Rocky Mountain Highlighter: 2012 November

rm the

Teenage Parenthood//B1

Football Wrap-Up// A7

highlighter Marching band//B8 Becoming Van Gogh // B8

Understanding Underage Drinking //B4-5

rocky mountain November 9, 2012

side show the

//Rocky Mountain High School\\

Volume 40, No. 3

Photo illustration by Amanda Kriss

Amanda Kriss

High School Hijinks:

Two students at Celina High School in Ohio were reprimanded after wearing t-shirts that read “Lesbian 1” and “Lesbian 2” to school. The superintendent of the school district claims that the students were asked to remove the shirts because they were disruptive, not because of their political message.

The Ohio branch of the American Civil Liberties Union has involved itself with the incident, and both sides of the case are consulting lawyers.

Care About This: President

Barack Obama was re-elected Tuesday in a close race against Republican candidate Mitt Romney. Below, government teacher Charlie Ross hosts a gathering for his students on election night in the Media Center.

Michelle Kennedy

Quote of the Issue:

“People don’t realize that people with an addiction are sick. It’s not cancer, but it consumes them and everything they stand for.”

-Senior Hauna KellyOntiveros, sister of Austin Powers

Safety Sense

Assertiveness helps lead to safety

by Cam Chorpenning//editor-in-chief & Michelle Kennedy//features editor

With the wind blowing through her hair, senior Erika Kehrwald was on a routine jog around her neighborhood at dusk.

Yet, something seemed off as she passed a parked car that made her uneasy. As she repeatedly looked back over her shoulder, she continued to become more concerned.

The car was following her.

Recognizing imminent danger, Kehrwald looked to the surrounding houses for an escape. As she approached one of the doors, the man in the car that was following her parked in the street, waiting.

“No one came to the door because I didn’t know the people,” Kehrwald said. “Then I saw this older couple doing yard work farther down the street, so I just ran over to them.

Finally, the guy just kind of drove off once I was with them. It was really scary.”

Following in the wake of the murder of 10-year-old Coloradan Jessica Ridgeway in an abduction case, stories like Kehrwald’s have

//front special//

“

Matt Johnson, school resource officer

I think it’s certainly reason-

able for us to function with a lower perceived risk in Fort Collins... The trick happens when all of a sudden, what our perception is isn’t in line with what our actual risk is.

become even more relevant and concerning.

Despite the fact that many people consider Fort Collins to be a “safe” town, recent events have brought to light the importance of being aware of one’s surroundings and placing

//Jump to Safety,

on A2

New cameras installed

by Ed Kennedy//reporter

Whether it’s in the halls, by the bike racks, or in the parking lot: you’re being watched.

As students go about their day, security cameras are monitoring the interior and exterior of the building, poised to catch culprits in the act. Recently,

more cameras have been added to the existing network, the newest being a four-lensed camera that provides a 165 degree view of the main senior parking lot. This is just the first of several more additions to come.

As part of the Mill Levy and Bond passed in 2010, the

▲ New Security Camera

district is beefing up security.

According to the bond, $120 million was allocated for improvement of buildings and facilities around the district,

//Jump to Surveillance,

on A2

District works for web safety

by Amanda Kriss//reporter

Nearly half of all teens using a social networking profile have a public profile that can be viewed by anyone: including sex offenders.

On Nov. 19 and 20, the Media Center will be hosting an internet safety workshop open to students and staff interested in learning more about the dangers that come with the increased use of computers, cell phones and the internet.

“Poudre High School has done this program with their incoming freshmen for five years,” Media Center Specialist Misha Bell said. “They just had a really great program and they wanted to share it with everybody else.”

Detective Jason Shutters of the Forensic Services Unit and Detective Keith Maynard of the Crimes Against Persons Unit will be leading the workshop for up to 16 classes.

“They are going to be discussing a lot of legalities,” Bell said. “It’s just more information for the kids to understand.”

Irene Nissen, another Media Center Specialist, added, “It will make sure that they (students) are aware of the issues going on out there and understand the dangers.”

As more students are using their school-issued laptops, this informational program is vital for understanding the dangers of misusing the internet.

news//highlighter

November 9, 2012 \ \ A2

Safety//

An important decision: Junior Jovan Rivera raises his hand at a meeting for students about the selection of a new principal.

The goal is for both students and teachers to be involved with the decision and have a say in the matter.

from page A1

Being heard Amanda Kriss

Students, teachers make voices heard in selection

by Aaron Yu//reporter

Throughout history, people have dared to stand for a choice.

Whether it was American Revolutionaries fighting against Britain or Chinese freedom advocates writing against the tyranny of the government, the matter has always been on choice.

This is Principal Tom Lopez’s last year after a nine-year term, and a principal selection committee has been assembled to find a replacement. The search consists of three parts; first, a varied pool of students and teachers to weed out the qualified from the unqualified, and ask them questions on their views. The selections are then sent to the board of education which chooses what they believe is the best choice; then a principal is chosen.

Students and faculty members are an essential part of selection, because without representation of what the school wants, the new principal may not be a good match.

“If the selection process doesn’t include a legitimate amount of input from teachers, it is not a legitimate choice as principal,” history teacher Charles Ross said.

Regarding the selection, there have been some doubts as to whether or not the district will actually take Rocky’s opinion on principal.

“Those voices from student to teacher need to be taken from the beginning to the end of the process,” psychology teacher Sara Lea said. “Our voices need to be heard.”

Students have not yet been asked to aid in the selection, but some have been chosen for the position. Robinson believes that the school’s voice will be heard and its feedback taken into serious consideration.

Surveillance// from page A1

with a point of emphasis on security. This same bond paid for

“My concern as a teacher and a parent was that the district would just round up a number of qualified candidates and parcel them out to the high schools,” he said. “However, we were assured that the [interview] questions for candidates would be tailored to specific high schools.”

When all is said and done with the selection, the transition that will come raises some concerns. With three principals and the superintendent all being new to the district, it will be a “different atmosphere” all around. The hopes are that the transition will be smooth and hit few to no walls, but if obstacles are met, faculty members will not sit idly.

“If it doesn’t go smoothly, the teachers in this building will make sure that students and the community are aware,” teacher Amy Barrier said. “We will come together and make the school year as positive and as smooth as it will be.”

“I don’t know for sure, but I think that if we bring the right person in here, the transition will be smooth,” physical ed. teacher Scott Bullock said.

As a unique school and community, students and staff want a principal who shares the values they do.

“I want somebody who will respect us, listen and lose hierarchy,” Lea said. “We’re a community as one, we are a pack.”

“What I’m looking for in this committee is someone that is community oriented,” Robinson said. “Someone that will really buy into our concept of the Lobo Way.” Expectations are held high for the new principal, someone who can integrate into the school without changing anything major in that already works well.

“It’s not broken here,” Bullock said. “Rocky’s not broken. I hope we bring someone in that doesn’t want to change the school, but just asks ‘how can I help this school grow?’”

the renovations to the front office, and the plan is to now add security cameras to French Field, as well as the parking lot.

“They should have been done

already, but there has been some hang-ups related to technology,” campus security officer Steve Armstrong said. “So they (parking lot cameras) haven’t been installed yet, but they should be installed hopefully before Christmas.”

These cameras will be used to stop both existing crime and prevent future incidents. The additions though, are not due to an increase in crime.

“I don’t think the work with the new security cameras has been a result of a panic mode or anything.

I think that’s just the district working to improve the quality of their coverage,” Student Resource Officer Matt Johnson said. “Obviously having a whole parking lot with no security cameras is something we want to avoid. I don’t even necessarily think we were in a bad place before, but they definitely improved the coverage of it (parking lot) and I think that leads to a safer school. I think the school district is very motivated towards school safety and I think they use the security cameras to that end.

It’s pretty common for that to be going on right now.”

greater emphasis on one’s personal safety.

“I think it’s certainly reasonable for us to function with a lower perceived risk in Fort Collins because we have a lower actual risk,” School Resource Officer Matt Johnson said. “The trick happens when all of a sudden, what our perception is isn’t in line with what our actual risk is.”

Senior McKenna Basham agrees that, though Fort Collins is a generally safe town, threats still exist and need to be acknowledged.

“We live in a pretty safe place, but there are still creepers, and they’re creepin’,” Basham said. “I mean you just think of Colorado as a ‘safer’ state, but with everything that has happened lately like the shooting and the Aurora kidnapping, I think people need to realize that stuff like that can still happen here, and you need to take precautions.”

In a situation much like Kehrwald’s, Basham experienced a concerning encounter with a man while working at Cool Berry.

“I started noticing this guy every Sunday who would come in, but he would never buy anything,” Basham said. “He would stay there for four or five hours and he would just sit there during my shift. It got really sketchy, so I told the manager, but he didn’t really care or take any concern about it.”

As Basham continued to notice the man’s presence, she took extra precautions to keep herself safe. She asked her manager to only schedule her shift with a partner and also had her parents pick her up from work “like a little kid” she said, so that she wouldn’t have to go outside in the dark alone.

While some students make a concerted effort to be aware of their surroundings, others make choices that can leave them vulnerable and susceptible to victimization. Some of these decisions can include being under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

“People who are intoxicated tend to make higher risk decisions, and those higher risk decisions tend to make them more likely to be a victim of crime,” Johnson said.

In addition to responsible consumption of intoxicants, Johnson advises that students take an active stance in favor of their own safety.

The cameras are active day and night, providing the administration and security officials with access to any activity around campus at any time using a motion sensor technology to record when nearby movement is detected. While these cameras record campus activity, they are used solely for investigation; rather than spying on students.

“I have no interest if you’re going to your locker or not unless something bad goes on with that,” Johnson said. “So I mean we do use it to investigate crime. I see the tapes when something bad happens, but I’m way too busy to hang out and watch what’s going on in the hallways. If I want to know, I’ll walk the halls myself.”

In a post-Columbine age, where security and safety is afforded even greater importance, the parking lot additions, as well as existing cameras contribute a great deal to the overall safety and security of both students and staff.

“The cameras are used for both safety and security,” Armstrong said. “If your car was to be vandalized; like someone keyed

rm

“I believe that people have an inherent observation that helps them to understand when something’s out of place,” Johnson said.

“Some people call that a gut feeling, some call it observation, many different things, but I think you can enhance that in your own life by being not necessarily aggressive, but assertive, and taking kind of the initiative.”

In the sense of personal safety, assertiveness entails an effort to attain awareness of one’s surroundings as well as an accurate assessment of risk. According to Johnson, assertiveness also involves taking control of one’s situation without violence or any action that could potentially heighten the risk involved in the situation.

“I always encourage people to talk--‘you need to give me room,’ ‘you need to step away from me,’ ‘get back away from me now,’” Johnson said. “Because in some ways the victim and suspect relationship is kind of like a job interview. The bad guy’s asking you questions about what you will allow them to do, how good of a victim you’re going to be, if you’re confident, if you can take control of a situation, or if you’re going to kind of curl up into a ball and be a victim.”

In Johnson’s opinion, there’s no “silver bullet” to act as protection in every situation, but by actively trying to make themselves aware of their surroundings and the potential risk around them students can prevent themselves from being caught in dangerous situations.

Because of this ability to perceive risk, stories like Basham’s and Kehrwald’s have happy endings, but had these girls not realized that something was out of place, that might not have been the case.

“

In some

ways the victim and suspect relationship is kind of like a job interview. The bad guy’s asking you questions about what you will allow them to do.

Matt Johnson, School Resource Officer

it or someone threw a bunch of garbage all over it, which students seem to like to do after lunch; and it creates permanent damage to your car, we would have that knowledge and know who did that to hold them responsible. Then the security part of it, people that shouldn’t be on campus we can look at it from the computer in real time and just monitor outside.

