Rocky Mountain Highlighter: 2012 September by Rocky Mountain Highlighter

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New football offense//A8

President speaks at CSU//A3

highlighter Montgomery returns//B1 Summer fire aftermath//B4

rocky mountain September 14, 2012

//Rocky Mountain High School\\

Volume 40, No. 1

side show the

Front office fun: Freshman Elijah Barron checks in at the front office. Changes to the office require students to go through a checkin process prior to entering the school.

High School Hijinks:

Sydney Spies, selfdescribed “artist” and Durango teen who made national headlines last year when she attempted to get racy photos of herself published in her high school’s yearbook, was arrested with her mother, Miki Spies, on Aug. 13 for throwing an underage kegger party. The duo, who appeared together on The Today Show last spring to protest their censoring in the yearbook, were arrested for obstructing a police officer and contributing to the delinquency of a minor.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Airflow to improve

by Michelle Kennedy//features editor

Care About This: On Sept.

10 the Yemeni government announced that second in command of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Penninsula (AQAP) Said Al- Shihri was killed along with six other militants. The military refused to release any other details regarding the mission.

Quote of the Issue:

“Ashley cared more about others than herself. She was passionate and she cared. She could be an incredible goof, and Colton was the same but in a different way. He was my Gentle Giant and he was All-American.” - Deanna Brookhouser, mother of late Ashley and Colton Fischer

They say if you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen; but what if you can’t take the heat in the school? Starting in June 2012, the school began a $2.3 million renovation, one aspect of which was a new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. However, its functionality is substantially behind what administration had hoped for coming into the school year. “The expectation was to have it all up and running [by the start of the school year], it always is,” Gary Clark, superintendent of McCauley Constructors, said. “The challenges you meet for each job are always different; with this project, it happened to be the controls.” The main problem has to do with the programming and software that controls the new appliances. According to Clark, these types of systems have become more

//Jump to Airflow,

Isaac Effner

School adjusts to new entrance by Megan Shaw//center editor

$2.3

million

TOTAL COST OF SUMMER CONSTRUCTION

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On the first day of school this year, the completely renovated front entrance piqued interest and had people throughout the building talking. Many people wonder what the purpose of this new design is, and what it will accomplish. “It is one secure entrance, so everyone is filtered through a common point,” Dean of Students Russell Stapleton said. Over the summer, architects worked diligently on this new front entrance so that Rocky could begin an improved system of letting people into the building. If a student is late to class, they must enter through the front office and record their last name and I.D. number at the front desk check-in. With this system, students have to filter through the office since all

Courtesy Deanna Brookhouser

on A2

School mourns loss of involved siblings by Grant Rotman//reporter

Memorable duo: Colton and Ashley Fischer were killed in a car accident this summer. The siblings were both highly involved in numerous projects, organizations and teams.

//Jump to Office,

Disbelief. Denial. Regret. Heartbreak. Loss. These were the words of those close to the Fischer siblings, describing what they felt after hearing the tragic news of the June 24 car accident in North Dakota that ended

the lives of Ashley Fischer, 17, and her brother Colton Fischer, 16. Both siblings had such great impact on those around them; people didn’t just care for them, they admired and cherished both sister and brother. Those interviewed shared a

//Jump to Fischers,

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September 14, 2012 \ \ A2

Airflow//

Student leaders: (From left) Sophomore Nick Fitzgerald and Seniors Conor Haugen, Shane Wagner and Austin Druse lead a Homecoming planning meeting. This year’s Homecoming dance will be held on Oct. 6 at the school. A theme has been chosen, but not yet announced.

from page A1

Aaron Yu

Homecoming plans advance by Aaron Yu//reporter

Rocky’s Student Council (StuCo) has been working all summer to bring the pack an awesome homecoming. The theme has been chosen, the date has been set; all that remains is to brainstorm ideas into a reality. Expectations run high this year, anticipation even higher. Headed by Austin Druse, the StuCo dance committee has been working tirelessly on what they hope to be one of the best homecomings yet. “I think it’s going to be the best homecoming the senior class at Rocky now has seen,” Druse said. The other members of StuCo are just as excited and hold the dance up to just as much regard. Dani Harton, junior, believes that “this year’s homecoming will be better than ever.” “Every homecoming is different,” senior Mark Haselmaier said. “Each year we try and pick a theme that hopefully everyone

Fischers// from page A1

common tone of pride for having played shoulder to shoulder with a football teammate like Colton or for being at Ashley’s side while she again and again outdid what a high schooler could be expected to do by volunteering her time and passion to philanthropic clubs and organizations.

will like, so in a sense it won’t compare with past homecomings because every year is its special own thing.” This year, homecoming will be held in the gym so students have more space to dance, and a safer environment to do so in. According to Harton, the only major change will be the new location, so students shouldn’t worry about the experience being different due to a new place. StuCo realizes that some students will not be pleased with this decision, but the change is so everyone can have a better homecoming experience. “There is going to be resistance,” Haselmaier said. “but we hope that people will come to see it in a good way. The gym is going to provide a totally different venue. With a new venue comes a new experience. I hope people can move past it and get pumped for it.” The staples of homecoming will still be there. Rocky will have a great DJ that will cater to a wide range of music for danc-

ing, and the lights will be set up colorful and flashy as always. Regarding dancing, grinding will be allowed to an appropriate extent. StuCo asks that students refrain from explicit types of grinding, or any type of grinding that might make a chaperone feel the need to intervene. “Keep it classy,” Druse said. The whole week of homecoming will be a spirit week. StuCo hopes there will be plenty of class pride and school spirit. “We definitely hope to see tons of participation,” Harton said. “Making sure we choose themes that students can easily dress or relate to will play a large role in how much participation we get.” Homecoming will be held on Saturday, Oct. 6, and tickets will be sold closer to the date. The prices will be set the same as last year, $15 for a single ticket and $25 for a double. Students must present their student ID at the entrance and sign up guests from other schools in the office.

“Ashley was a big part of the Connections, started the Voices Carry Club, was always helping our students and was going to be a peer,” Amy McLean of Integrated Services said. “She could always see herself in others’ shoes, She was going to do great things in this world.” Ashley was not one to waste time when she had the opportunity to make a difference. She spent her free time helping students with exceptional needs

or getting a friend through a hard day. “When Ashley worked with special needs kids she challenged them,” Colton and Ashley’s mother, Deanna Brookhouser said. “She believed today’s classes for them were too limiting, and people don’t expect enough out of them.” “To the kids, she was a friend to play with and a teacher,” McLean said. “She did everything we do, like a full-bloom teacher.” Ashley seemed to teach someone something almost anywhere she was. Ashley also started the Voices Carry Club, which calls attention to the reality of child abuse. She was also a member of the Connections Club. The Award for Outstanding Service to the Connections Club will now be the Ashley Fischer Award in her memory. As McLean put it, Ashley was “irreplaceable.” “I was really fortunate to have been her friend,” senior Lauren Hoff said. “She opened my eyes in ways I can use for the rest of my life.” “She left a great positive impact on those she left behind,” Brookhouser said. “Others’ have told me, they are striving to be better for Ashley.” Colton, like his sister, was more interested in making a difference for those around him

and more sophisticated, creating greater and greater challenges for contractors. The main goal of many of the renovations was to increase the energy efficiency of the school. Rocky has always been a leading electrical energy conserver in the district, according to Principal Tom Lopez, but lately its status has declined due to inefficient uses of energy and wasteful systems. Although it may take some time for it to become fully functional, the new system will give greater temperature control to each classroom, thus increasing efficiency. While the school isn’t quite as comfortable yet as many had hoped, Lopez is incredibly happy with the work done by the construction company.

Office//

“When people ask why stuff isn’t done, I say, ‘you don’t have any idea of what some people did, it’s amazing!’” Lopez said. “The only thing that anyone would promise me is a more comfortable environment than you had before, and quite honestly I accept that as reality. I do think that the environment is more comfortable than it was [in the past], even right now.” Although the massive undertaking has some students and teachers alike complaining, many people, such as Lopez, are able to see the silver lining in this construction story. “Even though a lot of the times when something changes we moan and groan, I think that many of the construction projects that were done over the summer were to help the school,” art teacher Jay Dukart said. “Almost every aspect of this building benefitted [from it] in some way, and I think it’s a great thing that happened.”

other doors will be locked during class periods. “We are trying to see if we can find some ‘usual suspects’ that come in late and see if we can help with that,” Assistant Principal Brett Larsen said. From a safety standpoint, the new front entrance arrangement is meant to teach Rocky students and staff not to open doors during class periods and let people in the building. “What we want to become the norm is people don’t let people in exterior doors,” Stapleton said. “That’s where the biggest concern for safety is; if someone props a door, anybody could walk in.” Although it may seem helpful

for a friend, it could mean giving a stranger access to the building. According to Larsen, that may be where the most danger lies. “If someone wanted to do harm to our school, they would try to do harm to our school, and they wouldn’t come through the front door,” Larsen said. “Schools aren’t built like prisons. Any security we have is going to be fairly passive.” Because of this, cooperation from students and staff to keep doors locked during class is of vital importantance to ensure the system continues to improve and remain effective. “It takes an entire community to be successful,” Stapleton said. “That’s why we ask students not only to be on time, but also continue understanding that the old practice of propping doors and letting people in needs to change.”

