gotta do to get where you wanna be.”

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Extreme Weight Loss Name: Juliana Macht Grade: Sophomore Pounds Lost So Far: 63 Lesson: Physical transformation brings a new mental mindset and emotional changes.

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STORY BY HAYLEY MUSTIN & AMY HUANG PHOTO BY GABE RODRIGUEZ

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Learning at a Fast Pace

Name: Brady Subart Grade: Junior Ticket Points Before: Four Ticket Points After: Zero Lesson: Always drive like there is a cop around the corner

STORY BY SYDNEY OSTDIEK PHOTO BY SYDNEY OSTDIEK

n the night of November 23, 2012, junior Brady Subart departed the Mountain Vista gym and headed home after basketball prac-

tice. Exactly one month before, Subart had received his drivers license, and like most new drivers, he was jetting around the streets at rapid paces. To Subart’s disadvantage, he had to learn the lesson of speeding the hard way. “I was driving home from practice at around 7:30 p.m.” Brady said. “I always take the same route home every night. I drive down Wildcat Parkway and turn right onto Broadway. I wasn’t really paying attention to my speed, and there was a cop sitting in the Living Way Fellowship Church parking lot. I flew by him and he pulled out behind me.” Brady slowed down and hoped that he would not get pulled over, but by the time he reached the Highwoods entrance the police car’s blue and red lights were illuminated. The officer walked up to Brady’s window and asked, “Why are you speeding tonight?” and flashed the radar gun with a big 61 lit up. “61 mph in a 45 — that’s 16 mph over, so the ticket would have been $160 and four points,” Brady said, “but the officer was really cool, and gave me the option to do ‘Alive at 25.’” The “Alive at 25” class is a driver safety course that a driver can take to learn smarter and better ways to drive. The class cost $90, but reduced the ticket to zero dollars and zero points. “I had to pay for the class myself, but I was really lucky because not everyone gets that option,” Brady said. “The class taught me that driving really wasn’t something to take lightly. It is actually really serious. You should always drive like there is going to be a cop around the corner because most of the time there is.” The fear from getting pulled over had been replaced with the fear of what his parents would do when he got home.

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“I was so scared,” Brady said. “I walked in and my mom asked what was in my hand and I said it was a ticket. She just gasped and told me to go talk to my dad. I went downstairs to show my dad and he flipped, like the maddest I’ve seen.” After a long night of arguments and fights, the next day Mr. and Mrs. Subart had settled on a suitable punishment they felt fit his crime. “I could only use my car to drive to and from basketball and my mom tracked my miles to make sure that was all I was driving to,” Brady said. “I had to take the bus to and from school. I got my iPhone taken away and had to use one of my older phones that could make phone calls. My mom deactivated/deleted my Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I lost my Playstation, and I had to come straight home and do homework after school, and only got to watch an hour of TV a night.” The consequences went on for a solid six months. Brady’s mom, Jackie Subart, said how important it was for him to learn his lesson this time. She felt that if he did not correct his reckless driving that the next time could be far worse than just a speeding ticket. “I want him alive and safe,” Jackie said. She said it was a hard punishment to carry out, but it was what needed to be done for Brady’s well being. Looking back, with a year of driving under his belt, he said he now realizes that speeding is not worth it because too many things can happen. “I don’t speed as fast or as much,” Brady said. “I have learned to be more of a smarter and defensive driver because you never know what other people are going to do. “Also, just in life to appreciate everything you have because I took advantage of having a car before all of my friends, and I was just showing off and it got me in trouble. I realized that it’s a privilege to have your license, not a right, and you have to earn it. Driving isn’t a joke and you have to take it seriously.”

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Learning at a Fast Pace

Name: Brady Subart Grade: Junior Ticket Points Before: Four Ticket Points After: Zero Lesson: Always drive like there is a cop around the corner

STORY BY SYDNEY OSTDIEK PHOTO BY SYDNEY OSTDIEK

n the night of November 23, 2012, junior Brady Subart departed the Mountain Vista gym and headed home after basketball prac-

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United and Unified Names: Spencer Fairbairn, Paige Mawhinney and Evan Kilcoyne Grades: Sophomores Lesson: It doesn’t matter if someone has a disability or not: we are all equal as human beings.

