Rocky Mountain
Opening up for treats
ighlighter
Nov. 5, 2010
Volume 38, No. 3
Big numbers at Trick-orTreat Street
News, A3
Twain lives in controversy
Author’s autobiography released 100 years after his death
Center in-Depth, B4-5
Everything as far as you can see -John Denver, Rocky Mountain High Rocky Mountain High School 1300 W. Swallow Rd. Fort Collins, Colo. 80526
Dueling Drug Dealing
The secret life of a drug dealer by Tess Halac Editor-in-Chief
Photo Illustration by Tess Halac
Drugs dealing bad hand at Rocky by Geneva Mueller Reporter
Despite the recent arrest of current and former Rocky students on kidnapping charges connected to a drug deal gone bad, school officials said they believe drug trafficking mostly happens outside the school walls. “We make sure students are sober,” Principal Tom López said. “If we do know of a student (who is dealing), we investigate it. If there seems to be a student (dealing), we hope to have an adult bring it to our attention so that we can investigate.” López, though, would not specifically elaborate on the kidnapping case, where 2010 Rocky graduate, Kevin Thomas Jackson, 18, and three other current juvenile students were arrested on Oct. 18 and charged with kidnapping. The four
“” Tom Lopez, principal
You don’t always want big brother looking over your shoulder, but safety has to be our No. 1 priority.
allegedly kidnapped a 23-year-old man on Oct. 15, demanding money from him for an incomplete marijuana deal. The alleged crime involved threats and assault against the victim. “The way I see it, most students who are that deeply involved in drugs and drug dealing aren’t the best students, so most of the actual dealing is kept out of school,”
School Resource Officer Jerrod Hardy said. “Mostly, it happens outside of school.” Additionally, Hardy and López said preventive measures are in place to keep drugs from making their way into school. These include drug-sniffing dogs, which makes their way through the halls once or twice a year, an on-staff drug and alcohol counselor and a general awareness of the faculty and staff of the students in the school environment. “In general, we are always looking for wellness,” López said. “You don’t always want big brother looking over your shoulder, but safety has to be our No. 1 priority.” Someone who is part of the school’s preventive measures and simultaneously Jump to ROCKY, page A2
It’s a world that few venture into, a world where the stakes and consequences are high, with even higher rewards, and a world that the legal system continuingly struggles to stifle. Drug dealing. Fort Collins’s most recent encounter with this world took place on Oct. 18 with the arrest of 2010 Rocky graduate Kevin Jackson, 18. Jackson was charged with first degree kidnapping after a drug deal gone awry. Jackson was arrested with three Rocky juveniles, who were also allegedly involved in the crime, which developed after the subjects did not receive marijuana that they allegedly paid for. Colorado law states that illegally selling marijuana carries a two year minimum jail sentence. Selling within 1,000 feet of schools or public housing is punishable by a minimum eight year jail sentence. Despite these harsh punishments, many drug dealers continue to sell without fear of prosecution. One source, who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of this story, started dealing drugs when he realized that the Fort Collins community wasn’t as hard on the drug scene as many other areas. “Drug dealers are really chill Jump to DEALERS, page A2
Inside Stuff
Quoted directly: Veterans Day is really important because you don’t want to let the sacrifices that have been made go unnoticed. You want to recognize the people who have laid down their lives, laid down their time, all for the sake of our country.”