than in himself. He put his heart and soul into being a teammate the football team could rely on. “Colton loved the team more than anything,” senior Ed Kennedy said. “Colton’s favorite thing in the world was going to coach (Mark) Brook’s house for team meetings.” Coach Brook’s house was where the team found themselves not long after the news of the accident came, to grieve as a team and receive guidance. “I was overcome with sadness; I knew kids would suffer from the news,” Kennedy, who was not only Colton’s teammate, but mentor on and off the field, said. Colton became commonly referred to as “Ed’s Wingman.” Therefore, it was Kennedy who wore Colton’s game jersey, No. 73, in his lost teammate’s honor during the first football game of the season. “I could always expect to see Colton waiting for me on the sideline with a big smile and the American flag sticker he always wore on his helmet,” Kennedy said. “He was just a gentle giant with great passion.” The helmet with its infamous American flag now sits in the dining room of Brookhouser’s house, surrounded by pictures and letters of condolence from as far away as New Mexico. Colton’s backpack lies where he left

it before embarking on his trip to North Dakota. “I just can’t come to move it,” Brookhouser said, tears welling up in her eyes once more. “Ah shucks. He shouldn’t be gone and neither should she.” She wiped away her tears letting out a sigh and a stressed laugh. “Colton didn’t like others being sad; he couldn’t take it.” Brookhouser said. “He sensed when others were down and brought them up.” “Ashley and Colton had the same struggles as any kid does, but we have a strong family base and strong beliefs in family,” Brookhouser said. “They’re not typical teenagers; they were always here and we were always together. That’s what makes it so hard.” The loss of two such extraordinary people has left a void in the hearts of many, a void the size of the emotions and memories that had been there before-colossal. “If someone was alone at a lunch table, that would be the first table Ashley and Colton would sit at,” Brookhouser said. “Ashley cared more about others than herself, she was passionate and she cared. She could be an incredible goof, and Colton was the same but in a different way. He was my Gentle Giant and he was All-American.”

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September 14, 2012

Historic campaign stop Obama first sitting President to visit city by Cam Chorpenning//editor-in-chief

On Aug. 28, Fort Collins history was made. Barack Obama’s visit to Colorado State University marked the first time a sitting president has visited Fort Collins, but the rally meant a great deal more than just a first for the town. It signified a new level of importance for the entire state of Colorado, particularly its young voters. “In my lifetime Colorado’s never been a swing state,” Government teacher Tom List said. However, now it seems that Colorado has a larger role to play, given that, because of its history as a red state and its unusual support for Obama during the 2008 election, the state could prove to be a vital asset to either candidate in the upcoming election. “Colorado could decide the election. It could come down to our nine puny, little votes,” List said. The significance of the visit doesn’t end there. The visit to CSU also demonstrates Obama’s keen interest in attracting young voters. During his speech, Obama catered directly to college students, those bound for college, and the youth population in general. “There was a fair amount about the younger generation, how the younger generation is what got him elected the first time, and how he needs them again, and how he’s making it easier for students. They seemed pretty into it,” senior Taylor Hitchings, who attended the rally, said. “I’ve taught government every year I’ve been here, and I’ve seen the pendulum shift back and forth between kids that are really caring about the issues of the day, and where kids are more inwardly focused on just being kids,” List said, “This is probably just Rocky, or maybe it’s just Fort Collins, but I’ve never worked with kids more active or more aware of what’s going on.”

“

Colora-

do could decide the election. It could come down to our nine puny, little votes.

Tom List, government teacher

With knowledge comes power, and the youth of the nation, particularly in swing states like Colorado, hold a great deal of power over the presidential candidates. Because voters in the 18-24 age group have the lowest turnout rates, their votes are “ripe for the picking” as List put it. Therefore, the young voters can easily dictate certain stances that candidates may have on issues, such as federal student loans, that directly affect them. “Barack Obama probably wouldn’t have won without the young people’s vote in ’08, but the polling shows that that’s slipping this time, and the goal of the campaign is to mobilize young people for the ’12 election like they were for the ’08 election,” List said. “So I guess in ’08 it was ‘what’re the youth going to do for this campaign?’ and in ’12 it’s ‘what’s this campaign going to do for you?’” “What’s this campaign going to do for you?” is a very valid question. Americans are familiar with politicians who are unable to deliver on promises made during the campaign season, and young people have every reason to be skeptical of what Obama and Republican candidate Mitt Romney say they will do for the younger population. The power that young people hold in this election is immense.This skepticism and a critical eye for politics may very well be essential in the choice voters will eventually make, and the heightened political interest among youth that List has observed suggests an even stronger and larger voting

Historic oration: President Barack Obama (top) speaks to a crowd at Colorado State University on Aug. 28. Obama’s message was focused mainly on student loans and the role young people play in America and the role they will play in the upcoming election. A supporter raises a sign at the rally (left).

Megan Shaw

force that will carry even greater importance in this fall’s election. List compares the political atmosphere among young people to rock candy: “You put so much sugar in water and dissolve it, it’s still liquid, but it’s just waiting for something to stick to, and then

Michelle’s Musings

Michelle Kennedy

Isaac Effner

Scientists at work: Junior Richard Cava (left) and senior Tyler Wood place a swab sample in a petri dish. The students swabbed different areas throughout the school to discover which areas had the most bacteria.

In-state college fair Tuesday On Tuesday, the In-State College Fair will be held from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Commons. This fair will host 22 Colorado schools. For more information email Nicole Wilgenbusch at nwilgenb@ psdschools.org.

//Cammie Palomino

Megan Shaw

In 1969, Americans crowded around TV sets and watched in amazement as Neil Armstrong took human kind’s first step on the moon. Children dreamed of becoming astronauts and having the opportunity to explore the frontiers of space, but as time passed this dream became more and more unreasonable. On Aug. 25, the face of the American space program, Armstrong, passed away, and one could argue that the vitality of the space program perished as well. The excitement and joy of space exploration has become obsolete in the eyes of the majority of American society. Why has the importance of

it’s going to crystallize,” List said. Some of the young people will “stick to” Obama, and others to Romney, but regardless of whom they support, the youth will wield a tremendous amount of power in the presidential election, whether they are of voting age or not.

“Vote!” List said. “Register! Every member of the student body at Rocky has political influence. They might not have the right to vote, but they have political influence. Therefore, they should educate themselves, and educate the people around them.”

Armstrong represented \\ space program’s glory days space research—an activity that has the potential to drastically change the world for the better—dissolved? From GPS to miniaturized heart pumps to bomb disarming robots, the technological offspring of NASA’s research has drastically enriched the standard of living in America. Yet, without funding, the organization’s ability to make advancements is limited. In 2010, NASA’s budget was cut so drastically that the chance for any manned shuttle missions became impossible, certifiably ending American astronauts’ participation with the International Space Station. Now, astronauts must rely on space

programs of foreign countries if they wish to travel into space. The decline of the Space Program is an unfortunate development for many reasons. It decreases jobs, lowers the number of scientific advancements, but most importantly, it eliminates opportunities for future generations to appreciate the enigmas of the universe. “Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” -Neil Armstrong Michelle Kennedy is a senior and the features editor for the RM Highlighter.

\\ rmopinion highlighter

September 14, 2012

To Sleep or Not to Sleep T

he yearly alteration of late start has once again disrupted the schedules of teachers and students while simultaneously irritating all involved. Two years ago school started at 9:20 every The Issue: WednesNew late start day. The schedule a year after testament to that late bureaucracy, start was benefits no one. changed to 9 a.m. to create a 20-minute-long homeroom. This year late start was changed even earlier to 8:45. The reason for the newest late start cut was that last year’s late start led to a vastly unequal amount of time divided between 2nd period and other classes. 2nd period had 1295 minutes a week and all other periods only had 1275 minutes a week. This discrepancy was supposedly fixed this year when homeroom

//staff editorial/ was decreased by five minutes and five minutes was added to every other class. This made second period 1305 minutes a week and all other classes 1290 minutes a week. Through all these changes, the school has caused and solved multiple problems while irritating the majority of the students by forcing them to arrive to school earlier and forcing students and teachers to annually learn a different Wednesday schedule. The school has continued to skirt around the easiest solution which is to change late start back to its original start at 9:20. Two years ago there were never any complaints about late start and it was not until the school decided to add 20 minutes that Rocky’s troubles began.

Cam’s Chorner

National Scholastic Press Association National Critique

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All right guys, I know you’re tired, but it’s late start! You got to sleep in an extra 15 minutes!

The Rocky Mountain Highlighter is published nine times during the school year by the newspaper staff of Rocky Mountain High School/1300 W. Swallow Rd./ Fort Collins, CO 80526. Contact Rocky Mountain Highlighter staff members at 970-488-7090 or 970488-7091 for advertising information. Also the Rocky Mountain Highlighter staff is in Room 528, during 4th period.

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//Ed Kennedy, Issac Effner, Grant Rotman, Morgan Miller, Cammie Palomino, Aaron Yu Artist//Amanda Kriss Adviser//Stephen Wahlfeldt

RM Highlighter editorial policy

//Amanda Kriss, artist

Apparently, no one in the school’s hierarchy has ever heard the saying, “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” The school should stop its meaningless and

ignore the right they are given in America and take Democracy for granted. Apathy may not be the actual issue, however. Many young people may have formed strong opinions about their beliefs and how they think the country ought to be run, but won’t cast a vote because they haven’t registered to vote and don’t want to take the time to register. They might convince themselves that their vote doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things; after all, they’re just

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.

rm the

rocky mountain

irritating schedule changes and change late start back to the original time of 9:20 for the benefit of both the schedule the general happiness of the students.

If Rocky continues this path of fixing its problems, then eventually late start will be abolished and all the days of the week will be exactly the same.

an opportunity \\ Why waste to have a voice?