If there was an external threat, and we knew it was out there, we can just zoom right in on that area.”

With more cameras on the way, they should have a great impact on student safety, and allow for administrators to be more vigilant in cracking down on crime.

“I think they make a substantial impact,” Johnson said. “The best predictor of someone’s future behavior is their past behavior.

If you’re doing an investigation I think it becomes really important to know what kind of behavior choices this person has made. So if you have someone who is instigating fights or is assaulting another person in the hallways, that’s something we need to know so we can plan for the safety of the school.”

rm

highlighter\\news

“

Hauna Kelly-Ontiveros, senior and sister of Austin Powers

People don’t realize that people with an addiction are sick. It’s not cancer, but it consumes them and everything they stand for.

//A3 Trick-or-Treat Street a success November 9, 2012

A year later

Family of Austin Powers speaks about addiction, loss of loved one

by Morgan Miller//reporter

Disease—a particular quality, habit, or disposition regarded as adversely affecting a person or a group of people.

Diseases are a common thing but most people do not think about them in the way they are defined. Addiction, for instance, is a disease and a fairly common one at that. Many people don’t recognize addiction as a disease and fall blind sighted to the suffering and the heartbreak that comes along with it. Former Rocky student Austin A. Powers suffered from addiction.

“People don’t realize that people with an addiction are sick.

It’s not cancer, but it consumes them and everything they stand for,” senior Hauna Kelly-Ontiveros, Powers’ sister said.

Powers’ mother Kathleen Kelly, sister and 1-year-old son celebrate the life and mourn the death of their beloved Austin a year after his death from a heroin overdose.

“I think that Austin in my mind isn’t defined by his addiction,” Kelly said. “Austin in my mind is just like any other person’s child. You watch them grow and blossom and learn, and it’s amazing and it’s beautiful, and you’re so engaged, and this child is everything to you and your life.”

Many students and others in the community are misinformed as to what people who have an addiction go through, and struggle to understand that people with addictions are just like anybody else.

Getting “sober” isn’t as easy as it looks. Almost a year after Powers’ death, his family is still confused by why exactly this happened and if there was anything more they could have done.

“The hardest part was knowing that Austin’s addiction was already as bad as it was when he was alive, but losing him it wasn’t about

Morgan Miller

Michelle Kennedy

Prehistoric pal: A young trick-or-treater hesitantly moves to pet a dinosaur puppet that was part of the Science Olympiad door at this year’s Trick-or-Treat street. The event was held on Oct. 30.

Morgan Miller

Preserving memories: Photographs of Austin Powers adorn a piece of cardstock, showing him throughout his life. Powers died a year ago this month of a heroin overdose.

the drugs. That might have been how he passed away, but after he passed, that kind of thing didn’t matter anymore. To watch Hauna see her only male role model pass away was so hard,” Sarah Kelly, a close family friend, said.

Throughout his life, Powers attended many different rehabilitation facilities and was on the television show Intervention.

Family and friends tried hard to lead Austin into the world of sobriety and he achieved it, but soon after would relapse.

“He was very magnetic,” Kathleen said. “All of us know kids from when we were growing up that had an outgoing personality that everyone wanted to be around and Austin was that person. People who wouldn’t have even considered sobriety saw Austin as someone who was very cool, yet sober and he just really led a lot of people to sobriety.”

Unfortunately, Powers was a victim of addiction, but his struggles and the difference he made in the world around him are unlikely to be forgotten.

“Austin was an awesome guy.

He had the best heart out of probably everyone in my family,” Kelly-Ontiveros said. “He cared about everyone around him more than he cared for himself.”

Michelle’s Musings

Michelle Kennedy

Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France seven consecutive times, beat testicular cancer and founded Livestrong, an influential organization for cancer treatment, research and prevention.

Yet recently, his credentials and honesty have come into question.

In August, the governing body of cycling, Union Cycliste Internationale, stripped Armstrong of his seven titles on charges of blood doping corroborated by the testimonies of numerous teammates. Doping is a process used to enhance athletic performance by increasing the number of one’s red blood cells to increase oxygen flow from the lungs to muscles. Previous to August, Armstrong had vehemently denied all doping charges

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Event once again provides quality family fun Trick-or-Treat Street always provides a safe and fun environment for little kids to enjoy their time collecting candy and playing games.

This year was no different.

Around 600 kids gathered from various elementary schools and roamed around the halls to collect candy from dressed up students and played lots of homemade games that entertained the kids and kept them and their parents busy throughout the night. One of the top events of the night was the obstacle course, which was created completely by the Student council officers.

Around 30 school clubs and organizations participated in the event and $1300 of candy was given away.

//in brief//

//Cammie Palomino

Megan Troutman

Triumphant team: The current Highlighter staff poses with the awards they won at Journalism Day on Oct. 11. The 2011-12 staff was recognized with an All-Colorado ranking, the highest possible at the state level, and the current staff won first place in the Journalism Day Best in Show competition.

Newspaper wins awards at journalism day Every year high schools from all over Colorado come to Colorado State University for Journalism Day, a Colorado high school journalism convention.

On Oct. 11 at this year’s event the Rocky Mountain Highlighter received numerous awards and recognitions. The

2011-12 staff was recognized as an All-Colorado newspaper, the highest award a school publication can earn at the state level.

The Rocky Mountian Highlighter also submitted its September 2012 issue, which won first place in the Journalism Day Best in Show competition.

//Cam Chorpenning

Cheerleading squad wins competition, advances to nationals This past weekend, the Cheerleading squad secured another victory at the United Spirit Association Rocky Mountain Classic Competition. The Cheer team took first place at the competition,

which was held at Legacy High School on Nov. 3.

The cheerleaders, who have welcomed several victories in competition this season, qualified to advance to the USA Spirit Nationals competition

with their victory.

USA Spirit Nationals are set to take place nesxt year on March 15-17 in Anaheim, Calif., a and the team hopes to succeed here as well. //Amanda Kriss

Armstrong’s faults don’t outweigh his accomplishments

brought against him in the past, but recently he has stopped contesting these claims.

However, while it is clear that if these charges are valid Armstrong’s victories are void, his other various achievements are not.

Armstrong is more than a cyclist—he is a philanthropist, an activist and a generally socially involved man. While I, among many others, concede that cheating as such an influential social figure is a heinous crime, I do not believe that this should defame Armstrong’s contributions to society.

In addition to a variety of national events, Armstrong has also been influential in several cycling and fundraising events within Colorado such as the Leadville 100 mountain bike race, USA Pro Cycling Challenge and

the Ride 4 Yellow bike race in Steamboat Springs. Through such events, Armstrong has been able to raise copious funds for cancer research, but has also brought Colorado to the forefront of cycling in the United States.

As Americans, but especially Coloradoans, it is important to recognize that while Armstrong’s deceitful actions are inexcusable, he has also made countless contributions to society that cannot be ignored. Although he will most likely go down in history as a fallen champion, such contributions should also be commemorated.

Michelle Kennedy is a senior and the Features Editor for the RM Highlighter.

Rocky Wraps $3 for students including juice and chips

$3.75 for staff including juice and chips

Available on Fridays for lunch at the Rocky Wraps Cart near Student Services

\\ A4\\

//opinionrm highlighter

November 9, 2012

The principles of principal selection T

he approaching retirement of principal Tom Lopez brings both nostalgia for the past and anticipation for the future.

At this time next year a new leader will be making decisions about the philosophical direcPrincipal hiring tion of the process school, dictated by evaluating School Board teachers, giving teachers influencing little say students and mentoring all staff members. However, as the hiring process begins, it is becoming apparent that staff members and students will have limited say in who will be hired to lead the school.

One of the issues with the hiring process is the fact that Poudre and Fossil also are replacing principals this year.

Therefore, Poudre School District is charged with hiring three new principals at the same time and shepherding them off individually to the schools, not leaving much room for individual choice. Most applicants are not applying to become

The Issue:

//staff editorial// a principal at one school, but rather are applying to become a principal in general, and the decision as to where they each will end up will ultimately be determined by the hierarchy of the school district and approved by the School Board.

A principal has substantial power over the way a school functions.

The individuality of Rocky could be at jeopardy with the introduction of a principal who is not applying specifically for this school. The block system, for example, could be changed without the consent of the Rocky community.

In an attempt to appear as though they are paying attention to the opinions of the school, the School Board has assembled a committee of teachers and students to be involved in the principal candidate evaluation process and to give their input to the decision-makers.

But in the end, the

Cam’s Chorner

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Cam Chorpenning

The last month of my life has been sheer insanity.

I’ve been applying into colleges, preparing and performing two separate plays, taking two AP classes, producing my beloved Highlighter and working a job all the while.

And I don’t regret a thing.

It’s better to be busy than not have anything to do, no goals or aspirations; nevertheless, I’ve found out the hard way that it’s extremely important to take some time for myself so that I can actually function.

I’m offering this advice to everyone, especially my fellow se-

National Scholastic Press Association National Critique

And the winner and new principal of Rocky is...

STAFF Editor-in-Chief// Cam Chorpenning Ad Manager//

Sean Bray

Design Editor//

Alex Creighton

Opinion Editor//

Emily Anderson

Sports Editor//

Lauren Binder

Features Editor// Michelle Kennedy Center Editor//

Megan Shaw

Limelight Editor//Megan Troutman Staff// Isaac Effner Ed Kennedy Amanda Kriss Morgan Miller Artist// Adviser//

Cammie Palomino Grant Rotman Lukas Short Aaron Yu Amanda Kriss Stephen Wahlfeldt

RM Highlighter editorial policy

//Amanda Kriss, artist

School Board will be making the decision, and it is still not clear if it will truly consider what the teachers and students say.

The district hierarchy has also been extremely vague in their plans. They

promised to provide a specific brochure/ timeline of the hiring process, but it has yet to be created or distributed. The fact that they are keeping teachers in the dark does not indicate that they are listening to them.

There is a distinct difference between the power to influence a decision and the power to make a decision. Teachers and staff members of Rocky should have the power to make a decision as important as this.

Breaks and outlets needed for best achievement

niors who may also be applying to various colleges—take time off. For me this has been as simple as leaving my homework for 20 minutes to go and play the guitar, but I’ve also learned to acknowledge times when I feel mentally, physically, or even emotionally exhausted and decided to take some time off of school so I can recuperate. I’m sure any teenager could attest to the fact that sleeping an extra 90 minutes can make a world of difference in terms of productivity. But extra rest isn’t always the answer.

As a major extrovert, I draw energy from being around other

Pacemaker Finalist-2012; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2012; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2011; Pacemaker Winner-2010; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2010; Pacemaker Finalist-2009; All-American, 4 Mark of Distinction-2009; All-American Hall of Fame Induction-2008; All-American, 5 Marks of Distinction-2008; Pacemaker Finalist-2007; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2007; Pacemaker Winner-2006; All-American, 5 Marks of Distinction-2006; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2005; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2004; All-American, 5 Marks of Distinction-2003; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2002; All-American, 5 Marks of Distinction-2001; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-2000; All-American, 4 Marks of Distinction-1999.

The Rocky Mountain Highlighter is published nine times during the school year by the newspaper staff of Rocky Mountain High School/1300 W. Swallow Road/ Fort Collins, CO 80526.

Contact Rocky Mountain Highlighter staff members at 970-4887090 or 970-488-7091 for advertising information. Also the Rocky Mountain Highlighter staff is in Room 528, during 4th period.

people. Therefore, I need social interaction and stimulation to be at my best. Of course, not everyone’s an extrovert like me, but everyone has some way they can get re-energized, and so my point still stands that to operate at his or her highest possible capacity, one needs an outlet or some form of break.