STORY BY REAGAN FITZKE PHOTO BY REAGAN FITZKE

pencer Fairbairn, a sophomore who helped with many of the handicapped students during this year’s Unified soccer season, said his views on the world have been changed by working with the athletes. “They’ve taught me that no matter what obstacles you face in life, you can always overcome it,” Fairbairn said. “We may have different problems or challenges to face than the Unified athletes, but we all have our own personal difficulties to face. In their case, it would be their disability, but for someone like you or me, it could range from anything like schoolwork to sports.” This season, he mostly worked with sophomore brothers Alex Chambers and Kyle Chambers and freshman Austin Johnson. “All of these amazing players have overcome their own challenges,” Fairbairn said. It is safe to say that most of the students at Mountain Vista High School have a level of respect for the Unified team. It shows during pep rallies whenever the Unified athletes walk out into the open gym with their huge smiles, everyone in the crowd stands and cheers. Students consider the program to be a huge part of the school, and it isn’t a surprise that many participated in the 2013 season of Unified soccer. Students who get involved in this program find it very influential and important in their lives. People who participated by working together in Unified stated they were taught valuable life lessons to each and every one of the partners and athletes that they’ll never forget. Fairbairn helped coach the athletes in order to assist them with their skills. “One of the students I worked with had a difficult time scoring goals, but after lots of practice and determination, he finally scored for the first time during an important game,” Fairbairn said. He said he loves that the program emphasizes team cooperation and support. “It’s just an inspiring program I’m proud to say that I’m a part of,” Fairbairn said. By joining the Unified program, sophomore Paige Mawhinney said she learned life lessons she will never forget. She said working with these student-athletes has changed the way she views their lives and what they go through every day. “The Unified athletes never give up,”

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Mawhinney said. She said she realized they are as much of people as we are, no matter what disability is holding them back. “The Unified athletes just take a little longer to do things, like scoring goals or running downfield, but it doesn’t matter. They are just as equal to us as we are to them,” Mawhinney said. Mawhinney said Unified soccer also taught her about the importance of accepting people for who they are, especially the handicapped students. “I’ve seen a lot of people judge the unified athletes for their disabilities,” she said, “What you say will impact them. You have to learn the boundaries for each player and know what they are feeling.” She finds it special that people actually help and watch the players because it truthfully has a positive effect on them. She’s learned from her experiences that the athletes can learn and grow so much from the support and encouragement the partners give them, and above all, it makes them happy, too. This year, sophomore Evan Kilcoyne played as a Unified athlete working hard with the partners in the program. With the immense amount of support from the school, he says they’ve had an amazing season. “We went undefeated,” Kilcoyne said. “The team played really good.” The athletes found the partners in the program to be supportive and helpful, which assisted them in accomplishing their goals. “I learned how to score a goal this season, which made me really happy,” Kilcoyne said. Working with both the partners and athletes has helped team members. “Teamwork is very important in Unified,” Kilcoyne said. Everyone playing can help each other in one way or another, no matter if they’re a partner or an athlete. Without the cooperation of everyone in the program, the team wouldn’t have done as well as it did. After the last game of the Unified soccer season, a 12-8 victory over Castle View, the team celebrated the end of the season at Chick-fil-A during their fundraiser. “Everything that I do with these kids is amazing and it’s such an honor to be a part of the program,” Mawhinney said. “It’s not all about you in the world. Unified taught me there are other people that come before you.”

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United and Unified Names: Spencer Fairbairn, Paige Mawhinney and Evan Kilcoyne Grades: Sophomores Lesson: It doesn’t matter if someone has a disability or not: we are all equal as human beings.

STORY BY REAGAN FITZKE PHOTO BY REAGAN FITZKE

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The varsity Mountain Vista volleyball team takes the court at the 5A state playoffs November 9. The team lost to Cherry Creek 3-1, but ultimately placed fifth in the state.

Photo by Kaitlin Zenoni

Strength Over Sleep

Baseball team gets head start on season CAMERON COX

he men’s baseball team at Mountain Vista is getting a head start this year with workouts Monday through Thursday at 6 a.m. Despite the baseball season starting in spring, the team is starting its training and practicing early. Players said that the workouts are Cole Blatchford, not just improving freshman their skills, they are building relationships and establishing friendships. “The workouts strengthen the program as a whole because we are all working together to get better and support each other,” freshman Cole Blatchford said. “I feel like it will really show during the season compared to the other schools because they do not have fall and winter workouts like we do. It gives us an advantage.” The workouts are strengthening the team as a whole and the individual players by testing their

What’s your favorite ski resort? As the winter ski season approaches, we asked 50 Mountain Vista students what their favorite ski resorts were. Graphic by chartmaker.mathwarehouse.com

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Photo by Tyler Kraft

Fall Sports Playoffs Women’s Volleyball

Volleyball made it to the quarterfinals of state before falling to Cherry Creek, 3-1.