Cam Chorpenning

This fall, millions of young people across America will be given a unique opportunity, an opportunity that people across the world have given their lives for—yet most of these millions won’t take it. This opportunity, of course, is the right to vote. In November, the nation will elect its next president, and many young people, some of them high school students, will be eligible to participate in the election. Some will take part, but many will simply

Late Start, 2014-15

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one person. However, if a large group of people adopts such an attitude, a significant number of voters will be lost, and with them a large part of the nation’s voice. As students are faced with the decision to register to vote this fall, I strongly urge all of them who are eligible to seize the chance they have been given and realize that they are truly some of the luckiest people on the planet, because they live in a country where they are given a choice

and a voice. In some countries, like Syria, these are not rights, but rather dreams that hundreds have died for and thousands more continue to fight for. So be thankful that these rights have been provided for all Americans and take full advantage of them as well as all of the opportunities we have been given in our country. Cam Chorpenning is a senior and the editor-in-chief of the RM 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. All advertisement is welcome. To place an ad, contact RM Highlighter advertising managers at (970) 488-7091. The RM Highlighter, however, reserves the right to refuse advertising which the staff considers inappropriate for our audience. The RM Highlighter is a member of the ASNE/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service, and some material is courtesy of that service. The Rocky Mountain Highlighter reserves the right to edit anything it publishes.

//A5 The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Construction

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Alexander the Creight

Alex Creighton

before \\Think you speak Ever since I met him, Matt McNeil has been a shining example to me of what true pure joy looks like. Every time I see him, he has the biggest smile on his face, and he always wants to either give me a high-five or a hug. Not many people have the honor of knowing Matt the way I do, mainly because I think people are scared of being his friend. They are scared of what their friends might think if they were to give an autistic peer a hug and ask him about his day. Unfortunately, that’s the way our culture works; society tells us it is acceptable to shun people that are different, and believe me, it’s not just with our peers that have mental or physical disabilities. It’s with those who are not part of your friend group, those who are a different race, who have a different belief system, who dress, talk or even act just a little different than you’re accustomed to. The worst part of it though, is that demeaning slurs that allude to these groups of people have become the norm of our teenage vocabulary. This simply shouldn’t be. I’m not asking (or even preaching, I’m also guilty of this) that everyone immediately expunge these words from their vocabulary, or even become best friends with everyone, but honestly, why not? Don’t be scared to ask for a hi-five (or even a hug!), we could all find ourselves a little more joyful. Alex Creighton is a senior and design editor for the RM Highlighter.

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What are your thoughts on the recent construction as compared to last year? “I don’t really notice a difference.” Conner O’Donnell, sophomore

“I don’t like the new entrance, but the lockers are good and the AC is starting to work.” Kiley Brooks, junior

“I like the new parking lot. I don’t think the new AC is working. The front door is a good idea because it makes the school safer and it’s more wheelchair accessible.” Blake Nelson, senior

School safer with improved entrance route The beginning of a new school year brings change, and change usually brings complaints. With a building that is still packed up and discombobulated and a stricter front office system, many students have made it clear that they are not happy with the new construction done over the summer. The main aspect of this construction is the altering of the front office. Students are now required to go through the front entrance and sign in when they are entering the building during class time (basically if they are late). The front office serves as a security buffer zone, preventing suspicious people and non-students from entering the school without it being immediately known to office staff. Memories from Columbine and other horrific school shootings have created an arguably paranoid generation of highly protected schools. However, there is a line between precaution

September 14, 2012

and paranoia, and Rocky has not yet passed it. Poudre High School, a fairly new building, was built with a similar system. Fort Collins and Fossil both received construction this summer to improve their security as well. It’s becoming standard, and Rocky was just following suit. There are a lot of crazy people in the world, and if someone really wanted to cause harm in a school, they would find a way. But that doesn’t mean that preventative measures should not be

Aren’t you glad the district spent millions on construction for Rocky this summer?

taken. If someone really wanted to break into your house, they probably could, but that does not mean you should leave your doors unlocked. The only argument against the new entrance is the inconvenience it creates when coming in late. Taking a few extra minutes to walk around the building and sign in should be worth the extra security precaution. Getting to class on time can even eliminate that issue for students entirely. Emily Anderson

Yeah, now we can get hypothermia and heat stroke all in the course of one day!

Pro Con

 As it stands now, construction is waste of money

Though the school looks nice, the summer construction seems to be more of an inconvenience rather than an improvement. All athletics over the summer months were forced to relocate to either Poudre High School or Raintree Athletic Club. Teachers were kept out of their rooms until only a few short days before the start of school, and any interaction with administration was extremely difficult. With the amount of construction, money, and time spent on the school, one would think that the school would be in impeccable shape and fully functional as we head into the year. All it takes, though, is a close look around to make one wonder: where did all the money go? The primary complaint is the beyond-uncomfortably hot temperatures inside the building. Temperatures in some rooms have reached over 85 degrees on a daily basis. Higher temperatures seem very different from the “original plan” to fix the ventilation and better regulate

//Amanda Kriss, artist

school temperatures. Construction mistakes in the parking lots delayed the process and pushed the timeline further and further back, arousing doubts that the senior lot would be completed. The replacement of lockers around the school seems unnecessary, and should have taxpayers scratching their heads on why their money was spent replacing lockers that did not seem to need replacing. A “security wall” was constructed at the main entrance in order to reroute students and visitors through the front office to heighten security. Along with this came a new computer check in process to ensure that students walking into the school are legitimate, and if not they wear a visitor tag. While the efforts here are

positive and will definitely help secure the school, students are still easily let in from various side entrances from around the building; making the security measures somewhat futile. French Field was also not completed on schedule, forcing the football team to relocate their intra-squad scrimmage to the practice fields, contrary to tradition. There are also rumors that the track surrounding the new football field does not meet Poudre School District standards and has many visible errors. Director of District Operations, Michael Spearnak, said the construction was a bond with the goal of “making the education environment more comfortable”. The effects felt here fail to meet those claims. Ed Kennedy

sports//highlighter

September 14, 2012 \ \ A6

New coach, new style by Lauren Binder//reporter

Boys Soccer//

A new coach means new strategy for the boys’ soccer team. Last year’s coach, Nathan Flemming, decided not to carry on into this year which means that Ken Osterberg is now the new coach. “It’s been very difficult because each coach has different techniques and different ways to play the game. Last year our coach was very young, he knew his stuff, but he was too young to be Adam Bonertz coaching senior us,” senior Shane Wagner said. “The coach this year is older, and he has been coaching for a while; he has been in soccer his whole life so he knows what to do.” Since coaching has been a little rocky, the team is still very united which helps with all of the new changes that have happened during the last three seasons.

“

Record: 1-2 regular season Stars: Dylan Kengott, Seth Bolander Ahead: Ralston Valley Working on: Finishing Score oppourtunities Talk: “We are going to do a lot better than last year, the team chemistry is great” - Senior Adam Bonertz

“I’m very excited [for the year]. It’s senior year, and the team is looking good. We got our first win this weekend so that was good. I know that we can play. We can beat any team in the state we just have to all work together,” Wagner said. The records of past years are nowhere near where Coach Osterberg wants them to be. “He wants us to be back to ‘Oh god. We are playing Rocky, this is going to be a good game,’” Wagner said.

We have an amazing work Ethic, we’re going to be a lot better than last year. The team chemistry is also great this year.

Michelle Kennedy

Balls to the face: Senior Shane Wagner kicks the ball into the face of a Palmer Ridge High School player. The game was held on Saturday, Sept. 6. The boys lost in overtime, 2-1.

Swinging into the change of pitch, new players

Quick toss: No. 3 Madison Nigro throws to third baseman, senior Kayla Boyd. The girls managed to have a record of 3-5 out of the games played in the Triple Crown High School Invitational on the weekend of Sept. 1.

by Cammie Palomino//reporter

Lauren Binder

Veer//

from page A1

“Well, our biggest thing is that we have played two very big opponents to start with,” Brook said. “And we are fairly inexperience at the varsity level--not age but playing time. Our growth is going to happen. We have played two teams that are experienced. I think that we will continue to improve--the basics, the fundamentals and really the discipline of the offense.” A reason for optimism for the future is the fact that the entire Front Range League seems to be off to slow start with a combined record of 3-9. The four city teams, which make up 2/3rds of the league, are a combined 0-8 after the first two weeks of the season. “I think that the next couple

games will be a little tough (at 1-1 Brighton High School tonight and at home against Douglas County High School on Sept. 22), but once we get into the conference games it should get a little easier because we have some of the top teams coming up and we can definitely compete with them and hopefully get a win,” Schiller said. Through the first two games, the Lobos have been able to developed two quarterbacks to run the veer. Because senior starter Daniel Hunter also doubles as the team’s all-league safety, he has been spelled at QB by junior Tyler Stevens. Stevens has been able to get enough playing time at quarterback to lead the team in passing yards (81) and rushing yards (38) although Hunter seems to be the team’s undisputed leader.

It’s time to get the bats ready and the arms swinging. This season the softball team will have to rebuild relationships and team unity. So far their record is 1-2 in the regular season. The team is having to replace old key players such as last season’s pitcher Bri Van Sickle and alum Megan Massey. Massey and Van Sickle helped to lead their team to round one of the CHSAA State Softball Championships last fall. Freshman first-baseman Melanie Stajduhar is glad that the upperclassmen are there to improve her game. “I think it is positive because they help us (regarding leadership),” Stajduhar said. “They are never negative on you and they always help you.” The girls plan to use their strengths as a team to their

“Last year I played safety and playing quarterback is a new different thing,” Hunter said. “I do like playing quarterback, but I also enjoy safety for sure.” How the team develops, though, will probably be directly related to how the offensive line comes together. Only 6-foot-5, 265-pound senior Ed Kennedy returns as an offensive starter. He is joined this year along the offensive line by senior Anthony Judish, Braxton Warren, Denzel Myers and junior Luiz Perez. “We’ve changed the offense for it to fit our personality and how best we operate,” offensive line coach Derek Widmier said. “I think once we get it fine tuned and clicking it’s going to be great. The challenge for us as coaches is to get it to that point.”