Recently, I’ve felt a lot of pressure in various aspects of my life and often had to just take a step back. This step allows me to clear my head and rejuvenate myself, and so I urge my fellow students to know themselves. Acknowledge when you’re exhausted and do

something about.

Being busy is undoubtedly a good thing, but there’s absolutely no reason to overwork to the point of losing the ability to achieve the quality you’re capable of, whether it be in school, applying to colleges, a job or even an extracurricular activity. I know lots of people who have a hard time allowing themselves a reprieve, so my challenge to everyone is to stop challenging yourself every now and then.

Cam Chorpenning is a senior and the editor-in-chief of the Rocky Mountain Highlighter.

Gold Medalist-2011; Gold Medalist-2010; Silver Crown-2009; Gold Medalist-2009; Silver Medalist-2008; Gold Medalist- 2007; Gold Medalist-2006; Gold Medalist-2005; Silver Crown-2005; Gold Medalist-2004; Silver Crown-2004; Gold Medalist-2003; Silver Crown-2003; Gold Medalist-2002; Gold Medalist-2001; Gold Medalist-2000; Gold Medalist-1999.

CHSPA Newspaper Awards All-Colorado-2012; All-Colorado-2011; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2010; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2009; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2008; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2007; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-2006; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2005; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-2004; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-2003; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2002; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-2001; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-1996; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-1992; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-1991; 2nd place, 5A Sweepstakes-1990; 1st place, 5A Sweepstakes-1987.

Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Critique

The Rocky Mountain Highlighter is a student news publication which strives to report school and community events with truth, accuracy, objectivity, and clarity. The RM Highlighter will also comment on issues of interest to its readers.

The purposes of this publication are to report the news to the Rocky Mountain High School community, to provide the school community with a public forum for thoughtful discussion and debate, and to provide students on the newspaper staff with practical journalism experience.

In order to make the RM Highlighter as professional a publication as possible, important legal and ethical guidelines will be followed. Senate Bill 90-99, enacted by the Colorado General Assembly during the 1990 legislative session, declares that “students of the public schools shall have the right to exercise freedom of speech and the press.” (Colo. Rev. Stat. Sec. 22-1-120) We, the staff of the RM Highlighter, are prohibited by law from publishing certain materials. We will respect these laws. No material which is libelous, encourages illegal acts, or causes material and substantial disruption to school activities will be published. Expressions which are obscene will not be printed. Profanity will not be printed unless it is considered absolutely necessary by the RM Highlighter editorial board to express the views of the writer or quoted person. Expression which is false “as to any person who is not a public figure or involved in a matter of public concern” will not be printed. “Expressions which are in violation of lawful school regulations designed to control gangs” will not be printed.

In the event of a potential controversial item, the editorial board —consisting of all the editors, the advertising manager, and the adviser —will meet to discuss the merits of the item and then decide whether or not to print the item.

Coverage of deaths which occur within the Rocky community will be carefully considered by the editorial board. Natural or accidental deaths will be reported for clarifications of death and will contain a memorial. Except in extreme circumstances, suicides will not be covered to reduce glorification of such acts.

In general, the RM Highlighter observes the guidelines presented in the “Code of Ethics” of the Society of Professional Journalists. The RM Highlighter will not allow source review prior to publication, unless there is a clarification issue.

Source anonymity will be granted only after careful consideration by the editor, with the editor reserving the right to make the final decision.

Staff editorials shall be presented logically and will represent the views of the majority of the staff.

Editorial criticism, of either individuals or groups, will be based on fact and will be constructive.

Guest editorial space, the “Open Forum,” is available to anyone in the Rocky community, including students, parents, faculty, and administrators. Anyone interested in writing in the “Open Forum” should contact the editor-in-chief or the adviser, Stephen Wahlfeldt.

Letters to the editor are welcome. They should be signed, and a home phone number should be included. The writer’s name may be withheld upon request, provided the editor agrees that the reasons for withholding a name are valid and compelling. Try to limit letters to 300 words and place them in one of the “Letters to the Editor” boxes, located in the Media Center and the Main Office, or give them to a RM Highlighter staff member, RM Highlighter adviser Stephen Wahlfeldt, or drop them by the RM Highlighter room, Room 528, during 4th period.

Letters may also be mailed to the Rocky Mountain Highlighter, Rocky Mountain High School, 1300 W. Swallow Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80526. To talk with anyone on the RM Highlighter staff, phone (970) 488-7090.

Columnists express their own views and not necessarily those of the RM Highlighter staff.

No expression made by students of the Rocky Mountain Highlighter shall be considered an expression of school board or Rocky Mountain High School policy. Furthermore, Poudre School District and its employees are immune from any civil or criminal action based on any expression made or published by the students.

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Jostens: Essential meeting or marketing ploy?

Krissed Off at the World Amanda Kriss

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November 9, 2012

Female halloween costumes degrading to women

This year’s annual Halloween celebration brought a bit too much exposure for some individuals.

To quote the movie Mean Girls, “In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it.”

While this may hold true for much of the “Girl World,” this is something I cannot tolerate. With girls coming to school in their costumes, I couldn’t help but be shocked at the promiscuous nature of the outfits. Most were far more akin to lingerie than an innocent Halloween costume; and these girls were wearing them to school.

As we approach the 100 year anniversary of the women’s suffrage movement, these costumes are a far cry from the equality and respect that those women fought for. Is it not our duty to honor those who fought for the right for you to wear that inappropriately short skirt?

Yet millions of dollars are spent each Halloween to perpetuate this vicious system of the degradation and objectification of women. What has happened to the self respect and class that women were once proud to exalt in the face of opposition from those of the opposite sex?

Of course, our modern society has become a place where this sort of blatant objectification is not only encouraged but it starts at an earlier age each year. Young girls are now beginning to don the same dangerously short skirts, thigh high socks, and lingerie as “costumes.” I am sickened by the walls of promiscuous outfits being marketed as children’s costumes and even more so by the message that this sends to young girls. We are telling them that the only way they will be seen as having value is to be sexy and to market themselves as a tool for man’s enjoyment.

How is it that in our culture more young girls know who Kim Kardashian, Snooki, and Paris Hilton are than Susan B. Anthony or Elizabeth Cady Stanton?

I urge my peers to look at the way they are representing women and understand the ramifications of this viciously antifeminine culture they perpetuate.

Amanda Kriss is a senior reporter for the RM Highlighter.

After Jessica Ridgeway’s death, kids should be educated on stranger-danger safety Dear Editor, I don’t know a single person who doesn’t feel horrible about what happened with the Jessica Ridgeway story.

I feel like teens know when something is sketchy and they would most likely know what to do. What about young kids like Jessica though?

They clearly don’t know what to do, and many people have the responsibility to teach young kids. I’m pretty sure most of us teenagers have gone through some presentation in our life. Whether it’s for drugs, internet use, etc. So that’s what I personally think we should do to kids: put a reminder in the back of their heads. Awareness should be raised. Even though it may only stick in their head for a week, it could save a life.

//letter to the editor//

Mckenzie Wilson, freshman

Jostens meeting provides needed information Only one thing is more glorious than being able to get a little bit of extra sleep on a late start day.

That event is none other than the Jostens senior meeting, the official reveal of what invitations, mugs, caps and gowns will look like. Jostens provides seniors with graduation essentials while being the exclusive marketer to seniors.

In return, a percentage of their sales go back to the school.

While many students do not like the idea of waking up

early, and often threaten not to come, they show up anyways.

This is because no one wants to really miss out on that fabled rite of passage: the first senior meeting. Despite being labeled a “sales pitch” it is important to realize that very important information is given out, and honestly, a mass meeting is the best way for it to be distributed.

Seniors do need caps, they need do need gowns, and yes many people are interested in buying mugs, invitations, and those fancy little name cards.

Pro Con



By having an official meeting, the Josten’s representative is able to show all of the senior class how to correctly fill out the forms, inform them exactly what is needed and what isn’t and when payments and orders are due. By presenting this information in a straightforward way, students are undoubtedly saving time down the road.

Sure, coming in early on a one late start might not be fun, but it sure beats not being able to walk at graduation.

Alex Creighton

Man, I’m going to go broke if we have any more of these mandatory meetings.

Jostens: Useless commercialized sales pitch

The first experience with Jostens is sophomore year, as they gather the whole class together and pitch the very expensive tradition of class rings before hundreds of blank stares.

The “Jostens Journey” recently continued for the senior class. This mandatory meeting was held to the dismay of the 400 plus unmotivated seniors at 7:30 in the morning.

This wouldn’t be too much of an issue normally because school starts at that time. The problem: it was late start.

Jostens is the sole provider of graduation essentials like caps and gowns, but also sells class rings, graduation invitations, and other miscellaneous senior memorabilia. The meeting was said to be mandatory, yet the “important” information awaiting seniors was regarding the purchases needed to be made in preparation for graduation, and could have been delivered

in a much less disruptive way.

At points, it seemed as though it was just a way of pedaling unnecessary items to teens with blank checks.

If a senior had an older sibling that has already graduated, they can’t wear their gown because Jostens changes the specific color slightly every year.

This forces a seemingly unnec-

essary purchase.

Jostens has cornered the market, forcing students to spend large amounts of money without any other options.

This leaves them with limited designs, limited pricing, and limited options regarding their own graduations.

“No, you shouldn’t be taken out of school. You need to be able to learn, not be sold stuff.”

“I don’t know if it should be mandatory. I think it should be after school.

//Amanda Kriss, artist

Ed Kennedy

photopoll Do you think that time should be taken out of the school day to go to a mandatory Jostens meeting?

Paris White, freshman

“Yes, because it’s a good idea to get your ring and it’s really informational.”

David Mike, sophomore

Josh Lewis, junior

“It’s good for information, but if they made it after school it would be so much better.”

Justin Shields, senior

“No, I don’t think it’s fair to the students who can’t buy anything. It’s a slap in the face for kids who can’t afford it.”

Jane List, department secretary

sports//highlighter

November 9, 2012 \ \ A6

Quality control

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School district disappointed with track work on French Field

by Issac Effner//reporter

The summer time renovations cost considerable time and money to the school and the district.

The French Field track, among the other renovations, has cost the district approximately $150,000 yet the construction has failed to meet the district standards.

“It’s been six years since we’ve had a new top coat on the track,” project director Jerry Garretson said. “The basement layer of the track was starting to show due to wear and tear and needed some basic renovations.”

The track renovations were undertook by the construction company Dynamic Sport and the work done in the high jump runways and South D area were deemed unsuitable for official use.

“They (Dynamic Sport)

were to reseal and repair sections of the track, specifically for the high jumps and runways,” director of athletics Wayne Moddelmog said. “The job they did was not accepted by the district so they have to re-do it.”

The repair job is set to be done before track season and are being redone on the company’s dime. Track pre-season however, has already started and athletes are going to have to figure away around the one thing they need.

“I haven’t fully paid them and I won’t until the job is fully done,” Garretson said. “Once they are done we still need the striper for the lane lines, triangles and event marks.”

The track is currently closed until the repairs are finished.

“They have started and we were told we can’t use it (the track) for a couple of days,” Moddelmog said. “We’re going to have some nice weather this weekend; they’ll finish it soon.”

Grant Rotman and Ed Kennedy

All torn up: After renovations to the French Field track over the summer, Poudre School District did not approve the final work by Dynamic Sport. Therefore, the company will have to return to redo work before the beginning of the spring season.

Wrestlers start new season

Basketball ready to push expectations

by Morgan Miller//reporter

by Morgan Miller//reporter

Year by year our wrestling team has shown us that improvement takes a lot of work.