Cross Country

At state, the varsity boys defended their 5A title by winning state for the second time in a row. The girls placed 14th.

Football

The football team made it to state playoffs before falling to Fairview, 42-7.

Softball

Softball ended their season 5-14 and senior Rachel Johnson played in the allstate game.

Sam Atlas, freshman

Field Hockey

strengths and keeping them fit for the spring season. “We have definitely united as a team and become a lot closer,” Blatchford said. “I am excited to see how this shows in our upcoming season.”

Field hockey finished the season 3-9-3 with 10 girls from MVHS playing on the combined team.

Winter Park: 8 Vail/Beaver Creek: 2 Keystone: 10 Breckenridge: 10 Crested Butte: 1 A-Basin: 7 Copper: 4 Aspen: 3 Loveland: 2 Steamboat: 1

Men’s Soccer

The soccer team upset Montbello before falling to Heritage, 1-0. During the season, the team tied eventual state-runner up Rock Canyon.

Men’s Tennis Men’s tennis placed 3rd at state, the best team finish in school history.

Juniors Nick McKelvey (right) and Aden Cesmat (left) play catch prior to turning in their jerseys of the season. “Football has taught me that nothing can be achieved if you don’t work at it day in and day out,” McKelvey said.

Beyond the Field Photo by Gabe Rodriguez

Juniors Nick McKelvey and Aden Cesmat share their thoughts on what they have taken away from varsity football

OLIVIA THOMAS

n chilly Friday nights, the bleachers of Shea Stadium are packed with Mountain Vista students. Oftentimes a win is all fans want to take away from a game, and the most important concept is usually overlooked. No one seems to take into account how much gusto it takes to get on the field and perform well. On top of that, football does not only teach the players how to play the game, they learn leadership and commitment skills. The lessons the players take away from the games are incalculable and long-lasting. After a game ends and the helmets come off, the life skills of football remain. Like most other players, varsity football members Aden Cesmat and Nick McKelvey, juniors, did not always play for the varsity team. They had to be diligent and humble enough to undergo two years of playing for the sub-varsity teams. Through grueling practices over two seasons they progressed to varsity. Each year, a new lesson of patience was internalized. “Freshman year was about instilling the

football mindset. [ Junior varsity] season was a time of growth and bonding as a team,” Cesmat said. “Varsity was the next step in the commitment level.” At this point, football “becomes less of a game and more of a life style,” Cesmat said. “Varsity was overwhelming at first with all the fans, but there’s nothing [better] than playing under the lights on Friday night,” McKelvey said. This is the journey to become the best. By playing on the freshman and junior varsity teams, Cesmat and McKelvey have learned to be patient enough in waiting to play varsity. Sweat and blood is the price paid to gain the privilege of playing under the Friday night lights in front of thousands of paying fans. Once the players make it to varsity, expectations are higher. “Fans don’t notice half of the time and effort we [actually] put in,” Cesmat said. It is much easier to add commentary on how a player fumbles a ball or tweet about a devastating loss. By dwelling on the negative aspects of what fans notice, attention is taken away from

how much effort the team members actually put in. “There’s a lot more that goes in, than what you see on the field,” McKelvey said. In many ways, football is not about winning. It does not revolve around the glory of wearing the jersey or the thrill of having a rival. It is about the life lessons a team member can take away from it. “Football has taught me how to be a leader, work for and rely on others and to commit to anything in real life,” Cesmat said. It’s common for Vista students to leave the game if the team is on the verge of losing. Through thick and thin, the football team perseveres, no matter what the outcome may be. “I’ve learned that no matter what, you just have to keep working,” Cesmat said. For Cesmat and McKelvey, football is much more than a sport. It is a collection of experiences, learned lessons and concepts they can take outside of football into life. Said McKelvey: “Anything is possible with hard work and preparation.”