Softball//

Record: 1-2 regular season Stars: Meghan Rhead, Sydney Rios Ahead: Legacy on Sept. 18 Working on: Switching around positioning Talk: “I think that we have played well so far, but I am excited for the rest of the year.” -junior Kaela Blumenshine

advantage. “We have a strong batting line up,” senior third-baseman Meghan Rhead said. “We’ve been able to get a lot of runs.” Senior outfielder Sydney Rios wants to make it to playoffs, and eventually win state. “I think that some of the positioning could be switched around during the game once the other team gets used to us,” Rios said. “I think it is just staying focused the whole time too, because we get lazy and make a bunch of errors.”

Michelle Kennedy

Remembering No. 73: Deanna Brookhouser (front left) walks with husband James Brookhouser out onto the field. During the football game against Chaparral, Ashley and Colton Fischer were honored by the team, Senior Ed Kennedy wore Colton’s No. 73. See page A1 for the Fischer story.

//A7

highlighter\\sports

Cross Country looking promising for current season by Cammie Palomino//reporter

Just keep on running, never give up. The cross country team is looking to up-do themselves and slip into the top spots for the championship meet for the Front Range League. Last season, the girls team placed seventh in the Front Range league, while the boys team placed sixth. Some top contributors for the girls team include seniors Kelsey Alexander and Cambria Magnuson. Stars for the boys team include seniors Ryan Doner and Evan Chase, and junior David Messerli. Messerli placed tenth at a pre-state Cheyenne Mountain Stampede. In the 5000 meter he had a seven minute and 48 second run. He was the only runner to participate in the meet from the Front Range conference. Junior Lisa Sohn is also prepared for the season and ready to take on its challenges. “We are so much stronger looking as a team then we were last season,” Sohn said. “I think with every workout we are getting better and stronger. I know that we can definitely show improvement and get personal records and team records.” One challenge for the team will be beating city rival Fort Collins . “I think we can definitely take on Collins this year,” Sohn said. “We have really strong people and we are ready to take them on.”

Cross Country //

Record: Girls varsity won second at the last meet Stars: Kelsey Alexander, David Messerli, Ryan Doner Ahead: Liberty Bell Invitational Working on: Faster times, and team unity Talk: “We have a really good team and we really want to make it to state.”-senior Kelsey Alexander

September 14, 2012 Boys’ Tennis//

Record: Won the meet against Broomfield Stars: Luke Lorenz, Taylor Landstrom,David Willard Ahead: Meet vs. Longmont, today, at Longmont Working on: Being serious about perfecting the game at every practice Talk: “Season is going well, I think that we have a lot of potential, and I think that we are doing a lot better and will be able to win.”- senior Luke Lorenz

Volleyball//

Record: 1-1 Stars:Desi Klaer, Hannah Wiggins Ahead: Sept. 19 against Fairview Working on: Serve receiving and blocking Talk: “On the court we are there for each other and off the court we are like a big family who loves to have fun.” -senior Hannah Wiggins

Gymnastics//

Record: 3rd place last Friday Stars: Keri Peel, Lauren Glover Ahead: Columbine High School, Saturday, Sept. 15, at Columbine Working on: Scoring a 180 at the next big meet Talk: “I think that we will do really well this season, this year we have started off the best we ever had with a score of 177, when we ended last year around 173.”-senior Lily Schultz

Boys Golf//

►Cambria Magnuson

Record: Placing 3rd in last Tournament Stars: Matt Bell, Ryan Wilmot Ahead: Sept 12. Playing 18 holes at Collindale Working on: Short game, and basic fundamentals Talk: “The younger guys stepped it up and are playing their role.”-senior Ryan Wilmot

World trip a game stopper for students Senior Cooper Kris Skelton Hisgen out no longer on of boys’ soccer cross country by Grant Rotman//reporter

by Morgan Miller//reporter

School doesn’t support Before senior Kris Skelton traveling the world and gaining left for his vacation across the real life experiences overseas? world, he was a cross country Oh. star. Senior, Cooper Hisgen, had He will the fortune of traveling to a fair not have share of foreign countries last that opporschool year only later finding tunity this it would have some serious year. consequences on his final year Skelton in high school. was busy Since Hisgen missed a getting Kris Skelton substantial amount of school ready, time while out of the country, and preparing himself to take he is unable to participate in a once-in-a-lifetime trip to CHSAA sports including boys’ Asia, exploring countries like soccer, Hisgen’s main sport. Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia Hisgen traveled to Thailand, and the Philippines. Skelton Vietnam, Malaysia, Cambodia, had previously been living in Rome, Paris and Berlin with the Philippines with his family his family and close friend, before he moved to Fort Collins. senior Kris Skelton who is also His seven week long hiatus ineligible for high school sports from school began on Jan. 27, this year. of this year, just enough time to “I had no idea I wouldn’t be tour part of the globe and see able to play until the Wednesrarely seen family members. day before school started.” Skelton, in the fall of 2011, Hisgen said. competed as a member of the Hisgen attempted to varsity team and was planning complete the necessary courses on making online varsity this year during his as well. Skelton journey was used to but do winning in the to faulty top two spots Internet during his cross connecraces and his tions was best time ended unable up being a to stay in 16:54 for a 5K contact race. with his He was teacher. given the news Therefore, that he would he could not be able to not reparticipate in Courtesy of Cooper Hisgen ceive the Rockin the rocks: Senior Cooper Hisgen cross this year mandato- stand with brother, sophomore Josh Hisgen when he went ry credits. in the Philippines. They were hiking up tex- to the front tured rocks and surrounded by waterfalls office to turn “If I while on their seven week trip in Asia. knew I in his physical would form. have taken care of everything, The CHSAA rule book says: but I learned too late.” Hisgen “During the period of said. participation, the student must Unfortunately, no one be enrolled in courses which stepped up to tell the boys that offer, in aggregate, a minimum they would not be able to parof 2.5 Carnegie units of credit ticipate in these sports before per semester and must not be they had left. failing more than the equivalent Hisgen is still putting in of one-half Carnegie unit of an effort to maintain physical credit.” fitness until he has the credits Skelton had knowingly not vital to compete, which should taken any online classes while be sometime in October. traveling, only because of the “I’m just practicing with the fact that he would only need to team right now because I’m acquire only two more classes still not allowed to ride on the during his senior year in order team bus or play in scrimto graduate. mages.” Hisgen said. “I was just angry because Hisgen is still hoping to I talked to my counselors play in two out of the 14 about classes I’d be missing but normal season games and everyone I talked to failed to in possibly seven postseason recognize the penalty,” Skelton games. He plans to stay healthy said. until he gets back on the field “The rule has been stated and can take up position with many times to our athletes the team. whether it was in Lobo 101 or “People get hurt; it’s going on our athletic website,” Athletic to happen; its the inevitable,” Director Wayne Moddelmog Hisgen said. “When it hapsaid. “Did we make him aware pens, I’ll be ready to step in of the consequence before he left and take that spot.” on his trip? Unfortunately no.”

\\ sports rm highlighter

September 14, 2012

//A8//

veer me hear Me

Lauren Binder

Making the pass: Junior Tyler Stevens (top) looks for a receiver while junior Max McDonald blocks a pass rusher during the home game vs. Chaparral on Friday, Aug. 31. Senior Austen Allen (left) runs the ball behind the block of junior Trevor Thomas against Chaparral. The Lobos were defeated by No. 2-ranked Chaparral, 34-3.

Lobos experience growing pains as new option offense takes hold by Cammie Palomino//reporter

The plan: The Lobo football team will control the ball with their new veer triple option offense, and some players will play on both offense and defense, putting more athleticism and toughness on field. ►Two Top 10 theThe hope: a ball-control ofopponents fense and a tough, hard-nosed ►0-2 record defense will lead to greater ►FRL a combined competitiveness and more success. (The Lobos finished 4-6 a 3-9 in non-league season ago.) games after two After two games, both weeks disheartening losses, well, let’s just say the jury is still out on the plan and the hope. “Once we get it figured out, and work out all of the little kinks it will give us a much more dynamic offense that allows us to spread out

Season start:

EDsclusive

Ed Kennedy

There is something to be said about perseverance. It is a trait that legendary people, including athletes, have displayed in the face of adversity. Walking on to a collegiate athletic team takes one heck of a dose of perseverance. Imagine coming out of your high school career, having worked so hard,and yet your aspirations of achieving a shot

the defense even more, and keep the other team guessing as to what we are going to do,” senior wide receiver and linebacker Justin Schiller said. The veer is an old-school, runoriented offense that allows the quarterback to have more options on what to do with the ball, making decisions on whether or not to keep it, hand it off or pitch it based on what the defense does. The veer offense was popularized in the 1960’s and several collegiate teams ran some version of it through the 1970’s. The offense is meant to control the ball and the clock with a powerrunning game. However, in the first two games, the Lobos have been outgained 849 yards to 347. “Basically, we need to worry about us,” coach Mark Brook said. “We need to do what we do, better. As a staff, we aren’t looking at this game

Lauren Binder

or that game, we are working on day-by-day.” The Lobos, though, can point to a tough pre-conference schedule as a factor. The two teams the Lobos lost to open the season are both ranked in the Top 10. Chaparral High School,

which downed the Lobos, 34-3, on Aug. 31 at French Field, is ranked No. 2 in the Denver Post poll, while Grand Junction High School, a 4214 winner over the Lobos on Sept. 7, is No. 6.