Wrestling is obviously not an easy sport and uses a lot of technique. On the mats in uncomfortable positions, you not only have to be flexible but very strong as well.

“Well it’s not as much what we expect to happen, as it is what we want to happen,” senior Danny Clark said.

The team worked all summer to push themselves farther than last year and the year previous and their initiative towards what they want can be described as unbelievable.

“I wouldn’t call it a team, I’d call it a brotherhood instead,” senior Tony Martinez said.

The wrestlers do a lot for

Highlighter Archives

Intense Action: Senior Michael Fanning ready to take on the new season in wrestling. They hope that pre-season workouts will improve performance.

each other and are very motivated.

The team faces a challenge of losing some of the state winners in previous seasons, including alum Jeremy Luna, who won first at state in the 2009-2010 season. Most recently trying to

fill the shoes of Derick Padilla, who won first place last season in the regional championships.

They want, and expect nothing but the finest, and the seniors this year want the legacy of the team’s previous greatness to live on.

This year it seems as though the winter season is approaching a lot faster than it did last year.

Boys’ basketball is a very popular sport and a lot of, not only students, but parents and teachers come to watch our favored basketball team play hard.

“Well we’re always aspiring towards a conference championship,” senior Clay Lyell said.

Last year the basketball team won 15 out of 24 games with a .652 winning percentage.

“We have really high intentions to go in and finish in the top three in conference this year,” senior Michael Dermody said Dermody has been a varsity basketball player since his freshman year and now as a senior has very high expectations for not only for the team, but for himself as well.

With coach Jon Rakiecki by

their side once again this year the team is pumped up and ready to beat cross town rivals and push themselves past their own goals.

Highlighter Archives

Gearing up: Senior Daniel Hunter walks the ball back in a game last year. Hunter as well as the other seniors want to push past goals and expectations for the next season.

Sink or swim: Senior McKenna Basham swims in a meet last year.

She performs the butterfly stroke on the way to the finish.

Highlighter Archives

Swimmer set for season

by Morgan Miller//reporter

Usually a fairly large team, the girls’ swim team is getting prepared for this upcoming season.

There are a lot of very talented girls on the team this year including senior Adele Waits who explained “ur goals for the season are to not only improve as indi-

viduals but improve as a team.”

Meets will be strenuous, as always, but they will most definitely be worth the hard work and dedication that the girls put into their sport.

Swimming is a passion for these girls, they know they will try their hardest and Rocky will be proud.

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November 9, 2012

Football finish

Team learns from a challenging one-win season

by Lauren Binder//sports editor

Lauren Binder

Night lights: Junior Luis Perez and seniors, Anthony Judish, Ed Kennedy, and Daniel Hunter walk on to the field before the game as captains, for the coin toss against Brighton. The game ended with a close loss of 28-18.

This football season was by no means perfect.

Far from it.

Being able to keep a winning attitude from a one-win record, however, takes some perseverance. The senior athletes on the team will still be leaving their legacy behind.

“I’m not trying to fool anybody’s eyes that there was a disappointment this season as far as record goes, we all have felt that,” head coach Mark Brook said. “But there are a lot of positives that came from it. It is a lot easier to say that, than to feel that it is true.”

After the double over-time loss of 43-36 between Doherty High School this past weekend most of the seniors took off their helmets for the last time. The seniors, in a way, are passing the ball over to the younger starters.

They will be are taking the positives that the seniors had shown them, into the next season.

“Their leadership, it really taught me a bunch of stuff on

how to be a leader and how to do things correctly and in the right way,” freshman Sean Miller said. “Because even though throughout all of the losses they still went out every game and fought their hardest.”

An athletes work ethic may be determined by how they compete on the field but also how hard they work off the field.

“When I think of the offseason training, the seniors did a phenomenal job leading the underclassmen with the workouts,” Brook said. “There is a group of like 10 of them [underclassmen] that rarely missed workouts so that’s going to be a huge part of the shoes that they are going to have to fill.”

The seniors had found their niche through their relationships with one another as well.

“They truly have come a long way and they have overcome a lot of adversity, and through all of it, they have stayed together which the coolest part,” Brook said. “It speaks to who they are as people and young men.”

Doner places first in regionals

by Lukas Short//reporter

Two hundred meters.

That was the distance that would decide freshman Kacey Doner’s placement in the Region four cross country championships in Loveland.

To add to the drama of the situation, the girls’ race favorite Heather Holt of Collins, was Doner’s challenger down the stretch.

“We were together until the last 200 meters,” Doner said.

“Then I started kicking harder.”

And that kick was the difference as Doner won the girls 5K race in 19:42, five seconds ahead of Holt.

Doner said she was hoping for a top 10 finish at the regional meet, Her finish helped the girls team to fourth overall place at the 12-team regional meet behind Collins, Loveland and Fossil.

“I was excited at the end and happy when the whole team made it (to state),” Doner said.

The boys’ team also qualified for the state meet, finishing fifth in the region behind Collins, Fossil, Poudre and Loveland.

Junior David Messerli was the Lobos’ top finisher with a third place showing at 17:15.

Although Doner and the rest of the team went into the state meet in Colorado Springs, the

Cast//

from page A8 journalism broadcasting field as a college disc jockey and eventual

radio station manager in western Massachusetts back in the 1980s.

“We used to play rhythm and blues, and rock music. I had a great following of people,” Kevin Gamble said. “It was literally one of the most fun things, one of the most entertaining things, that I’ve ever done.

Since that time, I still have a love for music and broadcasting.”

Kevin Gamble and Kevin Westhuis both have the mutual agreement that kids should be a part of this broadcasting opportunity at games.

“It would be great if kids could help produce some of these live broadcasts,” Kevin Westhuis said.

“During the game you’re changing score, changing cameras, so right there you would have camera work, and electronic setup experience.”

“I think that it should absolutely be a partnership it is a great opportunity for people like yourself [high school student] to get involved. I think it is a great way to receive an internship in business if it is a career that you are interested in pursuing,”

Kevin Gamble said. “I mean, wow we are right there, on campus, with something that I think a lot of kids would love to do.”

Both feel that the students should be taking advantage of it, like most parents and distant relatives are doing right now. Last year, the live broadcasts were watched by 100-200 viewers, but over this past year, viewer intake has increased significantly. Now, Kevin Westhuis estimates that 1000-1500 people are watching per game.

He also states that more than half of those watching are not from around Fort Collins, but from about 25 different states and six different countries.

“When the community is under adverse conditions or just has really cold weather or what have you, you might avoid going to an event, so with these live broadcasts, you are accommodated in that you don’t have to leave your home you can catch the broadcast live or on tape delay so it really helps with that perspective as well,” Kevin Gamble said.

“It’s really not a new concept; it’s a new concept revisited with new technology,” Kevin Westhuis said.

results for the Lobos over the difficult Norris-Penrose Event Center course were not as impressive.

Doner placed 91st out of 189 runners at state in a time of 21:18. Teammate and senior Kelsey Alexander was 41st in 20:45. Overall, the girls’ team was 19th out of 25 teams.

The boys team finished 24th overall at state and Messerli was the team’s top placer in 49th in 17:48.

The Lobos’ strong stretch run to the season, though, has Doner and the young team looking forward to next year.

“I did pretty good for my first year, but I could have done better,” Donor said.

Running ahead of the game: Freshman Kacey Doner (left) runs in the Fort Collins invite in the middle of the season. She ended up with a first place medal at the regional meet and finished 91st at the state meet..

Megan Shaw

\\ sports rm highlighter

EDsclusive

Ed Kennedy

Student \\ traditions It’s the last time.

Senior year is chalk full of lasts. Last homecoming, last holidays at home with your family, last prom, the last year. But for athletes, there are a few more lasts. Lasts that trigger a more emotional kind of pain.

It builds up after all the hard work, the dedication, the passion. The endless off-season workouts, camps and sacrifice.

There will come a time during your senior year, as an athlete, that you will experience your last game, match, or tournament. You will play for the last time with your friends and teammates that you have been playing with for your whole life.

The end of a sports career is not like the rest of senior year.

We’re teenagers and we love becoming more independent and we love that change. Sports don’t work that way, you only become more passionate. Sports are something you do outside of school, away from home, because you love them.

It takes a very special person to be able to kneel down and strap on those shoes or cleats after a hard day at school, and go out and work so hard to be able to compete. To go above and beyond what is expected of a normal high school student.

School gets out at 2:50, as an athlete you limp in your front door past six.

Your senior year, it is the pinnacle of your high school career.

It’s your time to shine on the field or on the court.

You become the leader, the one that the underclassmen look to set the standard. It becomes time to leave your legacy.

Suddenly, it’s Senior night. A tradition you’ve seen time and time again, but now it’s about you. Once you get there it’s so surreal, like a dream. Now all of the cliches are true, all of the “it goes by too fast” and “seriously work hard and enjoy every moment” become your own words.

You walk away from the court or field for the last team, tears in your eyes. Looking around, you absorb the feeling for the last time as you kneel and let the lights shut off around you.

It’s this moment where a new chapter starts in the lives of most athletes; while for others this is the beginning of new athletic achievements at the next level.

It is, for all athletes, the first taste of grieving they will experience on the long emotional roller coaster that is senior year.

As the first seasons of high school sports come to a close, the class of 2013 is reminded that this is the end, so you better buckle up.

Ed Kennedy is a senior reporter for the RM Highlighter and an offensive lineman on the football team.

November 9, 2012

//A8//

Peel wins school’s first state all-around title

by Lauren Binder//sports editor

Keri Peel stared down state gymnastic giant Clair Hammen from Loveland, and did not blink.

The next thing Peel knew, she was on the top step of the podium on Nov. 2 at Thornton High School as the state 5A allaround title winner.

“It was pretty amazing. There were a bunch of newspaper photographers and all my family and all my friends were there so it just felt really cool,” Peel said Peel totaled 38.925 in the all-around to top teammate Lauren Glover’s 38.75.

(Glover attends Fossil Ridge but competes for Lobos because the Saber Cats do not have a team.) Hammen, the defending state all-around champion, was third at 38.375.

A year ago, Hammen won the allaround medal by sweeping all four events: vault, uneven bars, floor exercise and beam.

This year, no single gymnast dominated the individual events. Peel secured her all-around victory by winning the uneven bars (9.85), placing second on the beam (9.725), and fifth on floor (9.65) and vault (9.7).

“Going into that meet, we had high scores as a toMegan Troutman tal team, like the previous score was a 180 and we beat that by a full two points, which is a lot, so our team did Fantastic Gymnastics : Senior Keri Peel prereally well, and I’m really proud of them,” pares herself for the beam (top right) in which Peel said. she placed second at the all around state meet.

Glover’s all-around score came on the Peel performs her double bar routine (top left) strength of second place finishes in the vault (9.775) and the floor (9.8), a fourth the Lobos to a fifth place finish as a team on the uneven bars (9.65) and a fifth on the at 182.45. State power Broomfield High beam (9.55).

School won the team title with a 186.85 The effort by Peel and Glover pushed total.

Broadcast efforts send Lobos

Makin’ the calls: Kevin Westhuis (left) and Kevin Gamble (right) live announce and broadcast at the game against Collins. This new live stream started a year ago as a way to “give back” to the community.

’Round

the World

Lauren Binder

Rocky parents put teams on Internet

by Lauren Binder//sports editor

Somewhere across the country, a distant relative of a football player sits in front of the computer screen to watch their nephew play—bringing them that much closer to being able to sit in the stands.

This is something that they were not able to do two years ago, before Rocky parent of 2011 graduate Kyle Westhuis, Kevin Westhuis, decided to start live broadcasting of football, soccer, girls’ and boys’ basketball and baseball games for the Fort Collins community.