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Kylie Klein Division 1 volleyball player, fashionista, pageant winner, academic achiever, adventure seeker. GRETCHEN COPE // KAITLIN ZENONI On the court Klein stands at 6 feet, 2 inches with a block jump of 9 feet — making her a force to be reckoned with. Despite volleyball being a passion only discovered in seventh grade, her talent, dedication and performance have lead her to the point of committing to Charleston Southern University with a full ride athletic scholarship. The decision to commit to the university was a long process. In the beginning, Klein was looking at any division one or two school on the coastal region. She sent out recruitment videos to the schools and waited for a response. “It’s a two way street so if you don’t sound interested or if you don’t keep emailing back and forth they’ll find other girls,” Klein said. Even when colleges expressed interest it was challenging knowing she was not their only choice, adding even more pressure. “If I was talking to three schools or more, the same schools were talking to three or more girls so it was all about trying to make yourself stand out and choose the right one,” Klein said. Towards the end of Klein’s commitment process she had narrowed it down to three schools; Wheaton College in Boston, St. Francis University in New York, and Charleston Southern University in Charleston, South Carolina. Wheaton College offered her a $20,000 in scholarships and St. Francis University offered full tuition except for $12,000 for room and board. These offers would not top Charleston however, who offered to pay for everything except her books. “To go to college for a thousand bucks that’s not too bad,” Klein said. Klein visited Charleston Southern University during fall break to ultimately make her final decision. The school flew her out for a visit where she got to tour the campus, meet her teammates, and fall in love with Charleston. “That was my first time to South Carolina ever and I was there for about three days and I just liked it on the spot,” Klein said. The ability to try something new and excel at it comes naturally to Klein. On a whim she entered Miss Teen Colorado USA, and out of 600 applicants became one out of 15 girls to be a finalist. In addition to a trophy Klein won yet another scholarship, this time for $29,000 to Lindenwood University in St Charles, Missouri. “I don’t think it expires so I could go there after I’m done with Charleston for a master’s,” Klein said. As for her college degree, Klein notes multiple areas spark her interests. “I know I want to do something in the arts field and they have a minor in art and major in graphic design which would be cool but I’m kind of undecided right now. I’m like, ‘Oh, maybe criminal justice could be fun’,” Klein said. While other students are stressing out about applications and paying for college, Klein can now be focused on her bright future. Getting a full ride comes with many benefits, but also is a large commitment. Klein will arrive weeks before her fellow classmates to start practicing and preparing for the season. Practices will be every day and when there isn’t a game or practice the team will be in the weight room. Off season is not a break either, with eight hours in the weight room as well as conditioning that could take place on a nearby beach. “I’m looking forward to the new adventures and meeting new people,” Klein said. She intentionally chose to go out of state to challenge herself. “[Going to an instate school] feels like you know everyone and don’t learn to stand on your own. So I wanted to go to a completely different state and

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Photo by: Gabe Rodriguez

meet all sorts of people and learn,” Klein said. Charleston’s location is close to a variety of beaches and cities; all of which that she plans to explore. “I could pop in my car and then just go to neighboring states and explore the area,” Klein said. With Klein starting, the girls varsity volleyball team placed fifth in state this past weekend. Her present coach, Lindsey Jaffe, helped Klein find her passion and develop her skills, starting from sophomore year. “People tell you that club is where you learn to do different things and develop your skills and enhance things, but from Jaffe I learned from sophomore year how to be a right side, how to be a middle, how to hit and adapt and play the game,” Klein said.

Photo Courtesty of Kylie Klein

Above: Varsity volleyball teammates supporting Klein at her first pageant. Below: Klein spikes the ball at state quarterfinals vs. Cherry Creek. Klein had 10 attack kills in the game.

Photo by Kaitlin Zenoni

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Photo by: Gabe Rodriguez

Photo Courtesty of Kylie Klein

Above: Varsity volleyball teammates supporting Klein at her first pageant. Below: Klein spikes the ball at state quarterfinals vs. Cherry Creek. Klein had 10 attack kills in the game.

Photo by Kaitlin Zenoni

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Student Media & Art

Rain

MIRANDA LOFTUS

Upon a balcony stood a little girl, enjoying the relaxing breeze of summer twilight’s bliss. The sky brimmed with dank moisture, a mix of faded tangerine orange, bright yellow and golden pink splattered onto an empty canvas, her eyes sparked with fantasy. Fallen tears of rain transformed into a gift from the heavens, the little girl held out her creamy hands, cupping them together, forming an imaginary bowl. She giggled with delight as the rain danced all over her skin, leaving a pleasant texture with in every drop; she found the scent of a raindrops dew to be quite fascinating, she wanted to embrace the sweet aroma, to inhale it over and over again. A silent sneeze escaped from the little girl’s nose, she began to shiver covering her shoulders with bear arms, and her rose red dress drizzled with a stingy cold liquid. Reaching for the sliding door, the little girl took one last glance of the rain before returning to an welcoming house.