//Jump to veer,

on A6

\\ Perseverance in the face of adversity at the next level seem to be momentarily squandered. It is at this point where an athlete must call upon every ounce of courage within, and decide to walk on. You then enter the athletic facilities of a college or university that might have passed up the chance to give you a chance. Now you are faced with the familiar challenge of getting the coaches attention and proving

yourself all over again. This is a scenario that must take an enormous amount of bravery to endure. A common perception of walk-ons are that they are inferior athletes and are just going to ride the bench, and yet some of the most incredible athletes today were walk-ons. Some of the most prominent NFL stars today were walk-ons, including Green Bay Packers stars Jordy Nelson and Clay

Matthews. Our very own graduate, and my close friend of the class of 2012, Richard Pixley, has shown incredible perseverance and courage as a walk-on and now football player for CSU. From personal talks it has been the toughest and most gratifying experience of his life. It is amazing what a little courage and desire can do for one’s progression within athlet-

ics, and the athletes of Rocky are outstanding in exhibiting those two traits. The ability to endure and persist throughout trials and tribulations is the ultimate measure of a person, and a great athlete. Ed Kennedy is a senior reporter for the RM Highlighter and an offensive lineman on the football team.

\\ rmfeatures highlighter

Grant’s Rant

Grant Rotman

\\ Seniors

stick together With the Labor Day festivities of Fort Collins’ Tour de Fat and CSU’s victory over CU at the Rocky Mountain Shootout, I can’t help but feel an uneasiness that a year from now these event may not be a part of my life. I may be thousands of miles away. The ominous cloud of graduation and real life seems to loom over my mind more and more everyday. How does one go about deciding which school to attend, while knowing it will outline what becomes of the rest of your life? It’s like deciding what I will eat for dinner everyday for the rest of my life with the possibility that I might loathe whatever I choose today in twenty years. The father of Taoism, Lao Tzu, once said “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” These words of wisdom are easier said than done when there are so many options for a first step– I’ve never been the best decision maker. However, with the help of my dad, my first step was handed to me. It was The U.S. News Ultimate College Guide, and “ultimate” was quite the understatement. This gargantuan volume makes my school textbooks look like insignificant pamphlets. The book seems to have no organized method to find a certain school. So I spend some time flipping through, while here and there finding a college that might hold a future for me. Then I am confronted with another issue; although I like to consider myself a good student, I am not a 4.0 scholar with a young Einstein’s ACT score. I am what you could call a “high school Average Joe,” looking at colleges that range from “hoping to get in,” to “it would take a miracle.” While reading the college guide’s graphs of acceptance criteria, I realized I’m not completely limited. In fact, I still have too many options, which is truly a curse within a blessing. Now I must look at what majors are offered where, class sizes, campus life, transportation options and the paramount decision of location. Is CSU a good option for a Fort Collins native? If that is your choice you won’t have to let go of the spoils that we’ve become so accustomed to. It’s definitely an easier option than leaving your hometown, but new territory could be exactly what you are wishing for in a few years. Personally, missing a Tour de Fat or New West Fest would be tragic, but it’s also the price I have to pay to find myself in a distant place making friends with strangers and experiencing a new life. The point of this column is not intended to help you decide what your plans might be or a trick to help find that perfect school. Obviously, I’m in no position to advise others, and in all honesty there’s no shortcut, trick or cheat. Its a long and painful journey. My purpose in writing this is to say you are not alone, and if your anxiety over senior year isn’t extremely high, that’s probably abnormal. Hopefully you’ll find some comfort in knowing your fellow seniors feel something very similar. Grant Rotman is a senior and a reporter for the RM Highlighter.

September 14, 2012

//B1//

Overcoming b s t a c l e s

Michelle Kennedy

A year after accident, Montgomery returns to school by Megan Troutman//limelight editor

The bright light shined in the girl’s eyes as she groggily looked at her surroundings. She was in an ambulance. People were tossing around questions. Her mother’s worried expression flashed before her eyes as blackness consumed her vision. This was junior Caitlin Montgomery’s first memory after being hit by a car. “Immediately when I woke up, I just felt pain,” Montgomery said. Montgomery’s life took an unexpected turn on Sept. 23, 2011, when Attaining accuracy: Junior Caitlin Montgomery conducts part of a science assessment in Matt Nigro’s Earth Systems Science class. This year is Montgomery’s first return to class after being hit by a car last year while crossing the street.

she was hit while crossing West Swallow had suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury, skull fracture, tear in her heart and 15 Road, by an oncoming east-bound car. breaks in her face. She also had to get Montgomery was launched into the 28 stitches in her head. air before crashing into her new life of A Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a surgeries, therapy and a long recovery. type of brain injury that occurs when “I don’t remember a lot from the the skull touches brain tissue or when accident,” Montgomery said. “I just the head violently remember hits an object. getting up he hardest part for me They are similar to and going concussions, but the to school Caitlin Montgomery, is knowing that I could have done junior aftermath is much and then everything. worse. Depending going on the situation, it can cause problems across the street, but I don’t actually with the five senses, communication, remember getting hit by the car.” cognition (memory, reasoning, and During the week she was in the thinking) or behavior/mental health. hospital, doctors concluded that she “It was kind of like Jell-O,” Montgomery said. “My brain jiggled and [the car] hit my left side, but then when I landed I hit my right side too. My language processing was on my left, so I have difficulty with that, and on the right side is where you do math, so I have a really hard time with math problems. It also broke behind my ear, so my hearing is not good,” which made it especially hard to jump back into school. Montgomery continued, “I can hear, but I hear too much. When people hear things, there’s a filter in their brains that says, ‘Oh, you need to listen to this,’ but I just hear everything. I can hear the air conditioning, people talking, footsteps, everything and I can’t hear a difference. It all seems muffled.”

“

Michelle Kennedy

//Jump to Montgomery,

on B2

September 14, 2012 features//highlighter rm \ \ B2 New teachers contribute charisma, character Aaron Knobloch

Path to Rocky: I’m from Ft. ColAge: 29 lins, but I’ve lived ►Aaron Position: Integrated in Italy and New Knobloch services Zealand. I’ve Years of Experience: also worked in a 1 year non-profit legal Education: BA in English office. Lit./ Minority Studies from Personal ComLSU and MA in Teachment: I am so ing/ Speech Educaexcited to spend tion from University of my time with Washington some Lobos, and I love the Path to Rocky: I taught in a students I’ve taught so far. small high school in southern Louisiana before moving to Lucas Burge seattle to do my graduate work. Age: 30 I worked in an inner-city middle Position: Math school there before moving to Years of Experience: Ft. Collins to teach at Rocky. 6 years Personal Comment: I’ve only Education: been here a short time, but I Undergradulove Rocky. The students are ate from CSU, polite, genuine and smart. The currently faculty seem to be welcoming, attending UNC accepting and collaborative. for MA The fun atmosphere is contaPath to Rocky: gious, and I look forward to an Bennett, Blevins, educationally fun and invigorat- 2001 Rocky Grad. ing year. Personal Com-

Kaitlyn Hanson Age: 25 Position: Spanish Years of Experience: I’m brand new! Education: BA in Spanish from CU Boulder and MA in Education from CSU

ment: I love Ft. Collins and all the fun outdoor activities, I’m glad to be back teaching at Rocky as an alumnus.

►Kaitlyn Hanson

Ron Wright

►Lucas Burge

Age: 49 Position: Language arts Years of Experience: 7 years Education: San Diego City College and CSU Path to Rocky: After beginning my teaching in Walden, CO we returned to Ft. Collins after 10 years in the Midwest. I have worked part time in PSD as a sub. Personal Comment: Having taught in several regions and all high schools in PSD, I can say that Rocky is where I should be! It is truly a learning community—a cooperative vs. competitive school.

Danielle Hardin Age: 27 Position: Sign language interpreter/ tutor Years of Experience: 6 years Education: FRCC Westminster Associate in ASL Interpreting Path to Rocky: Webber didn’t have enough students in their D/HH

program, so I was transferred here. Personal Comment: I have really enjoyed all the Rocky spirit!

coworkers have been incredibly welcoming and supportive. I can’t wait to see what we will accomplish together this year!