Kevin gives up his time and equipment to give back to the community and broadcast all four high school football games and other events dur-

//sports special//

ing the year, for free.

He claims that if money were involved, that average cost per game would be about $300. Kevin has broadcasted what he estimates about 150 games in the last two years, so the money would be adding up to about $45,000. That money would be funded that sponsors, that Kevin confesses, he would get if he had the ambition.

“People always ask me why I do this,” Kevin said. “My answer is always the question, ‘Why do you go to the games?’ and the answer is because it’s kind of fun; I enjoy doing it and I enjoy giving back.”

The broadcasting is part of the country-wide broadcast website highschoolcube.com. Kevin receives volunteer help from David Haase and Kevin Gamble, parents of seniors

Jake Haase and Grant Gamble.

“I love working with youth. I was a coach for several years so this is kind of a natural progression from my coaching days now that my kids are all grown up,” Kevin Gamble said. “I like giving back to the community. I think that volunteering is very important.

I think that it is all about finding what you love and are passionate about and this just happens to be my sweet spot.”

Kevin Gamble has had hands- on experience in the

//Jump to cast,

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Grant’s Rant

Grant Rotman

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Four years too fast

Each class can seem like an eternity, and some weeks we feel like they may never end; but with graduation just around the corner I can’t help but feel like the last four years have gone by in a snap.

Do I believe it’s a good thing or bad thing? I couldn’t tell you, it’s just a thing, another fact of life. It shows me that I had an enjoyable high school career, and like any other engagement, if you stay busy and have fun it will go by much faster. Nobody, especially teenagers, ever wish for a long day-- it’s our human nature to seek what is fast paced and exciting.

However, our blur of four years here also saddens me because once we leave we will never be the same, and the real world will become very tangible.

We’ve all found our place here and forged friendships, we are familiar to the halls of Rocky and can’t help but feel a sense of comfort. Even though it’s been a short experience, it’s been packed with memories, and rich with experiences that I, myself, will struggle to walk away from.

There are few things I regret doing, but many more I regret not doing. I remember my eighth grade year, before setting foot in Rocky as student, when two seniors came to my junior high to speak to us about what high school had to offer. One of the seniors put great emphasis on the clubs and how great they could be, and the importance of making new friends and staying involved.

I never took his advice, and participated little in the many clubs we have here. Why? Because I have found my place with the friends I have today and I didn’t feel the need to further spread my roots in other areas of our school community. It wasn’t until my junior and senior years when I discovered the benefits of new experiences and new friends; it slowed down my time here, and helped me gain more from high school.

I couldn’t have chosen a better group of friends to spend my high school years with, I love them like brothers and sisters, but it’s also important to me that I didn’t restrict myself to just one group for all my four years here.

Although it wasn’t until my junior and senior years when I decided one can never meet enough people, it eventually dawned on me and just in time to save my time here.

I advice you to dig in your heels and savor what you can from high school. Use the small joys in life to elongate your time here, because once you leave the real world is going to sweep you off your feet and it will never be the same.

Grant Rotman is a senior and a reporter for the RM Highlighter.

November 9, 2012

O H B A B Y

Grant Rotman

Taking a moment: Above, senior Josh Rogers and his 9 month old daughter, Jocelyn Rogers, look out at the courtyard. Inset left, Family and Consumer Science teacher Denise Lawrence gathers baby simulators. The simulators are an optional student project in the Child and Adolescent Development class that she teaches.

Rogers harmonizes school, football with fatherhood

by Cam Chorpenning//editor-in-chief Amanda Kriss

Simulator infants provide reality check

by Isaac Effner//reporter

It’s late at night and the baby is either crying inconsolably, demanding food, a diaper change or maybe it’s just fussy.

“The babies let kids see the reality of how difficult, time consuming and exhausting caring for a newborn infant is,” Family and Consumer Science teacher Denise Lawrence said.

Infant simulators are an optional project in the Child and Adolescent Development class that give students the opportunity to see what life is like with a

All teenagers have plenty of troubles that worry them throughout their day and dominate their thoughts- add a girlfriend and a baby to that and you’ve got a truly consuming day.

Senior Josh Rogers has a similar schedule to many students: each day he wakes up, gets dressed, attends school and then heads to football practice.

However, after this, his routine differs greatly.

After a normal day, Rogers then leaves football practice and picks up his 9 month old daughter, Jocelyn Rogers, from his girlfriend, Ariyanna Garcia’s, house to spend time with her and care for her throughout the night.

//features special//

//Jump to Babies,

on B2

“ Josh Rogers, senior

thing works out in the end, that way I can have my little fam. and we can be together

As a result of the strain that having a child has put on Josh’s life, he has decided to graduate a semester early. However, to do this, he has to fulfill the responsibilities of a full four period schedule.

//Jump to Rogers,

Students embrace ancestral heritage

by Megan Troutman//limelight editor

For years, settlers tried to strip Native Americans of their culture in order to blend the United States together under the same belief system.

Native Americans are now admired for their unique cultural traditions in society, and November is Native American Heritage month, yet most people have a limited knowledge of the different tribes in the region as well as the beliefs they bring.

on B2

on B2

Ancestral apparel: Senior Tecumseh Kekahbah poses in the traditional clothing of his Native American tribe, carrying a war club and shield. Kekahbah is a member of the Kaw tribe and has participated in several traditional Kaw ceremonies.

Several students come from different tribal backgrounds that people are generally not aware of.

Junior Osue IronCloud is from the Oglala Lakota Sioux tribe, native to South Dakota on the Pine Ridge reservation-- the eighth largest Native American reservation in the United States.

“There’s not much to do on the reservation. It’s really spread

//Jump to Native,

I hope every-

Courtesy of Tecumseh Kekahbah

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November 9, 2012 \ \ B2

Babies//

from page B1 young baby.

“They give out the babies to teach teenagers what it would be like to have a baby,” junior Tia Clarke said. “It was weird putting myself in a mindset of taking care of a baby while doing all my own things.”

The infant simulators used in the class are programmed to follow care patterns that effectively simulate actual behaviors of infants.

“They follow cry and care patterns,” Lawrence said.

“Students have to determine whether a baby is just being fussy, needs to be held or rocked, if the baby needs to be fed or if their diaper needs to be changed.”

Courtesy of Denise Lawrence

Baby belly: Junior Josh Glenn wears a maternity belly to simulate what it would feel like to be pregnant.

These simulators are intended to show teenagers the actual trials and tribulations of rearing

a child and to raise awareness of teen pregnancy and contraception.

“The babies teach kids to be responsible with sexual health and contraception because if you are not practicing any form of contraception there is a 85 to 90 percent chance of pregnancy,” Lawrence said. “Also it is somewhat of a sociological experiment.”

Such infant simulators also give students a way to see how society views teen pregnancy. In many cases, the way that people react to girls taking care of the fake babies compared to boys is completely different.

“People weren’t used to seeing a man with a baby and people were saying ‘good job’ and ‘way to go,’” junior Josh Glenn said. “When I went to

“

As a

teen mom you get a lot of negative comments and dirty looks. I have girls who are called slut, tramp, whore and a lot of other really derogatory insults.

Denise Lawrence, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher

the movies people kept on telling me how cute the baby was.”

From 10 years of running this experiment Lawrence has noticed that for the most part male students receive copious

rm

praise while females received a far different treatment.

“As a teen mom you get a lot of negative comments and dirty looks,” Lawrence said. “I have girls who are called slut, tramp, whore and a lot of other really derogatory insults.”

Regardless of gender, most students reach the same consensus about the simulators by the end of the project.

“No matter what your outlook is, it’s really challenging,” Glenn said. “Most people have taken care of kids before, but only for a few hours at a time, and with these, you get sleep deprivation.”

Clark added, “When people first get a baby they’re really excited, but by the end of the weekend they’re really happy to get rid of them.”

Rogers// from page B1

As well as his role as a father and already busy life, Josh is also a member of the football team. In learning how to adjust to teenage life and being a father, Josh’s counselor, Greg Knoll, has been influential in helping him balance school other responsibilities.

“Most students without commitments should take advantage of the full year,” Knoll said. “But with Josh, we had to compromise since he is taking care of family responsibilities as well.”

Josh’s hopes for the future are to marry his girlfriend and then join the National Guard, as well as find another part time job to support his family.

“I hope everything works out in the end, that way I can have my little fam. and we can be together,” Josh said.

Although Josh seems to have found a balance in his life, things were not always so. Throughout this process he has endured some tough situations while coming to terms with how his life has ► Josh changed.

Rogers At the time when Jocelyn was conceived, Garcia and Josh had been dating for about two months. However, Garcia was five months pregnant before she told Josh about the pregnancy last summer.

Native//

from page B1 out and poor,” IronCloud said.

“As a kid, I lived there for a few years and from what I can remember there was a cluster of houses and then a plain.”

The Oglala Lakota Sioux culture has not changed in some aspects, but it has modernized over the years.

“As far as modernization goes, it has changed a lot,” IronCloud said. “I mean, you don’t see actual Indians running around in loincloths anymore.”

In addition to IronCloud, senior Tecumseh Kekahbah is a member of two tribes. He is registered as a Kaw under the government, but is also part Potawatomi. The Kaw have also modernized and changed over the past few years.

“Within the past five years the only thing that’s really changed is that we’re starting to lose some of our culture,” Kekahbah said. “We try and keep things as traditional as we can

Exploring options: Senior Josh Rogers interacts with his counselor, Greg Knoll, while his daughter Jocelyn sits on his lap. In addition to his responsibilities as a father, Josh is taking a full four period course load so that he can graduate after first semester. After high school, Josh plans to join the military and get married to his girlfriend, Ariyanna Garcia.

Grant Rotman

“At first I was a little bit shocked and worried about how things would play out in the future and how things were going to go,” Josh said.

What many teenagers would fear most when facing a similar predicament is the moment when they must tell their parents about the situation and discuss what they are going to do.

“My mom prayed really hard and my dad was extremely mad about the whole

so that we don’t lose everything that we used to know. The older people, the wise ones, have all this knowledge. So as they start to die out, some of the younger generations don’t really care as much.”

Kekahbah is lucky though, his uncle is the Medicine Man for his tribe, so he understands the belief system and culture better than others in his tribe.

“If there’s someone in the tribe that needs guidance, or help with a personal problem or something they’re upset about, he gives them higher wisdom and knowledge,” Kekahbah said.

“He also has herbal remedies and performs other traditional ceremonies. He’s the one that knows everything about our tribe.”

One unique ceremony the Kaw tribe does is called the Peyote ceremony.

“Peyote is basically a cactus native to Central America,” Kekahbah said. “When you eat the reproductive flower from

“

thing,” Josh said. “My dad, he just didn’t talk to me for a few days after the news, and then for a few months he would just talk to me about small things like football.”

Although Josh is young, the love he shows for Jocelyn is no different from that of any other father. The pride that Josh has for his “little girl” shows through each time someone stops to admire the 9-month-old girl with a shockingly full head of hair.

Jocelyn never hesitates to brighten some-

It changed

my whole outlook on life and redistributed the values I had for material objects and people.

Tecumseh Kekahbah, senior

this cactus, it induces this sort of mystical and spiritual journey. It has similar components to magic mushrooms. Basically, once you eat this magical cactus, it will take you to a spiritual world where you will be able to come back from that different dimension with knowledge that you did not have before.”

The Medicine Man is highly experienced in this other dimension, so he guides people to get what they want. Kekahbah participated in this cultural ceremony once and described it as “life changing.”

“It changed my whole out-

one’s day.