- Nicholas Valcho, Rocky graduate on Veteran’s Day
►Students taking advantage of Colorado’s award-winning ski slopes. Sports, A8 ►CU Gold may face restructure. nEWS, A3 ►Student comparison to popular TV show Glee. lIMELIGHT, B8
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Rocky Mountain Highlighter
November 5, 2010
Kelly honored as state’s top secondary counselor by Trevor Merrill Reporter
Once again, one of Rocky’s faculty members has been recognized for doing a great job with helping students. Counselor Chrystal Kelly was selected as the Secondary School Counselor of the Year in the state of Colorado. Kelly was nominated by Laurie Carlson; Colorado State University Professor in Counseling and Career Development and was selected by the Colorado School Counselor Association based on her nomination letter, letters Calvin Jouard of recommendation, and questions she had to answer about the counseling profession. Lending a hand: Counselor Chrystal Kelly (right) talks with seniors (from left) Amanda Reyes, Courtney Lorenz, Katy Walrond and Devyn Robuck. Kelly is said to be a great person to get Kelly was recently awarded Counselor of the Year for the state of Colorado. advice from because she listens to and helps Kelly said. “He taught me to love education and to each student on a personal level. help all students no matter what their circumstances. “She creates very close relationships,” Principal I am dedicating this award to his memory. He Tom Lopez said. “She has an abundance of advice touched so many lives.” and she listens to you.” Though Kelly is the recipient of this award for Junior Dani Xiong also enjoys working with her excellence, the rest of the counseling staff is also Kelly because she believes Kelly does a great job at excellent at helping out students. listening. “In no way do I believe the other counselors are “I just feel like when you’re talking to her she not deserving (of the award),” Lopez said. “But she gives you all her attention and time,” Xiong said. is a leader within the counseling group, therefore “Even when she’s busy she makes sure you get what you need from her. She has the students’ best interest deserving of this award.” Kelly says she believes no one person makes at heart; she tries to help you reach your potential.” Rocky great, but everyone together as a family. Adds Lopez, “students and parents tell me she’s “I think this award says that everyone at Rocky fun to be with, talk to, knowledgeable and profesworks extremely hard to help students be successful,” sional,” Lopez said. This means a lot to Kelly, on both a personal level Kelly said. “I am humbled every day by the amazing things my counseling and teaching colleagues are as well as a school-wide level. doing to help students, and I know we all learn from “My dad was a school counselor at my high each other and that is what makes Rocky so great.” school and died in my senior year of high school,”
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News
Planned Costa Rica trip provides adventure by Regan Miller Reporter
From June 2-June 12, 2011, students and teachers will be exploring Costa Rica in the annual trip. Trip leader Diana Fremaint started the Costa Rica trip five years ago and Courtesy of Alex Viert it has been going on since. Adventuring into the wild: “It’s a great balance Top: Students on between learning and fun,” the Costa Rica trip Fremaint said. go white water This year, 15 to 36 qualirafting. Bottom: A Courtesy of Brian Newsom fied students will be able Hercules beetle in Costa Rica. to attend the trip. The only through the rain forest, and requirement to qualify is to students will be able to visit be a student in either zoology or the Guanacaste beach and a biology and must have earned at volcano. least a C in their science course. “To watch a kid experience a The trip is still open to qualified volcano, it just brings science to students until mid-December. life,” said Bartholomew. Students will be exposed to The approximate total cost boat rides through the Tortuper student is $2400, which guero canals, hiking through the includes round-trip airfare, a 10 national parks, a visit to the hot night stay in a hotel, entrance springs and a canopy tour. fees, three daily meals and pay “This trip is really a once for a bilingual tour guide. in a lifetime opportunity,” said Additionally, five academic a biology and Pre AP biology elective credits in environinstructor Michelle Barthomental studies will be given to lomew, who will be attending attendees. the trip. “The species of animals “Expect a lot of fun, but also and butterflies may not be seen a lot of work, said sophomore in future years.” Sam Nigro, who attended the Along with those activities, trip last year. “It’s worth it.” there will be horseback riding
Rocky from page A1 acts as a support system is school social worker Tricia Van Horssen. Van Horssen has been working in Fort Collins for 10 years all of which have been invested in teens. “I think that any drug dealing in a school is a problem,” Van Horssen. said. “I know that it happens here as it does in most schools.” “I think that many people who deal (drugs) also use,” she continued. “I don’t know the percentages, but from my experience, I have not known many kids who can separate the two. It becomes a lifestyle for people when they start using.” According to the Poudre School District Student Code of Conduct, the first time a student is caught with drugs on campus, he or she receives a fiveday suspension as punishment. The second offense is a 10-day suspension and the third offense is the consideration of expulsion. Additionally, Hardy becomes involved anytime there are legal issues, such as illegal drug use or underage drinking. As a Fort
Dealers from page A1 people,” the source said. “It helped me get drugs. It felt like I wasn’t hurting anyone, but the law system. I respected the community and wanted to keep a low profile.” The source said he eventually got out of the system because it ruined the high for him, comparing it to “working for a television show that is old.” What may be surprising to some is that many drug dealers do not think anything of dealing marijuana as anything more
Sniffing it out: A police officer walks down the halls of Rocky with a drug dog. Drug dogs are used to help the schol find illegal drugs.