Katarina Schmitt

Age: 33 Position: Vocal music Years of Experience: 12 years Education: BA in Music Education and MA in Choral Conducting from CSU Path to Rocky: I student taught at Rocky and hoped that I would end up teaching here someday. I started at Estes Park Middle/ Senior High, then Berthoud Elementary and Mountain View High School. I spent the last six years at Lesher Middle School. Personal Comment: I am extraordinarily impressed with the maturity level, kindness and hardworking nature of the students here. I am blessed to have a job that doesn’t feel like work because I adore ►Katarina the students and staff. Schmitt

Age: 23 Position: Director of Orchestras Years of Experience: 1/2 year Education: BA in Music Education from St. Olaf College Path to Rocky: I was applying for jobs all over the country. Rocky really jumped out at me for many of the same reasons my college did: a topnotch, well-supported music program and a strong sense of community (the Lobo Way) that permeates the culture. Personal Comment: I love being here. I had anticipated the first few weeks of school would be difficult, but my students and

Elizabeth Hohweiler

Compiled by Michelle Kennedy

Montgomery//

home from one therapy session after another, Montgomery’s Walking around the bustling heart rate suddenly sped up to hallways, Montgomery wears an astonishing 250 beats per earplugs to try and block out minute and she was immediately most of the extra noise. It helps, taken to the emergency room. but working in a classroom “You could actually see my environment is still difficult with heart beating in my chest,” she all of the loud distractions. said. “I felt like I was going to Junior Lydia Funke was exthrow up and I was really hot. cited to hear that Montgomery When I got there, they gave me was coming back to school for an IV and they put this medithis year. cine in my body that makes my “Caitlin is one of my best heart stop and that really hurt. friends,” Funke said. “That’s It felt like a ton of bricks just fell good [that she’s back in school]. on my chest, then it came back It’s nice seeing her before school and it beat normally again.” starts and just talking about Turns out, Montgomery things.” needed heart surgery, but not been really dont want to be had aware of it for Caitlin Montgomery, junior treated any differently, but the past five I want people to hear my story. months. A month after The accident happened the going to the emergency room, day before homecoming, and she went back to the hospital Montgomery has been out of to get the path blocked off school since then, recovering. that triggered her heart to beat “I continue to get better, but abnormally fast. it’s been a really long journey,” “When I was just sitting my she said. “Every Thursday I go heart rate would be around 115 to therapy which is in Denver at [beats per minute],” MontgomChildren’s [Hospital]. It’s about ery said. “Normal heart rates are an hour away and that’s a big from 70-80. I still run a little drive for me.” high, but that should get better In order to help along the reas I keep going, so I will not go covery process, she has to follow up to 250 again.” up with three different therapy After such a traumatic event, sessions: physical, speech and Montgomery missed the rest of occupational. When it comes to her sophomore year. Some high speech therapy, Montgomery has school students would be overno problem speaking. The prob- joyed to leave their school for a lem is mainly in her memory. year and live at home all day, but “I’ve forgotten a lot of not Montgomery. things,” Montgomery said. “The hardest part for me, is “I’m really trying to get those knowing that I could have done memories back. I’ve been using everything,” Montgomery said. a lot of simple words and I can’t “Just having that thought in the remember a lot from math.” back of my head saying, ‘Oh, Five months after coming I could have done this before

from page B1

“

Regan Miller/ Highlighter Archives

Emergency scene on Swallow: EMTs load junior Caitlin Montgomery into an ambulance after a traffic accident on Sept. 23, 2011. Montgomery was struck as she crossed the street by an east-bound car that was blinded by the sun. She has returned to school this year after a nearly one year recovery period.

my accident. I could have been a normal teenager,’ and now I can’t, so that was really hard and frustrating for me. I missed homecoming, I missed everything about sophomore year, and it was hard to not be myself.” Now, Montgomery is taking one class to slowly get back into the swing of things. She goes to first period for Earth Systems Science with Matt Nigro. “She has difficulties with too much noise going on,” Nigro said. “It’s 29 students and a lot

of noise, so we were very cautious. She has got to be one of the strongest kids I know and has shown a tremendous amount of courage. Caitlin is right with the rest of the class and probably even ahead. I wish every student would be as motivated and courageous.” Montgomery can now walk, feed herself and function in a school environment, but her life will never be the same. “Traumatic brain injuries are just really hard for people to

understand,” Montgomery said. “I really don’t want to be treated differently but I want people to hear my story. TBI’s are huge and I’ll probably be dealing with this for the rest of my life. I will always have struggles that no one else will have. I just want people to have an awareness of what TBI’s are and really make sure people get the help that they need. Thank you so much for all of the support. It really helped my family and me out a lot.”

//B3

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September 14, 2012

Q \\ A

Getting to know the new SRO Matt Johnson is ready to take on the upcoming school year.

Q: A:

►Matt Johnson

Cam Chorpenning

What brings you to Rocky?

I was ready for kind of a new challenge. I’ve spent a bunch of time working in the downtown district of Fort Collins— little bit of craziness, lots of bar fights, and wild things like that, and a lot of project work, kind of working with people, problem-solving efforts, those sorts of things; I was ready for some new challenges. I really dig working with people, and so School Resource Officer was kind of a natural fit for me.

Q: A:

What did you do before you came to Rocky?

Courtesy of Seth Painter

Pretty screwed up: Senior Seth Painter’s x-ray shows the extent of his injury. To compensate for Painter’s injuries, doctors inserted two rods and six screws into his back after a serious motocross accident. He now wears a brace to help with the healing process.

A narrow escape

I’ve been around the block a little bit. I started as a cop in 2001. After a couple of years, I went to District One, which is the downtown unit, and I spent six or seven years down there. While I was there I spent about four years on SWAT, and then in 2009 I actually left for a year. I went to work for the federal government. I was a special agent with ICE (Immigration Customs Enforcement) and they had me out in San Diego, and San Diego was not working for my family, so I came back here to work at the police department, and I’ve been back here since 2010, and pretty much all that time I’ve been downtown.”

Q: A:

Painter avoids paralyzing spinal injury by Lauren Binder//sports editor

What are your goals for the year?

I’m really big on positive relationships. I really like having the opportunity to network with people, help people be successful, help people make good choices, be at a place where they can make the best out of their life. I feel like I’m going to have a lot of opportunity to do that at Rocky, so I guess that would be me--that’s my personal motivation for doing this job.”

Compiled by Cam Chorpenning

►Seth Painter

One centimeter. A margin the size of a dime became the gap between senior Seth Painter being able to ride motocross again, and becoming a quadriplegic. “I just saw a big cloud of dust, and Seth’s bike rolling away all by itself,” sophomore Brenden Fitch said. Painter was doing what he does best, racing on a motocross track, when one misstep over a jump sent him into a 360 degree flip over his handlebars and into the dirt. A deprivation of breath, and complete loss of feeling in his legs, became the first signs of

a serious injury. for me to watch him race. I don’t “At first, I tried to figure want anyone running into him, out where the pain was coming taking him out on a curve, and I from,” Painter said. “Originally, hate the whole shot.” it was my whole back and hips, Lori had been up in the then it just slowly decreased to mountains with her sister when my lower back.” Seth crashed and The fall was was not able to Spinal injuries enough to shear receive cell service at a glance: the T-10 vertebrae until she was com►Paralysis occurs when the of Painter’s spine, ing home, only to spinal cord is injured. ►80 percent of patients are located right realize from fright male. under the base of ening voicemails ►12 percent of injuries are caused by sports. the ribs. that her son was “Once I knew hurt. It had not that I was going occurred to Lori to crash, I initially thought that that Seth’s injuries were serious I was going to walk away from until the doctor had mentioned it,” Painter said. “But the actual that if Seth continued to move impact plus the feeling of the and/or not keep his legs flat that bike on top of me, and the fact he could break more of the bone. that I couldn’t breathe was when “That’s when it hit me that it I knew that it was serious.” was extremely serious,” Lori said. “He was pretty screwed “That’s when the tears came. I up,” Fitch adds. “He had lost tried to hide it from Seth because his breath and was mumbling I didn’t want him to worry.” followed by a string of profanDespite the serious injury, ity and just a lot of incoherent Painter plans to continue riding babbling.” once he recovers and can ride to Painter was taken directly to his full potential. the emergency room and was in “Originally, I was afraid to need of immediate surgery. Two [ride again], but now that I am at rods and six screws were put into a good mindset, I feel like there his back, and he now has a long is no reason for me not to,” Seth scar as a reminder of the accident. said. “Seeing the x-rays was pretty Lori added, “He is passionate shocking. He is lucky he is not about motocross. I trust him. I paralyzed,” Seth’s mom, Lori trust that he won’t do some stuPainter said. “The bone was a pid trick until he knows that he mess.” can do it, but [it’s] worth it when As a parent, worrying about he brings home a trophy or when one’s children is pretty easy to he tells me about some famous do, especially when they are in rider he met.” a high-risk sport such as motoDespite his serious injury, cross. Seth and his friends are able to “At times, it’s very nerve joke about the experience. wracking having Seth in moto“It’s funny, now we call the cross. He had his first accident jump the Paint-A-Pult,” Fitch when he was 5 or 7,” Lori said. said. “Which is awesome because “After that accident, it was hard it’s so Seth.”

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September 14, 2012

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Then use the leftoverCALCULUS letters to fill in the blanks and discover the secret message…1. How about Shane CALCULATOR Wagner as your new __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ , CHEMISTRY DICTIONARY running mate? __ __ GEOGRAPHY __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ , ENGLISH __ __ __ __*Turn in completed puzzle to room 528 by Sept. 29 to be entered in a __ __ ! Grant Rotman, Cam Chorpenning, Isaac Effner, Ed Kennedy, Sean Bray HISTORY LAPTOPS drawing for prizes! Winners will be recognized in the next __ __ __ __ __ ! edition on the games page. LIBRARY SCIENCE SUBJECTS by Saskia Becker

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The Freshmen

by Branson Hoog

Directors// from page B8

When Hohweiler got her Master’s degree in Choral Conducting at CSU, she felt that she could fully focus and commit to a high school job. This year she plans to engage

the choir in more honor groups. “I believe in having music education accessible to all students and I also believe in high rigor and expectations within the classroom. I also think that mutual respect and

ownership in a choir or a music class is key. Those are my basic principles but of course my philosophy is evolving,” she said. Timothy Tharaldson, who retired after last year, is her prede-

cessor who helped make the music program what it is today. The metaphorical “Music Program batten” is changing hands. Casey Cropp, band teacher, will retire next year as well. He was in

the hiring process of the two new music teachers, and does not feel that a legacy is ending. “I wouldn’t have hired them had I not felt that they would do a great job,” Cropp said.

trying to stay close to Fort Collins, to keep the band up and running. “We might have to do some kind of Skype band practice or something if one of us ends up

going farther than planned,” Hoog said. The band is currently trying set up a show in Old Town Square as well as save up money to record

at the Blasting Room where Rise Against recorded. They are currently taking a break to write new songs, but are not coming to a stop.