“She is the smiliest baby,” counseling staff member Leah Kapral said, while making faces to entertain Jocelyn.

Josh finds plentiful joy in being a father and seems to believe in the prospects of a bright future, as long as it’s shared with his daughter and soon-to-be-wife.

“I just see how things go day-by-day and play it out day-by-day,” Josh said. “I just want to be another average joe.”

look on life and redistributed the values I had for material objects and people,” Kekahbah said.

“So now instead of placing my value on the objects or materials that somebody has, I value them more for the talents they have and what they can do. It changes your perspective immensely.”

Another student, senior Joe Miotke, has ties to the Nez Perce tribe through his dad’s side of the family. Nez Perce is the French word for Nimipu, which means “the people.”

“I’m not actually a registered member of my tribe like Tecumseh, who is,” Miotke said.

“My Grandpa was a registered member of my tribe.”

The Nez Perce have slightly different cultural beliefs than the Oglala Lakota Sioux and the Kaw. They believe that everything is connected to the universe.

“Our belief that we are interconnected to everything and everything is interconnected to us,” Miotke said. “In general,

you have a responsibility when you come onto this earth to contribute something to the tribe, to your people and humans, as well as respecting the animals that live on earth. There are different energies that exist, and we vibrate on those frequencies.”

Unlike Kekahbah and IronCloud, Miotke has not had the chance to participate in any cultural ceremonies or visit his reservation.

“My Grandpa was the only way I was going to get into my reservation, but then he moved to Chicago and eventually to Colorado,” Miotke said. “It’s somewhat common for Native Americans [not to visit their reservations].”

Although there are many differences between the various Native American tribes, they are bound together by a universal history. Miotke, Kekahbah and IronCloud all recognize and appreciate the unique culture of their heritage and are proud to be a part of this legacy.

rm

highlighter\\features

November 9, 2012

//B3

New club rocks out Lobo Kids Rock amplifies students’ musical experience

“

by Cam Chorpenning//editor-in-chief

At some point in one’s life nearly everybody has fantasized about being a rock star.

And while fame and fortune may not be part of the deal, the Lobo Kids Rock club offers students a unique opportunity to play popular music with their peers.

This club has its roots in the New Jersey-based nonprofit Little Kids Rock, an organization that provides public schools with musical instruments so that students can have a hands-on experience with musical education. Little Kids Rock joined with the Bohemian Foundation to gather funds for schools in the district to purchase instruments, and thus the club was born.

“Elementary, middle-- and we’re the only high school that does it-- got grants to get instruments for any students who wanted to meet and join a group who learns how to play that instrument and how to play as a band,” counselor and club sponsor Mark ► Jack Reedy said.

Schultheiss The school received funds to purchase a variety of instruments including acoustic and electric guitars, bass guitars, drum kits and keyboards.

Students are encour-

I’m

more or less the leader, although I don’t approach it that way.

I’d rather the students direct were it goes, that’s kind of our philosophy.

Mark Reedy, club sponsor and counselor

//club feature//

aged to come to the club even if they’ve never picked up an instrument; all that’s required is a desire to learn and an excitement for music.

“There are students who play their instruments on all different levels,” Reedy said. “So for right now the short-term goal is just for people to enjoy learning the instrument and learning to play with other people in that capacity.”

Although the club is schoolsponsored, Reedy doesn’t necessarily view himself as its head, but rather as a facilitator and teacher.

“I’m more or less the leader, although I don’t approach it

Q \\ A

A:

Counselor Pam Kilness (left) and teacher Joan Ruberry (right) talk about Adopt-a-Family and its importance to the community.

Q: A:

that way,” Reedy said. “I’d rather the students direct where it goes, that’s kind of our philosophy.”

At one of the club’s meetings, for instance, a group of students essentially wrote a song within an hour that included parts for two guitars, a bass guitar, drums and even lyrics. By collaborating and pooling their creative energies, the club’s members have the ability to write structured songs or just have a loose, free-form jam session.

“At one of the meetings I was at we pulled up the Beatles’ ‘Let it Be,’ and we looked up the

chords to that and kind of structured a little bit of a jam session around the structure of that song,” senior and club member Nate Bethke said.

“I think the long-term goal is for us to be more or less a band,” added Reedy.

The club has already shown great potential to become a powerful artistic group within the school, and Reedy hopes to make a significant impact on all those who participate.

“I know a lot of students want to play guitar or learn an instrument that’s not part of our

Q:

Tis the season for giving

Cam Chorpenning

Studying the strings: (Above) Junior Nate Dotson works on a chord progression at the Lobo Kids Rock club. (Inset left) Junior Jack Schultheiss sings. The club meets every Wednesday after school in room 221 and is open to any students with a desire to learn how to play an instrument, regardless of experience.

Why do you think students and teachers are so motivated to contribute?

Ruberry: I think it’s personal because they get an actual family. Even though it’s anonymous, they still have a connection to that family. The people who fill out the forms and everything, they fill out specific things that they need, so it becomes personal.

Emily Anderson

What is the pur- pose of adopt-a family?

Kilness: We try to reach about 75

to 80 families a year, providing them with their basic needs. It was started by a student over 17 years ago, so the purpose is just to provide for them and get the whole school focused on one project. Just about everybody gets involved in some way.

Q:

A:

What is it like when families receive their gifts?

Ruberry: It’s really emotional. Some of the families cry because they don’t realize how many

orchestra or band, so for me to kind of help them do that and be part of that, that’s why I’m involved,” Reedy said. “I just love playing the guitar, especially with other people, and I think some of that rubs off on the kids and they get excited and that’s what they want to do.

For them it’s expression, artistic expression, and that’s kind of an avenue for them to do that.”

The Lobo Kids Rock club is open to all students, regardless of musical ability, and meets in room 221 after school on Wednesdays.

things they are going to get. They are very thankful, but it’s a really emotionally exhausting day.

Q:

A:

What does this mean to Rocky as a community?

Ruberry: We’ve had staff members go to other schools and start the same program in their schools just like ours, and we’ve had kids graduate and then come back and adopt a family sometimes. A wide variety of people get involved; it crosses every race and kind of subgroup and club. We’ve got kids who have got involved in nothing else who will come and volunteer that day. Some Spanish speaking students volunteer to interpret.

It’s the one thing at Rocky that everybody gets involved in. They get connected somehow, even though they don’t know these people.

Kilness: We have retired teachers who give us

money every year, just as a legacy. Kids love it because they’re in their own little homeroom with their own little family. They feel like it’s their family. You’ll hear them say in the hall “I have a four year old and a six year old.”

Compiled by Emily Anderson

rmhighlighter\\center spread

B4 \\ November 9, 2012

November 9, 2012

//B5

Cracking down on fake identification in Fort Collins

An underage desire to

by Megan Shaw//center editor

There are too many to count.

Between the nightlife in old town Fort Collins and elsewhere around town, police have confiscated countless fake identification from people under 21 attempting to get into bars and nightclubs. On average, the police collect approximately 100 fake I.D.s a month, according to Student Resource Officer Matt Johnson. At the police substation in old town, they have a bag full of several hundreds of fake I.D.s that were collected over a six month period in 2011.

Many people underage attempt to enter clubs and bars with fake identification,

while others use real I.D.s that may just look similar to them.

Although this may be a fairly regular occurrence around Fort Collins, police are cracking down on the case.

According to Officer Dan Calahan of District One police department in old town, many of the I.D.s they confiscate are initially taken by security guards outside the bars that think a piece of identification looks fake.

The employees and security at bars tend to have a lot of training in spotting fake identification and are very dilligent in doing so because it can be detrimental to their business. However, fakes are not always spottable.

“We expect the bar to put out a reasonable effort to catch people with fake I.D.s,” Johnson said. “But if it’s an I.D. of good enough quality, we wouldn’t hold the bar accountable for that.”

The security guard or employee will fill out a statement form, the suspicious I.D.s are then sent to police, who follow through by calling the cardholder to come to the substation and charging them for possession of a fake I.D. card and an attempt to obtain alcohol by misrepresentation of age.

“They may lose their license depending on their age, or they may just receive fines [misdemeanor charges],” Calahan said. “If they are a student at CSU, the school gets involved as well and they may receive additional penalties.”

Megan Shaw

Money wasted: District One police department has several hundred fake I.D.s in posession at were collected from around town. Most of the owners of these I.D.s only had them confiscated and were not charged.

On top of receiving fake I.D.s from the employees at bars and clubs, police will sometimes try to spot the use of fake identification themselves.

“Sometimes we do particular stings where we go out and watch certain liquor stores or bars, places that we know are hotspots for that sort of activity and we try to contact them [people with fake I.D.s],” Calahan said.

“I run into them all the time downtown.”

For the establishments that sell the alcohol, distributing it to people under the age of 21 can be extremely dangerous for the business.

Police in Fort Collins often do compliancy checks, where they send underage people into every liquor-licensed establishment in the city in an attempt to purchase alcohol and ensure businesses don’t sell it to them. If they do, it can result in thousands of dollars worth of fines and possibly even a revoking of their liquor license. The underaged

people attempting to buy the alcohol cannot lie about their age and, if requested, must provide the clerk with their actual I.D. Linda Martin, an employee at Rams Liquor had once sold tobacco to someone underage who was involved in a similar compliancy check.

“It was just a bad day, deliveries were coming in like crazy, and a young girl came in and asked for a can of chew. All I thought was, ‘what does that pretty little thing want with that crap?’” Martin said. “I sold it to her, and boom here they [police] came, and I paid 200 dollars.”

There is no law stating that establishments must check identification for everyone who purchases alcohol or tobacco, but there is a law that makes it illegal to serve or sell to people underage. As a way of preventing this, most establishments either card every customer, or have rules in place that it is necessary to card anyone who looks to be under the age of 30 or 35.

Although underage drinking and purchasing of alcohol is against the law, there is more importance to keeping it from happening than just legalities. “The reason we have laws for how old you have to be to consume alcohol isn’t to give police something to do, because frankly, we already have plenty to do,” Johnson said. “The real reason is that alcohol doesn’t help people make good decisions.” According to Johnson, the state says that the maturity level at age 21 is high enough to make good choices with alcohol, which may not always be the case, but “the less mature you are, the more likely you are to make bad choices.

“People die from it.”

Age limit on alcohol: Good intentions, interesting results

by Aaron Yu//reporter

In Fort Collins, beer isn’t simply a beverage; it’s part of an elaborate culture.

Drawn by factors such as the high quality water, alcohol producing companies flock for a spot in the cluster of beer. In Fort Collins alone, there are seven breweries. Colorado as a whole has the highest alcoholic beverage output of any state in the United States.

With events such as FORToberfest, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of beer and have a good time; provided you’re over age 21.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), 39% of high school students in 2011 consumed some sort of alcohol within a thirty day period. 39% is quite a large portion of the high school population; it raises the question as to why so many people are drinking before age 21.

“If you want to get hammered, there’s a lot quicker ways than [drinking alcohol],” Videography and language arts teacher Ron Clark said.

It would seem the main objective of teen drinking is not to become intoxicated, but to use beer as a social tool and a form of rebellion. Underage drinking is glorified by the media as a must-have element of a house party and required to have a good time.

Society values alcohol; drinking might mean acceptance by your peers or laud one’s courage in breaking the law in the name of fun. Hearing about a classmate who drank to the point of being belligerently drunk is not surprising to hear, it’s almost normal and not dwelt upon.

With the acceptance of underage drinking in society, it’s easy to forget that the legal age to drink alcoholic beverages is 21.

“The reason that the 21 law is in effect is not because a person is physiologically unable to process alcohol [below 21],” School Resource Officer Matt Johnson said. “It’s because a person hasn’t developed their judgement and thought processes as thoroughly as age 21.”