Highlighter Archive
Collins Police officer, Hardy also deals with student crimes even if they are committed outside of school, like the incident on Oct. 15 which led to the kidnapping arrest and charges. “One of the things that I try to do is to communicate with you (students) personally,” López said. “I believe in the Lobo Way. I fear that there may be a time in a student’s life when they may be tempted with something new. And for this, yes, I worry. Are we aware and monitoring students? You better believe it.” In addition to López and Hardy, Van Horssen is involved with the welfare of students on a
more personal level. “It is important to emphasize that drugs use among Rocky students is a problem that we are addressing,” Van Horssen said. “We are lucky to have a great team in our admin, SRO, deans and support staff who deal with these issues. As a mental health worker, I am more focused on why kids deal and use drugs.” López is also committed to maintaining a drug-free environment at Rocky. “It would be very, very important for all of us to realize how dangerous, easy to come by, and negatively impacting drugs are,” López said.
than merely providing a service to a community where marijuana is progressively becoming more acceptable. The source compares it to “having a bag of Cheetos, and someone asks to pay a dollar for a handful.” Though the school administration ardently maintains that drug dealing is not a pertinent issue within the halls of Rocky, another drug dealer who also wished to remain anonymous, dissented by saying that he has both bought and sold marijuana on school grounds.
Like his fellow dealer, the source credits the ease of dealing and higher acceptance levels as reasons to deal. “It (dealing) is so f*cking easy,” the source said. “You can sit on your couch for an hour and watch TV, and if you’re a good dealer, you can make $100-$200 in that hour.” His words do come with words of caution, however. “If a person dealt at one point, they will probably stick with it,” the source said. “Once you’re in, you’re in for a while.”
News
November 5, 2010
CU Gold losing shine
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Popular program facing extreme changes due to new law by Geneva Mueller Reporter
By July 2011, a decision will be made that will impact all of Rocky. This change is due to a law signed into Colorado state legislature a few years ago which states that every student who wishes to receive college credit while in high school is entitled to a certain amount of money from the state that would go towards those credits. Although this law has not yet taken effect on Rocky, many students make use of the CU Gold program; this is the program that staff has chosen to help students earn college credit while still enrolled in high school. “The CU Gold program got started by overachieving teachers interested in helping students get college credit during high school,” chemistry teacher and CU Gold professor Glenn Gainley said. Although the program has been successful for Rocky, it does not concord with the new law. The law requires teachers providing college credit classes to be “highly qualified”—all teachers would be required to have a Masters degree in their subject area. Even though many of the staff currently dual-enrollment classes have Masters degrees, they are not in their subject areas. For example, higher level math teacher, Todd Pfeifer, has a Masters
Adding the law up: Math teacher Todd Pfeifer works with seniors Erika Cummings and Andy Hester. Pfeifer is a current CU Gold teacher who would be affected by the new legislation.