Shatterproof// from page B8

mountain stage during New West Fest and had a crowd of 300,” Ben Spolianski said, drummer for Shatterproof.

Although they have no upcoming shows, they are working on a new album. They are not completely certain of their plans after senior year, but Hoog and Spolianski are

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September 14, 2012

Climate change messes with normal weather patterns by Michelle Kennedy//features editor

Retired teacher loses home to flames by Issac Effner// reporter

On an early June afternoon, retired teacher John Fialko was very busy. He had to load his squirrelly, blind horse into his trailer. He had to load several boxes of pictures and supplies into his car. All before the High Park Fire engulfed his mountain home. “The fire started on June 9 and we actually had a meeting for the Rotor Association,” Fialko said. “A fireman there got a call and said that there was a fire by Pingree park but it wasn’t urgent so the meeting went on. Then my wife showed up and said there was a big cloud of smoke and the fireman got a call saying we needed to prepare for my evacuation. I went home and hitched up my horses and loaded up the back of my truck.” Fialko did not know that he would never see his house intact again. “The first waves of flame came through and went past his house and he thought he was okay,” technology teacher and Fialko’s friend, Robert Ufer, said. “But the fire ended up sweeping back and filling in some of the places it had missed.” Fialko’s house burned down on the night of June 10 after the fire had originally missed the property. The fire eventually circled around and closed in. Fialko would later talk to a fireman who described the night as a firestorm. “A fireman told me the smoke was so thick they couldn’t hardly drive down the road,” Fialko said. “He had to navigate the road by opening the door and looking at the side of the road because he couldn’t see

Graduates battled flames in own backyard

Courtesy of John Fialko

anything outwards.” Fialko spent the next couple of weeks living in La Porte with various friends. When he returned to his property, he found both his barn and his chicken coop were still standing but only his chimney stood over the rubble where his house had once been. “Surprisingly, the damage to the property was pretty minimal,” Ufer said. “There were some trees and some dead beetle kill trees right next to his house that did not burn. He had a wooden barn and a chicken coop that did not burn but the only thing left standing from his house was the chimney. His Subaru only suffered minor damages.” “I felt sorry for my wife,” Fialko said. “She took it really hard. One of the first thoughts that came to my mind was that I didn’t have to reshingle the steep A-frame roof. But there were some family heirloom like a trunk that my Grandpa brought to America in the 1800’s and pictures that we forgot to take off the wall that I regret losing. It’s all stuff, though, and we’re safe and the animal are safe and you can’t do

The hazy brown cloud that settled over the Front Range this summer was impossible to miss. Although many Coloradoans are able to accept the constant and possible threat of fire, this year, the blazes hit closer to home than usual. In fact, 2012 is on track to be one of worst years for wildfires in terms of acreage burned, since the turn of the millennium. “We had an abnormally hot, dry year this year,” science teacher Scott Kemp said. “It’s not uncommon at all that we have fires and warm temperatures; it has certainly happened before. It’s just that this year it happened right next door to us.” State Climatologist Nolan Doesken concurred, adding that the unusually dry weather patterns this year set the table for some of the driest conditions that the area has ever experienced. “It was so dry, in fact, that most of us expected the fires to continue burning all summer,” Doesken said. “As far as forest dryness and wildfire vulnerability, June 2012 was about as bad as it gets. Unless we get some more rain fairly soon, we’re returning to very seriously dry conditions again right now.” One of the largest factors in the extremeness of the fires this summer was the extensive number of dead trees caused by pine beetle kill. Not only does dryness deplete the trees of their

Courtesy of John Fialko

Rebuilding from the ashes: The High Park Fire left retired teacher John Fialko’s home (above) in ruins after sweeping through the Rocky Mountains mid-June. The flames also melted a few vintage bicycles that were left on Fialko’s property (top left).

anything about a fire. The woods are going to grow back, and we are going to rebuild.” “Of course, he was pretty shaken up at first but he always sees the bright side of situations,” Ufer said. “I think he thought of it as an opportunity to rebuild a new house on his property.” Fialko now lives in Livermore in a two bedroom ranch house with room to hold his horses. He has tried to make the best of things and appreciates all the help he has received in the last months.

by Megan Shaw//center editor

Firefighters never imagined that the June High Park Fire would turn into the second largest wildfire in Colorado history. For three alumni in particular, the flames weren’t only a battle to be tackled as firemen, but a natural disaster rising in their hometown’s backyard. “We knew Fort Collins was going to be safe; we weren’t going to let it get that far,” graduate Alec Huggins, 20, said. “But it’s still scary looking out your window and the mountains are on fire.” Huggins, who works for Larimer County Emergency Services and a certified firefighter, has mostly fought fires further up in the mountains away from houses and residential areas, so fighting a fire so close to Fort Collins was a new experience. For alumni Loren Collins, 21 and Ryan Nelson, 19, fighting an extremely large fire so close to home was a strange feeling, as well.

“We appreciate all the offers of help from Rocky and all the other people who have done stuff for us and helped us out,” Fialko said. Ufer plans to help Fialko as best as he can in the coming month and plans to set up a fundraiser to help him. “I would like to find out what his needs are and possibly hold a fundraiser or something similar to Adopt-A-Family just for his needs and the needs of other people related to Rocky that have lost property,” Ufer said.

“It was kind of bittersweet; [firefighting] is something I’ve always wanted to do,” Nelson, who works for Risk Canyon Volunteer Fire Department, said. “I felt in my element, but it’s hard not to be concerned about what’s going on at your house when you’re out working on other things.” ►Nelson As with any fire, there was a copious amount of things that each firefighter had to focus on in a day’s work. There was constant commotion at the site of the disaster: smoke rising, slurry being dropped from helicopters above their heads, and chainsaws chopping trees. One of the highest priorities was ensuring residential security by clearing wood, trees, or any burnable material from around structures. There was a total of 1,923 firefighters battling these

challenges throughout the course of the fire. Firefighters were on their hands and knees day in and day out digging fire lines in the dirt to clear the area of any possible fuel. The units also had to “mop up,” or secure the fire perimeter by covering burning embers and anything that ►Collins looked hot with water or cold soil. However, this process of putting out the fire took hard work and even more time. Since the roads near the fire are very small, units typically could not drive their engine to the location. “We had to hike up there and do the best we could with our hand tools,” Huggins said. On occasion, units could use smaller fire engines such as type six, which are the smallest. Although

resources, but it also makes them more susceptible to being infested by pine beetles. “The trees can push the pine beetles out by creating sap, but when it’s dry, the tree can’t produce the sap to push the beetles out,” science teacher Dave Swartz said. “If you go up to Summit County, there’s nothing but dead trees. In fact, were really lucky that hasn’t burst into flames. I hate to say it, but there are going to be devastating fires up in Summit County in the years to come.” Not only did the fires this year destroy massive amounts of land, homes and vegetation, but they also damaged the ecosystems where they occurred. One of the biggest concerns now is about the debris and runoff that make their way into the water systems after a big rainfall. “Wildlife and vegetation adapt reasonably well to fire as wildfire has always been a part of dynamic ecology,” Doesken said. “However, until vegetation is re-established, each time it rains we will get a flush of debris. Some of which will reach the Poudre River. Our ‘black river’ has been quite a change of pace this summer from what we are accustomed to from our beautiful Poudre River.” Unfortunately, the heat and dryness that caused the fires are not expected to dissipate any time soon. Long-term predictions only show temperatures increasing and many experts attribute

this pattern to global warming. According to Kemp, researchers are discovering that the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is at its highest level since about 600 thousand years ago. “As modern humans on the planet, we have never experienced this much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Kemp said. “Now, lab tests indicate that this will increase temGrant Rotman perature, which will certainly lead to some Beetle territory: Beetle kill in the mountains has severely increased dryness in Colorado. As a result, the risk of large wildfires has inclimate change.” creased with the fast-burning fuel. As a matter of fact, researchers are for the planet its like one and a half predicting that the degrees Celsius, but in the arctic it’s average temperature of Fort Collins will increase about seven degrees in the seven degrees and all kinds of changes are taking place.” next 100 years Kemp said. Although, researchers and scientists “We are quite certain that the will never know for sure what the future will hold warmer temperatures future has in store. than what we experienced in most “This year was abnormally warm of the Twentieth-Century,” Doesken and so were the last 10 years on record, said. “So years like this one may be fairly commonplace in the future. That so there’s obviously a trend there, Swartz said. “There are some scientists means wildfire risk will likely remain that would say that some of these big very high.” Swartz added, “I go up to the arctic heat waves could be blamed on climate change, but I’m not sure if I feel confito do research and it has seen a lot dent enough to say that yet.” of temperature change. On average

►The High Park Fire burned a total of 87,250 acres ► Battling the fire cost approximately $39.2 million it is a source of water, a type six engine only holds 300 gallons of water, which is not enough for a job as big as the High Park Fire. According to Huggins, they would hardly ever use water alone; it would be mixed with soil in order to conserve it. With the lack of access to engines and water, using hand tools alone became a struggle at times. “Some days it was frustrating trying to secure spots just to have to go back and do them again, especially without water,” Collins, who also works for Larimer County Emergency Services, said. “A difficulty is how meticulous you have to be to put out an area. ” With the combination of their young age and High Park being their first large wildfire, all three alumni experienced their own difficulties. “By the end, I had only slept through the night maybe five times,” Nelson said. Out of 23 total days his unit was fighting the fire, Nelson worked 17 days, 12 of those being 24-

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hour days. “I was sleep deprived, so it was hard to keep focus. It was difficult to keep my head in the right place while I was thinking about t was difficult to keep my head my house Ryan Nelson, firefighter in the right place while I was thinkor how my and Rocky graduate ing about my house or how my family family was,” Nelson said. was. Amongst all the struggles and hardships, however, the process of communication went very smoothly for such a large fire, and support from residents was a great encouragement for firefighters. “It was cool to come down from the mountains everyday and see all the people lined up holding signs, waving, and saying thanks,” Collins said. “It’s nice to be reminded of why you’re doing the job.”