According to drugfree.org, the human brain isn’t fully developed until age 25. The last thing to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which serves as the judgement center of the brain; coincidentally, the first thing that alcohol affects once consumed is judgement. While the 21 law is in place to help along healthy development of the brain, it may be another factor that assists society in valuing underage drinking.

If an underage person truly wants alcohol, he or she will find some way to get it. Whether it’s from parents, of-age friends, liquor stores that don’t check I.D. or any number of methods of obtaining beer, they will find and use it. “[The law] isn’t enforced in a way that deters anyone,” Clark said. “It just makes it harder for them to get it.”

This factors into the idea of teen rebellion. To a tee, rebellion is regarded as worthy of praise; it’s also “cool” to be considered the “go-to guy” for something illegal.

A sort of status comes attached to the ability to have alcohol readily available.

In a way, the 21 law could possibly be ineffective in preventing underage drinking and even adding to the problem.

“Best case scenario, someone is so respectful of the law yet so interested in alcohol that they deny themselves all the way up until the night before their 21st birthday,” Clark said.

“Then on their 21st birthday, they’re so excited; they can’t stand it so they grab a bunch of friends, go somewhere, Graphic design courtesy of Amanda Kriss

and drink themselves crazy. . . I think the law’s trying to control the problem, but it’s doing the exact opposite.”

This is a very rare occurrence in today’s society; one either drinks before age 21, or finds little to no interest in alcohol at all after turning 21.

Other countries have proven that allowing teens access to alcohol isn’t necessarily catastrophic; in fact, it’s nearly beneficial to them.

“In Europe, [drinking alcohol] is not such a taboo thing. There are 16, 17, 18 year old kids that are allowed to drink, but because they’re allowed it, they don’t abuse it,” German teacher Jennifer Roper said.

“Here, if kids want to go party, it’s overdone because it’s not allowed.

It’s entirely possible that teens are simply not given enough time to adjust to alcohol which leads to such excessive drinking and intoxication.

Before 1987, it was legal in Colorado to drink alcoholic beverages at the ages of 18 as long as the alcohol content was 3.2% or below. It gave teens an opportunity to learn to drink in moderation before moving on to hard liquor at age 21. However, underage drinking of hard liquor was still sought after. The fact that many people didn’t mind the age change in 1987 supports the notion that it wasn’t significant enough for them to care. Drinking hard liquor underage went on as it always did, independent of the law.

Underage drinking has occurred in the past, it occurs now, and will continue to occur in the future. It is a continual question as to why society values alcohol so much; why it is accepted as a stable social tool. People will drink before age 21 regardless of the damage because it is rooted in our surroundings. Whether it is to earn the approval of one’s peers or as an act of rebellion to seem cool, it is valued by individuals around them.

With so much exposure to alcohol and pressure to drink, students more than ever need to stop and think about how their choices will affect them now and in the future.

“You really don’t have a long term perspective of your life,” Johnson says. “Slow down a minute and think about the next twenty years of your life, rather than the next couple.”

35%

65%

of students do not feel social pressure to drink alcohol underage.

45% of students have participated in underage alcohol consumption other than with their families.

Graphic design courtesy of Amanda Kriss

of students own fake identification or know somebody who does.

27%

of students purchase their alcohol from friends over 21 years old.

294 students surveyed

rmhighlighter\\center spread

B4 \\ November 9, 2012

November 9, 2012

//B5

Cracking down on fake identification in Fort Collins

An underage desire to

by Megan Shaw//center editor

There are too many to count.

Between the nightlife in old town Fort Collins and elsewhere around town, police have confiscated countless fake identification from people under 21 attempting to get into bars and nightclubs. On average, the police collect approximately 100 fake I.D.s a month, according to Student Resource Officer Matt Johnson. At the police substation in old town, they have a bag full of several hundreds of fake I.D.s that were collected over a six month period in 2011.

Many people underage attempt to enter clubs and bars with fake identification,

while others use real I.D.s that may just look similar to them.

Although this may be a fairly regular occurrence around Fort Collins, police are cracking down on the case.

According to Officer Dan Calahan of District One police department in old town, many of the I.D.s they confiscate are initially taken by security guards outside the bars that think a piece of identification looks fake.

The employees and security at bars tend to have a lot of training in spotting fake identification and are very dilligent in doing so because it can be detrimental to their business. However, fakes are not always spottable.

“We expect the bar to put out a reasonable effort to catch people with fake I.D.s,” Johnson said. “But if it’s an I.D. of good enough quality, we wouldn’t hold the bar accountable for that.”

The security guard or employee will fill out a statement form, the suspicious I.D.s are then sent to police, who follow through by calling the cardholder to come to the substation and charging them for possession of a fake I.D. card and an attempt to obtain alcohol by misrepresentation of age.

“They may lose their license depending on their age, or they may just receive fines [misdemeanor charges],” Calahan said. “If they are a student at CSU, the school gets involved as well and they may receive additional penalties.”

Megan Shaw

Money wasted: District One police department has several hundred fake I.D.s in posession at were collected from around town. Most of the owners of these I.D.s only had them confiscated and were not charged.

On top of receiving fake I.D.s from the employees at bars and clubs, police will sometimes try to spot the use of fake identification themselves.

“Sometimes we do particular stings where we go out and watch certain liquor stores or bars, places that we know are hotspots for that sort of activity and we try to contact them [people with fake I.D.s],” Calahan said.

“I run into them all the time downtown.”

For the establishments that sell the alcohol, distributing it to people under the age of 21 can be extremely dangerous for the business.

Police in Fort Collins often do compliancy checks, where they send underage people into every liquor-licensed establishment in the city in an attempt to purchase alcohol and ensure businesses don’t sell it to them. If they do, it can result in thousands of dollars worth of fines and possibly even a revoking of their liquor license. The underaged

people attempting to buy the alcohol cannot lie about their age and, if requested, must provide the clerk with their actual I.D. Linda Martin, an employee at Rams Liquor had once sold tobacco to someone underage who was involved in a similar compliancy check.

“It was just a bad day, deliveries were coming in like crazy, and a young girl came in and asked for a can of chew. All I thought was, ‘what does that pretty little thing want with that crap?’” Martin said. “I sold it to her, and boom here they [police] came, and I paid 200 dollars.”

There is no law stating that establishments must check identification for everyone who purchases alcohol or tobacco, but there is a law that makes it illegal to serve or sell to people underage. As a way of preventing this, most establishments either card every customer, or have rules in place that it is necessary to card anyone who looks to be under the age of 30 or 35.

Although underage drinking and purchasing of alcohol is against the law, there is more importance to keeping it from happening than just legalities. “The reason we have laws for how old you have to be to consume alcohol isn’t to give police something to do, because frankly, we already have plenty to do,” Johnson said. “The real reason is that alcohol doesn’t help people make good decisions.” According to Johnson, the state says that the maturity level at age 21 is high enough to make good choices with alcohol, which may not always be the case, but “the less mature you are, the more likely you are to make bad choices.

“People die from it.”

Age limit on alcohol: Good intentions, interesting results

by Aaron Yu//reporter

In Fort Collins, beer isn’t simply a beverage; it’s part of an elaborate culture.

Drawn by factors such as the high quality water, alcohol producing companies flock for a spot in the cluster of beer. In Fort Collins alone, there are seven breweries. Colorado as a whole has the highest alcoholic beverage output of any state in the United States.

With events such as FORToberfest, it’s the perfect place to enjoy a wide variety of beer and have a good time; provided you’re over age 21.

According to the CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), 39% of high school students in 2011 consumed some sort of alcohol within a thirty day period. 39% is quite a large portion of the high school population; it raises the question as to why so many people are drinking before age 21.

“If you want to get hammered, there’s a lot quicker ways than [drinking alcohol],” Videography and language arts teacher Ron Clark said.

It would seem the main objective of teen drinking is not to become intoxicated, but to use beer as a social tool and a form of rebellion. Underage drinking is glorified by the media as a must-have element of a house party and required to have a good time.

Society values alcohol; drinking might mean acceptance by your peers or laud one’s courage in breaking the law in the name of fun. Hearing about a classmate who drank to the point of being belligerently drunk is not surprising to hear, it’s almost normal and not dwelt upon.

With the acceptance of underage drinking in society, it’s easy to forget that the legal age to drink alcoholic beverages is 21.

“The reason that the 21 law is in effect is not because a person is physiologically unable to process alcohol [below 21],” School Resource Officer Matt Johnson said. “It’s because a person hasn’t developed their judgement and thought processes as thoroughly as age 21.”

According to drugfree.org, the human brain isn’t fully developed until age 25. The last thing to develop is the prefrontal cortex, which serves as the judgement center of the brain; coincidentally, the first thing that alcohol affects once consumed is judgement. While the 21 law is in place to help along healthy development of the brain, it may be another factor that assists society in valuing underage drinking.

If an underage person truly wants alcohol, he or she will find some way to get it. Whether it’s from parents, of-age friends, liquor stores that don’t check I.D. or any number of methods of obtaining beer, they will find and use it. “[The law] isn’t enforced in a way that deters anyone,” Clark said. “It just makes it harder for them to get it.”

This factors into the idea of teen rebellion. To a tee, rebellion is regarded as worthy of praise; it’s also “cool” to be considered the “go-to guy” for something illegal.

A sort of status comes attached to the ability to have alcohol readily available.

In a way, the 21 law could possibly be ineffective in preventing underage drinking and even adding to the problem.

“Best case scenario, someone is so respectful of the law yet so interested in alcohol that they deny themselves all the way up until the night before their 21st birthday,” Clark said.

“Then on their 21st birthday, they’re so excited; they can’t stand it so they grab a bunch of friends, go somewhere, Graphic design courtesy of Amanda Kriss

and drink themselves crazy. . . I think the law’s trying to control the problem, but it’s doing the exact opposite.”

This is a very rare occurrence in today’s society; one either drinks before age 21, or finds little to no interest in alcohol at all after turning 21.

Other countries have proven that allowing teens access to alcohol isn’t necessarily catastrophic; in fact, it’s nearly beneficial to them.

“In Europe, [drinking alcohol] is not such a taboo thing. There are 16, 17, 18 year old kids that are allowed to drink, but because they’re allowed it, they don’t abuse it,” German teacher Jennifer Roper said.

“Here, if kids want to go party, it’s overdone because it’s not allowed.

It’s entirely possible that teens are simply not given enough time to adjust to alcohol which leads to such excessive drinking and intoxication.

Before 1987, it was legal in Colorado to drink alcoholic beverages at the ages of 18 as long as the alcohol content was 3.2% or below. It gave teens an opportunity to learn to drink in moderation before moving on to hard liquor at age 21. However, underage drinking of hard liquor was still sought after. The fact that many people didn’t mind the age change in 1987 supports the notion that it wasn’t significant enough for them to care. Drinking hard liquor underage went on as it always did, independent of the law.

Underage drinking has occurred in the past, it occurs now, and will continue to occur in the future. It is a continual question as to why society values alcohol so much; why it is accepted as a stable social tool. People will drink before age 21 regardless of the damage because it is rooted in our surroundings. Whether it is to earn the approval of one’s peers or as an act of rebellion to seem cool, it is valued by individuals around them.

With so much exposure to alcohol and pressure to drink, students more than ever need to stop and think about how their choices will affect them now and in the future.

“You really don’t have a long term perspective of your life,” Johnson says. “Slow down a minute and think about the next twenty years of your life, rather than the next couple.”

35%

65%

of students do not feel social pressure to drink alcohol underage.

45% of students have participated in underage alcohol consumption other than with their families.