Geneva Mueller
in Education and Gainley has a Masters in Business. “What I worry about in all honesty is that the people they would bring in have higher degree qualifications but no concern for the students,” Gainley said. With the new law being implemented by the district, adjunct professors from Front Range Community College would come over to Rocky three days a week for fifty minutes (for a three credit class) in order to conduct their lectures. This would be the extent of the contact that students would have with their professor. Additionally, students would most likely have scheduling issues because of the
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unconventional class length. “I think one of the really bad things is that we would lose the community and the Lobo Way,” Pfeifer said. “It would destroy the culture of the school. The support that students get evaporates.” Pfeifer included that this new law would have an extreme impact on staff. If a teacher was previously teaching two dual-enrollment classes (typically higher lever classes), they would be replaced by an adjunct professor for those two periods and that teacher would have to teach two lower level classes instead. As things progressed, teachers previously instructing higher level courses would end up taking
the positions of lower level teachers. Inevitably, some teachers would have to find a new job. Pfeifer comments on this situation in regards to his teaching Calculus. “It’s what I’ve worked for, what I’ve bled for for the last 11 years,” Pfeifer said. Pfeifer would be unable to teach Calculus because he does not have a Masters degree in mathematics. The main thing that the new law concerns is money. It would, apparently, be significantly cheaper to have an adjunct professor teach than to have the current faculty members teach such classes. However this will remove the quality teachers from the classroom. Students would go into their dual-enrollment class knowing nothing about their teacher. This would most definitely decrease motivation. Pfeifer will be a parent of a Rocky student next year. “I want him to take chemistry from Gainley, English from (Paul) DeMaret and (Tom) Smailes and psychology from (Ginny) Cox,” Pfeifer said. “I don’t want my child to be taught by an adjunct professor.” Pfeifer calls all parents and concerned students to action—in order to stop this legislation from influencing Rocky’s current system (CU Gold), as much support as possible is necessary.
Brain breaks, breakfast benefit student body by Fahey Zink Reporter
Trick or Treat: A trick-or-treater opens wide for the doughnut-on-astring event with help from junior Jess Davidson. This year’sMary Trick or Willson Treat Street drew a record crowd.
StuCo event of Trick-orTreat Street draws record numbers On Oct. 28, Rocky’s annual Trick-or-Treat Street was held. In The building was packed with students, teachers, volunteers and citizens alike. 1,047 people and 580 children came
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through the building in two and a half hours for the event.. Clubs sponsored doors, decorating them and then passing out candy to the passing children. This year had a record turnout of kids. -Geneva Mueller
Benefit concert for Padia family Tonight starting at 6:30 p.m., a benefit concert hosted by the Peers will be held in the Rocky Commons for the Padia family. The Padia family recently lost their son, Austin after complications from a heart transplant. The surgery left the family with a huge medi-
cal bill. The cost is $5 and the proceeds with go directly to the Padia family to help them in their time of financial challenge. Andrew Webb, The Rewards, The Killer Bees and Devyn Robuck will all be performing. -Geneva Mueller
RM Highlighter wins sweepstakes The RM Highlighter won the Colorado High School Press Association (CHSPA) sweepstakes for the fourth year in a row. The winners were announced at Journalism Day Oct. 14, at CSU. The RM Highlighter won first place in
General Excellence, In-depth Coverage, Headlines, News photography, School, district, and community package, and Sports columns. Rock Canyon High School placed second, while and Mountain Vista was third. -Fahey Zink
The Wellness Committee is taking the phrase, “breakfast is the most important meal of the day” to new levels. The Wellness Committee is a group of staff and parents who meet at Rocky and try to improve the overall health throughout the building. The committee has used several activities as a vehicle for this message, including the highly popular Wellness fair that goes on every spring. They have also brought up the idea up of ‘brain breaks,’ a series of exercises that happen during the middle of each class to help give students more energy during class. However, their main goal this year is to promote eating throughout the day. “We’re talking about different policies and whether policies need to be adjusted or relooked at around food in the classrooms and food in the hallways,” Wellness member Shannon Kummer said. “We think it’s really important if students are eating breakfast or lunch and making sure it’s accessible, and if students are not eating breakfast or lunch why they aren’t eating it.” The committee has a majority of staff and parent members and hopes to get students more involved with helping them achieve its goals. The committee wants to add two student representatives in the near future and eventually become a club. “Once we get the staff on board, we’ll get the students on board,” committee member Kelly Glick said. “We want students who feel really passionate about this to help us.” While breakfast is available for students, some students have
Fahey Zink
Breakin’ it up: Seniors Troy Hayes and Matt Anderson wind up to throw a ball for a ‘brain break’ during their government class. Brain breaks are used to break up the class period and are being imprlemented by many teachers as a way to keep their classes focused.