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//B5

September 14, 2012

Climate change messes with normal weather patterns by Michelle Kennedy//features editor

Retired teacher loses home to flames by Issac Effner// reporter

Graduates battled flames in own backyard

Courtesy of John Fialko

by Megan Shaw//center editor

“

//B7

highlighter\\limelight

September 14, 2012

Hidden in plain sight

Book cover for fast-selling book, Fifty Shades of Grey by E. L. James.

Popularity of Fifty Shades connected to anonymity of e-reader devices by Aaron Yu//reporter

Harry Potter was the most popular book series in the UK; until Fifty Shades of Grey. Initially written as a Twilight fan fiction by single mother Erika Mitchell, Fifty Shades of Grey shattered book sale records and became the fastest selling book in the UK. Fifty Shades follows the story of (virgin) college senior Anastasia Steele and her BDSM relationship with older billionaire Christian Grey. English Teacher Tom Smailes said that Fifty Shades is “First and foremost a love story, with a touch of bondage.” Though dubbed as “Mommy Porn” by critics for its shoddy, repetitive writing, the book continues to attract throngs of people wanting to read it. The latest literary phenomenon seems to be dry, erotic writing. “It’s awful writing,” English teacher Larissa Schendel said. For some unknown reason, Fifty Shades is very popular. It was at first aimed at the female population, then crossed genders once it gained more interest. A factor to this sudden and unprecedented attention may be credited to e-readers such as the Kindle. Fifty Shades started out as an e-book, an uncommon move for most authors. Only after it became well known was it then printed as a hard copy. A large portion of its popularity may be accredited to the fact that using an e-reader, no one can tell what one is reading. There is no

“

It spread

like wildfire through e-books because people can read it secretly and no one knows what they’re reading.

Larissa Schendel, english teacher

cover for everyone to see, so people could read this book in public without being embarrassed or feeling ashamed. “It’s not necessarily the phenomenon of the content, it’s the phenomenon that it’s one of the only books that started off as an e-reader,” Schendel said. “The phenomenon is that it has spread like wildfire through e-books because people can read it secretly and no one knows what they’re reading.” There was no professional marketing for this book when it started out. All its attention began first when it was first written online as a twilight fan fiction. It was in the right place at the right time. The trend seems to follow the same kind of path as the success of other books such as Twilight, The DaVinci Code, and the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series. The thing that sets it apart is that Fifty Shades is in fact an erotic novel. “Pornography in our society is off limits,” Schendel says, “We like to do things that might be taboo at times…. I

don’t know why this one [book] makes it okay.” Fifty Shades is one of the first, if not the first, pornographically oriented novel to achieve such a following in mainstream media. “Another reason that it’s so popular is that it’s socially acceptable pornography for middle aged women,” junior Ananda Wimberger said. “They don’t need to feel embarrassed about enjoying it.” The Fifty Shades series does not seem to be a fad. Such as the fashion of the Twilight stories, there may be spikes in readership. A movie of Fifty Shades has been confirmed, and it is assumed that

New Mexican restaurant option Cafe Rio opens near College Ave., Harmony Road by Lauren Binder//sports editor

A new restaurant called Cafe Rio, located on the corner of Harmony and College Ave. and east of Target, provides your typical quick-bite-to-eat Mexican cuisine. It has a warm and friendly environment that makes a sit down affair one to enjoy. Music fills the room quiet enough to have a conversation, but loud enough to be able to enjoy while eating. A stand-out aspect that can only be offered at Cafe Rio is their variety of unique beverages including Horchata. Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made with rice milk, lime, cinnamon and sweetened with sugar. It could be described as, a straw full of sugar to make the Mexican food go down. On the subject of food, they make sure to fit the taste buds

//Luaren Binder

Cafe Rio: Customers wait to order meat or vegetarian meals at the grilling station. Decorative lighting hangs from the celing, illuminating the cozy sit-down restaurant.

of every customer they have the choice to have beef, chicken, sweet pork or vegetarian. The portions, on the other hand could be bigger if they really want hungry high school students to feel satisfied when walking out the door. Students could just head over to Café Mexicali, at a more convenient location, for bigger portions at

the same price. The hand- made guacamole is definitely commendable, but could be taken down in price if they are only willing to offer more than an ounce cup full. Overall, Cafe Rio is a good place to go to have a calm lunch with friends, and the Horchata drink is an excellent way to keep you awake for third period.

around the time it is released, the books will fly off the shelves once more. Regarding the relationship between movies and books, Schendel commented, “I think it will explode again once the movie comes out.” The Fifty Shades series may be stretched out over time such as Twilight, which has spanned for around four years. “It follows the twilight trend tremendously,” Smailes said. It seems no one can explain the viral publicity this book is getting. Smailes believes that “Something is going on that is creating this popularity and no one knows why.”

\\ rmlimelight highlighter

What’s in the Limelight? Today: Movie Release: Finding Nemo 3D September 17: School: Vocal Jazz Solo Night September 18: CD release: The Killers - Battle Born CD release: Wiz Khalifa - O.N.I.F.C.

September 14, 2012

//B8//

New choir, orchestra teachers step into one of the top music programs in state

Musical movements

//Grant Rotman

Sepember 19: Concert: Train @ Red Rocks Amphitheater

Sepember 21: Movie release: The Perks of Being a Wallflower September 25: CD release: No Doubt - Push and Shove September 24: Concert: Jason Mraz @ Red Rocks Amphitheater Concert: Rise Against @ the Fillmore Auditorium September 28: Movie Release: Hotel Transylvania Movie Release: Pitch Perfect October 2: School: Jazz Concert CD Release: Blake Shelton - Sugaring Season October 5: Movie Release: Paperboy October 8: Concert: Kendrick Lamar @ the Ogden Theater

//Emily Anderson

Leading the class: Director Katrina Schmitt, conducts the zero hour chamber orchestra rehersal. Schmitt recently moved from from Minnesota as a substitute teacher to Colorado as a full-time director (below). Choir teacher Elizabeth Hohweiler enjoys her new job teaching at Rocky Mountain High School (above).

Schmitt, Hohweiler hit ground running by Emily Anderson//opinion editor

Rocky’s music program has been recognized numerous times, both in the state and nationally, for its excellence. The accomplishments of any school-sponsored program are usually a reflection of the teacher and faculty involved, and that is why it’s a shame to see teachers retire. However, many generations of teachers have taught at Rocky Mountain, and it’s not realistic to think that a good program can stay static without any alterations. This year there are two new music teachers: Katarina Schmitt,

“

Elizabeth Hohweiler, chior director

my mom was a teacher, and my whole family is musicians, so I think it’s just ingrained in who I am.

who teaches orchestra, and Elizabeth Hohweiler, who teaches choir. Schmitt recently moved to Colorado from Minnesota, where she went to college and worked as a substitute teacher. “Rocky just really stood out to me because, first of all, it has a very good music program and it’s

very well supported, but also, in a more general sense, there’s such a strong sense of community, and I really love that and look for that in a place of work,” she said. This is her first time teaching a full year of high school. “I’m still learning a lot,” she said, “I see it as a partnership with the students. I see my job as serving them, so I

//Jump to Directors,

on B6

Shatterproof tries to stick together

October 9:

by Morgan Miller//reporter

School: Concert (Summit, Capriccio, con Brio, Echoes, LB, and Sinfonietta) CD Release: The Script - #3 October 16: School: Concert (Chamber, Winds, Singers, Prima)

My dad was a band director and

want to give them the experience they are looking for as much as possible. My goal as a teacher is to make sure everyone is learning at all times”. She is taking over for Beth Wells, orchestra teacher who retired last year. On the other hand, Hohweiler has taught for 12 years at Estes Park, the Thompson School District, and Lesher Middle School. “My dad was a band director and my mom was a teacher and my whole family is musicians so I think it’s just ingrained in who I am,” she said.

//Maxine Raney Photography

Shatterproof: (from left to right) Josh Shoenlg, Ben Spolansky, Brason Hoog, TJ Wessel, and Jeremy Marmor stand in the spotlight. They perform alternative rock music.

Last year a few Rocky students caught themselves on stage and under the lights at the prestigious Gothic Theatre in Denver. The proud Lobos, sweating under the heat of the lights and the pressure of being recognized, are Branson Hoog and Ben Spolianski. These two seniors are currently in the band Shatterproof who is an alternative rock band that is rising very quickly in popularity. Shatterproof also includes three other band members: Jeremy Marmor (lead guitar) is a

senior at Poudre, Josh Schoenig (bass) currently enrolled at Front Range Community College and TJ Wessel (violin/ synthesizer) a former Rocky student who is now studying at CU-Boulder. Just this past summer the band played at the Aggie Theatre in old town opening for a band called Fierce Bad Rabbit, and also played the Mountain Stage at our very own New West Fest. “As of right now we don’t have any upcoming shows; we did play at the

//Jump to Shatterproof,

on B6