Graphic design courtesy of Amanda Kriss

of students own fake identification or know somebody who does.

27%

of students purchase their alcohol from friends over 21 years old.

294 students surveyed

B6 \\

Z I C B E L D A A A T I RSearch I P S N A U P B HiddenS Message Word U M A T limelight O P O P P / H L A A /I highlighter

November 9, 2012

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The Freshmen

Van Gogh// from page B8

Becoming Van Gogh, takes visitors through seven unique sections, putting on display various artwork from the seven major artistic periods of Van Gogh’s career.

“Van Gogh is a personality between two poles in being very industrious, very systematic, a hard worker, very diligent, and incredibly subjective, very explosive, immediate and larger than life,” Heinrich said.

The stages start off as Van Gogh’s learning process. He self taught himself to draw and started to explore dark and somber tones, and then, to explore his artistic career, he moved to Paris. There, Van Gogh was able to taylor his use of color and other painting techniques.

Paris was not enough to feed Van

Gogh’s creative hunger, so he moved to South France where he produced more of his advanced and unique works such as his portrait of Joesph Raulin, another painting featured in the Denver show.

“This whole show is about the process, how he became,” Standring said.

“In the beginning he was very studious and devoted to learn different things and what other people did, but he always found this is really not my thing.

At the same time he was an eruption.

What better role model do you have?”

Everyone has an opportunity to see firsthand works of an artist who, despite only having a nine-year career, became what Henrich called, “The most influential artist of the twentieth century.” President and CEO of Visit Denver, Richard Scharf, claims

Van Gogh as “the difference between desire and determination,” and who Standring argues was “the most popular artist on the face of the earth.”

While it would be easy to see high-definition pictures of Van Gogh’s painting online, potential viewers would lose out on the experience of paint that pops out of the canvas from being layered on so thick. Being so close to history can feel as though one could step into the picture, and be transported back 130 years in history.

“It is irreplaceable seeing the original, sure you could blow this up on an IPad, you could take a digital, but to get to see the original drawing and getting close to the graphite underneath, it’s slow food art. Try to get away from technologies a little while,” Standring said. “It’s just irreplaceable.”

Art//

from page B8 of 30 pieces by the end of the semester. I didn’t realize how quickly that was going to go by,” Niedermeier said, “It did take dedication and I worked hard many days after school or before school. Just because it’s more creative does not mean it isn’t as pressured and structured and stressful as all the other AP classes. I love how they take it seriously here. The AP class is great.”

Because AP art students have to submit a portfolio with a theme, Juls has already painted 25 pieces involving nature. Several of her pieces use dried paint to make parts of the painting three dimensional, a technique original to her own work.

Niedermeier believes art has helped her through multiple hardships.

“It [painting] seriously has saved my life. It’s been the release, the break, the outlet, the coping skill, all of it. It’s been everything for me.It’s given me a great way of expressing who I am and saying things through a painting that I can’t say with my words and it’s helped me through so many trials that I’ve been through like family problems and things that have been really hard in my life,” Niedermeier said. “Honestly, painting has been my savior. It’s such a blessing to be able to experience that at schools and how they give you that opportunity.”

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highlighter\\limelight

November 9, 2012

Blithe Spirit

//B7

After weeks preparing, cast, crew hit stage BLITHE SPIRIT

Megan Troutman

►Where: Auditorium ►When: Nov. 8-10 ►Show Times: 7 p.m.

Thursday, Friday, and Saturday ►Tickets: $7-- activity pass, $8 -- no activity pass, $9 -- adults (purchases at the door)

Set in: Tech crew and directors put in the set the weekend before the play. They put coats of paint on the backdrops, screw in new lights, build stairs, put in doors, and much more to create the story’s environment.

Somalian Rapper K’nann returns to music world New album creates provoking thoughts about life, world

by Cammie Palomino//reporter

After singing and writing a hit that was heard around the world, K’naan is back with his new album, Country, God, or the Girl.

K’naan, a rapper from Somalia, was chosen to do the Coca-Cola promotional song for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the most watched sports tournament in the world.

The song “Wavin’ Flag” was translated

//CD review//

K’naan album cover, Countr, God or the Girl

into many different languages and became an international hit. When the song came

out, it was top 10 in 20 countries, including the United Kingdom, Spain, France, Canada, and more. It is a very catchy song with an inspirational message, which makes for a hit.

In his new album, Country, God, or the Girl, K’naan focuses on his life experiences and what he thinks the world should mainly focus on. In the songs, he focuses on internal trials that people deal with rather than the external ones.

So far, “Hurt Me Tomorrow” and “Is Anybody Out There?” featuring Grammy award winning pop singer Nelly Furtado, have had success because they show struggling people that it will be okay.

The theme portrayed in the popular song, “Is Anybody Out There?”, gives hope to people that think they are alone. Even

Wreck-It Ralph turns heads

by Lauren Binder//sports editor

The most important message that kids need to know: just be yourself.

That is the message that the highly anticipated movie Wreck It Ralph, voiced by John C. Reilly, is all about.

In this pixelated panoply of copyrighted and made up arcade characters, Ralph is the villain in the game “Fix It Felix Jr.” and is tired of being overshadowed by the “good guy,” Fix it Felix. He is determined to believe that he can be more than the bad guy in his life, and job of smashing buildings.

In return, he sets out and takes the matter into his massive hands.

He goes on a self exploration by game-hopping at the arcade that he lives at expecting to find a hero medal to bring back to show that a bad guy can be deemed as good.

He meets many other characters including Calhoun, a hard as nails sergeant in her own game “Hero’s Duty” and little misfit Vanellope von Schweets from the racing game “Sugar Rush”. Vanellope tries her luck with Ralph to steal the medal he took and uses it as a token to participate in the

//movie review//

Courtesy of Disney/MCT

Bad to good: Ralph celebrates getting his hero metal which makes him a “good guy.”

next rush race.

Vanellope eventually trusts in Ralph to get her out of her own glitch, because she feels that she has more potential in her own game as well. Throughout the movie, both her and Ralph bring out the best in each other, showing that either bad or misfit, its all about being who you are.

But his game-hopping eventually grows from sweet to sour when his curiosity creates havoc on the other games and even endangers them from being shut

down and pulled from the plug.

Felix and other players chase him through these animated worlds to bring him back to the game that he belongs in.

Disney has definitely outdone itself with this one, where they are able to create a world that most kids have indulged themselves in at one point, an arcade. The movie offers a fun an interesting perspective that every kid has pondered, as well as humourous twist for more adult audiences.

though it does talk about a very serious topic, the song is upbeat and has a hip-hop/ pop feel to it.

More than half of the songs in Country, God, or the Girl are upbeat and great to listen to for the message. K’naan collaborates with Nelly Furtado, Nas, Bono and some appearances by Will.I.Am, Keith Richards, and B.O.B. In writing the songs for Country, God, or the Girl, he thought about what he saw during his experience in the FIFA World Cup Trophy Tour, where he traveled to 86 countries across the globe.

Country, God, or the Girl is not only a great album to relax to but it is also an album that makes you think about life. Listeners will enjoy the message and the cheerful sounds that will get your foot tapping.

\\ rmlimelight

//B8//

highlighter

What’s in the Limelight?

Today: Movie: James Bond: Skyfall Movie: Lincoln Concert: Watsky at Black Sheep November 13:

CD: 50 Cent – Street King Immortal CD: Green Day – Dos! CD: One Direction – Take Me Home Concert: AP Fall Tour at Summit Music Hall Rocky: Choir Concert – All Choirs

November 9, 2012

As Van Gogh exhibit comes to Denver, student keeps alive impressionistic approach to artwork

An artist’s unique talent

November 16: Movie: The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 Rocky: RM Band Festival Concert: Two Door Cinema Club Ogden Theater November 20: Michelle Kennedy

CD: Kid Rock – Rebel Soul CD: Rihanna – Unapologetic Megan Troutman

November 23: Movie: Life of Pi November 27: CD: Alicia Keys – Girl on Fire November 30: Rocky: Feasts of Carols December 1: Rocky: Barnes and Noble Fundraiser December 6: Concert: Macklemore & Ryan Lewis at Ogden Theater

Hours of dedication: Senior Juls Niedermeier focuses on applying swabs of paint to her impressionistic piece (above). From close up, the image has separate brush strokes, but from far away a clear picture comes to focus. Niedermeier has similar artistic qualities as famous impressionist Vincent Van Gogh (right, self-portrait).

Juls Niedermeier, one of few high school impressionistic artists

by Emily Anderson//opinion editor

In many cases, a piece of art is the only remnant of the past, showing both a historical perspective about the time period and the emotional perspective of the artist.

It reveals the ideas and mentality of the age and has the ability to be interpreted in an infinite variety of ways. However, as cameras become more advanced, painting is becoming more obsolete.

by Lauren Binder//sports editor Alex Creighton//design editor

Movie: Playing for Keeps Movie: Hyde Park on Hudson December 11: CD: Bruno Mars – Unorthodox Juxebox Alex Creighton

Rocky: Holiday Concert

and has loved painting ever since.

“Van Gogh has been a huge inspiration. His impressionistic work has changed throughout the years that he decided to be a painter, and it’s just really inspirational how hard he worked on these pieces,” Niedermeier said, “but Monet is my favorite impressionistic artist ever.”

Being an art student in a world where art is becoming less and less respected can be difficult. Art

“

education is usually the first thing to go when schools cut the budget because it is frequently viewed as something lazy students enroll in that serves little purpose other than play time.

However, Juls Niedermeier assured that it is just as difficult as any other AP class.

“You have to have a minimum

//Jump to Art,

on B6

Van Gogh displayed at Denver Art Museum

December 7:

December 13:

Juls Niedermeier, senior and AP art student, is one of the few high school impressionistic artists left.

“I love how with realism people can look at a tree and think ‘that’s a tree’ but with impressionism you can see each separate brush stroke and then far away it’s a landscape or whatever it is,” Niedermeier said, “People can interpret it in whatever way feel.”

She painted her first impressionistic piece in the sixth grade,

Introducing the exhibit: Museum director Christoph Heinrich talks to students about Van Gogh and how great of an opportunity this exhibit is.

In an age of electronic devices, the new exhibit at the Denver Art Museum, Becoming Van Gogh, proves that actually painting on a real canvas is still a viable form of art.

Just ask Christoph Heinrich, the director of the Denver Art Museum, at a special Media Preview viewing for the Oct. 18-Jan. 20 exhibit.

It started as an innocent question, why was this exhibit important?

One could argue that with the rise of digital media, painting was a dying art, so why take the time and spend the money to create and put on such a show? The response however, was far from innocent.

“That’s bulls**t,” Heinrich said.

Strong words from an otherwise

Timothy Standring, Gates Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture

It is irreplaceable seeing the original,

sure you could blow this up on an IPad but . . .

Try to get away from technologies a little while.

calm man who has dedicated his life to his passion, art.

Surrounded by famous artwork that was over a hundred years old, Heinrich made it clear that he did not believe painting was a dying art form, and to prove that, he worked with the Gates Foundation Curator of Painting and Sculpture, Timothy Standring, to put together a one-time, one-location only collection of one of the most famous painters in history.

Becoming Van Gogh shows off the works of self-taught artist Vincent

Van Gogh, featuring 70 of Van Gogh’s own works and 20 other artists who helped define Van Gogh’s unique and ground-breaking style.

“He produced 800 paintings, about 1000 drawings, 30-49 lithographs and one etching,” Standring said.

Van Gogh experimented with many styles of art, which can clearly be defined into seven major stages of his artistic career. Similarly,

//Jump to Van Gogh,

on B6