problems getting to school on time and are not able to purchase breakfast or eat it at home. Because of this, the committee has now started to focus on trying to change the policies on eating in the classroom. While the school policy is to not allow food in class, some teachers have started to overlook the rule and allow kids to eat. “We’re trying to create a culture that all the teachers can agree on,” Kummer said. “There are teachers who have gone around the policy because they feel strongly about students being able to eat breakfast because they don’t have time in the morning. We want to come together as a staff and relook at the policy and to see where we want to go from here.” The Wellness Committee has also been looking at the lunch issues. The long lunch lines have been a major issue for students. Many students would rather socialize than wait around in line for food, so they’re trying to figure out a policy that can work
for everyone. The committee is also interested in figuring out ways to help students pick better lunch options that would be more nutritional, but also taste good whether it be in school or out. “We thought about giving out coupons or discounts to healthier options at fast food restaurants for a free grilled sandwich rather than a fried one,” said Kummer. “We also want to teach students about the healthier options here.” Added Glick, “Colorado is the thinnest state, but obesity rates are going up exponentially. It’s not going to be long until we catch up with other states. This is why we need people to join the committee who want to change this.” The Wellness committee is ready to improve nutrition all over the school area. With a huge amount of passion throughout the group, they’re ready to achieve their main goal of having students fed throughout the day and ready to learn.
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ditorial
November 5, 2010
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Existentialism
John Califf
Drugs not answer to anything
Staff Editorial ►Students should focus less on drugs and more on positive clubs and activities.
S
tereotype and reputation: Two very different words, both falling under the same category. Rocky has always kept a superior status as a high school in our community, but according to recent talk, it has been labeled as the “stoner school.” Although every high school is categorized into its own specific stereotype (for example, Fossil– “rich school,” Poudre– “cowboy/nerd school,” and Collins– “drinking school”), we do not want a bad name for our school floating through the community. In one of the latest Fort Collins drug busts featured in the Fort Collins Coloradoan, several of the juveniles in the article happen to be students
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 970-488-7091 for advertising information. Also the Rocky Mountain Highlighter staff is in Room 528, during 4th period. Editor-in-Chief Tess Halac Editorial Editor Ramsey Nicholas Sports Editor Calvin Jouard Features Editor Cassa Niedringhaus National Scholastic Press Association National Critique
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Rocky Mountain
Center In-Depth Editor Mary Willson Limelight Editor Chloe Evans Advertising Manager Jake Mohr
Staff Charlie Anderson John Califf Trevor Merrill Regan Miller Geneva Mueller Ryan Nelson Doug Watterson Fahey Zink
or previous students at Rocky. These students were allegedly involved in kidnapping–the result of a drug trafficking incident. Stories like this are not portraying student excellence at this school or displaying a good name for us in the community. It is also true that the percentage of students associated in drug trade is certainly not 100 percent, but the fact that we are receiving this stereotype cannot be diminished. Stereotypes are the leading cause of overall reputation and a good reputation is critical for general and overall success. As a more positive direction, students need to come together as a whole and say no to il-
ighlighter Artists Sarah Hite Loren DeWeese Adviser Stephen Wahlfeldt
legal activities that give the school and teens in general a bad name. This school still remains in a position of academic vivacity. A little bump in the road such as this can easily be overcome and we are all capable of helping to find a working solution. Instead of doing drugs, try getting outside or playing sports with friends. Get into art, photography, music, languages or any of the various clubs offered here at Rocky. There are so many worthwhile things out there to experience without the distraction of drugs. Students, let’s change our “stoner” reputation by preventing drug trade and use throughout the school.