Sammy Linares

Bianca Dancy

Logan Clark

Emily Pantoja

EAGLE INK

Student-Created Media This new addition to the Eagle Eye Newsmagazine is a place for students to share their creative and artistic talents through multiple mediums: short stories, flash fiction, poetry, photography, graphic design and any other creative medium. To submit work for the magazine or the web, please send pieces in either a Word document or JPEG format respectively to vistalitmag@ gmail.com, with your first and last name attached. 36 // Eagle Eye // Issue 2

Jordan Freichs

Sara Mottaghi

Creative Word Choice Expression Short Stories Prespective Flash Fiction. Turning Point Resolution Imagery Endings Morals

Eagle Ink

Heros Villans Six Word Stories

Painting Adventure Life Romance Horror Beginnings Photogaphy ArtisticCommunication Tension Publications Drawing Characters Emotion Poetry Plot. Diction

To See More Student Work Visit www.vistanow.org/category/the-arts/ • SHORT STORIES • POETRY • PHOTOGRAPHY (ART)

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Student Media & Art

Rain

MIRANDA LOFTUS

Sammy Linares

Bianca Dancy

Logan Clark

Emily Pantoja

EAGLE INK

Jordan Freichs

Sara Mottaghi

Creative Word Choice Expression Short Stories Prespective Flash Fiction. Turning Point Resolution Imagery Endings Morals

Eagle Ink

Heros Villans Six Word Stories

Painting Adventure Life Romance Horror Beginnings Photogaphy ArtisticCommunication Tension Publications Drawing Characters Emotion Poetry Plot. Diction

To See More Student Work Visit www.vistanow.org/category/the-arts/ • SHORT STORIES • POETRY • PHOTOGRAPHY (ART)

Issue 2 // Eagle Eye // 37

UN A DRIVER T Y SIT C Y RE

Stephanie K. Kraft, M.D., M.P.H.

Internal Medicine Physician Personalized Primary Care for Teens and Adults 10371 Parkglenn Way #290 Parker, CO 80138

720-851-9533

www.stephaniekraftmd.com 38 // Eagle Eye // Issue 2

One Question. Five Answers.

? 1 2 3 4 5

PETER LEONARD PHOTOS BY PETER LEONARD

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in high school so far?

RYAN MARSH Junior

“Get your work done. Try to get it all done early so you can at least try to have some free time and not have it get stacked up on you. I learned it sophomore year when I decided unwisely to blow off some work and had it all pile up onto one day. I barely got it all done before all of my classes. It was nerve-wracking and I don’t ever want to do it again.”

BRENDAN MCGUIRE Senior

DIVYA JAIN Sophomore

“The best lesson I’ve learned is nonconformity from the movie “Dead Poet’s Society” in English class. The movie was used to teach us about ideals and how conforming is not the best and taking your own steps to be unique is more important than following the rules. I try to think about it with everything that I do. I try to add humor to everything I do, because it’s my own unique tagline.”

“The best lesson that I’ve learned in high school is don’t be too cool for school. High school is what’s happening around you. It’s four years of your life and if you aren’t active and present in it, then it’s not worth it. Don’t be too cool for school, go to the football games, participate.”

BRADY MCKENNA Junior

ADAM VENABLE Sophomore

“Don’t let other people affect who you are. A lot of people give in to what they think other people will like and that will change who they are. I learned to just not let that happen. Watching other people around me change was…sad. I think the realization of it and not caring about what other people think about me (created that view).”

“I learned how to use my time wisely and to make sure to budget it so that I don’t have to stay up all night doing homework. In middle school I procrastinated a lot but I’m starting to get better at not doing that in high school. I get more sleep, less stress, it’s just better.”

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Remind your parents just how cute you were back in the day. Remind them to buy your senior tribute advertisement.*

*naked baby picture optional

SENIOR TRIBUTE FINAL DEADLINE: DEC. 1, 2013 theyearbookcompany.com

vistanow.org/aerie-yearbook 40 // Eagle Eye // Issue 2