RM Highlighter editorial policy
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 Pro-
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The Ramin’ meaning of life: to the give life Truth meaning. Is Ramsey it posNicholas sible for a potentially enlightening philosophy to have an alternatively dark side leading to a social alienation? Let’s take a look at existentialism and the fundamental breaking down of the concept. The first and main focus of existentialism is free will and creating one’s own value system. Existentialists believe they are free to do as they choose; therefore, every choice made is consequential to them. Hence, you are the dictator of your own being and the path you follow in life. Humans are entirely responsible for their decisions and outcomes, in other words, condemned to be free. Individuals following this philosophy have a goal to find the meaning of everything in their lives, but are overcome with anxiety when they realize that everything is the way it is due to their own choices. This overwhelming responsibility can in some cases lead to ultimate loneliness, eventually bringing societal alienation. Full awareness of the human situation and character must be accepted, if one is to live meaningfully. Many existentialists take this to an extreme, deceiving themselves due to such overpowering anxiety. They eventually begin to deny their freedom and responsibility, falling deeply into self-deception. What I find interesting, is the rapid advancement of medical and cerebral science that has led mankind to the ability of treating various emotional disorders with pills and medication. What if emotions such as sadness, anxiety, stress and even anger could be completely cured? This anguish felt by extreme existentialists could perhaps be an entirely needless emotion. If this were so, and humans do not even need pain, what would become of the entire philosophy? What I derive from this immense psychological archetype is to pertain to the free will of this philosophy and look at society and laws as gratuitous, but only to an extent. Many of the ideas of existentialism are valuable to the human well-being, without creating a personal deprivation of social relationships and connections. Ramsey Nicholas is a junior and Editorial editor for the Rocky Mountain Highlighter.
fessional 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. CHSPA Newspaper Sweepstakes
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Editorial Photo Poll Do you see drug dealing as an issue on the rise at Rocky? Adrian Flygt, teacher
“Dealing isn’t quite as shocking as the amount of use I see in this school.”
Ben Carter, junior
“I don’t see drug dealing as a problem here.”
Johnathan Harris, soph.
“Yes, a lot more students are getting into the use of drugs, and dealing them.”
Kiersten Eden, senior
“Yes, I have seen a lot of people get in trouble for making it too public.”
Daniel McGee, freshman
November 5, 2010
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
A new way to evaluate our teachers
An effective evaluation
Standardized testing has proven to be an effective approach in many academic cases. Standardized tests help students reflect on how well they are doing in class, as well as how proficiently the teacher has presented the material that is being tested over. The educational system should be recreated to ensure that educators who aren’t doing their job will be handing their position to someone who can. “Students should be engaged and educated not only
Pro Con
in school but in life in general. Teachers hold the key to a student’s future in a sense,” said senior Nate Hurt. Bill 191 would reform the way teachers would be evaluated based on these test results, in turn drawing a line between which teachers are doing their job and which teachers aren’t effectively meeting their students’ academic needs. Teachers who want their students to do well on standardized tests need to be able to connect with their students, which is their job. If the teacher isn’t teaching proper, valuable information, then they should not be given the position of such great influence over the future
of this country. Bill 191 makes sense because in the world we live in today, this country’s success in education is important to the individual’s future and largely the whole country’s technological evolution. This national success rides on the excellence of students’ educations and the importance of the standard knowledge they have attained. This reflects upon our educators teaching the needed material in order to do every subject effectively, which leads us into higher education and straight into the work force where we can help to stimulate the economy. If teachers are failing their
attention asserts that teachers and principals will be evaluated every year. Half of this evaluation is based on a supervisor’s reviews, while the other half is based off standardized test growth and similar measures. The monetary issue tied to Senate Bill 191 is perhaps the most serious concern of the bill. The Colorado Student Assessment Program (CSAP) test currently costs the state about $21 million annually for four different subject tests and six different grade levels. Senate Bill 191 would require standardized tests for all other subjects in order for the teachers to be properly evaluated. Additionally, an estimated $300 million in budget cuts are likely to take place in the near future. This
presents the inevitable question on how the Colorado Department of Education plans to fund this expensive new program when it is already losing a huge part of its financial resources. Going beyond the monetary issues that accompanies the bill is the immense risk of placing such heavy emphasis on a standardized test. While these tests may work for core subjects, the bill would require the same types of testing for the intangible subjects, such as music, physical education and creative writing. Furthermore, with the new law, CSAPs will hold considerably more clout than in previous years. Instead of an evaluation based on a given year’s entirety, this one test could determine the
students, and standards in testing are not being met, then the teacher has let down his or her students not only in the class room but in life as a whole. If Bill 191 is passed it could prove to benefit our educational system. The standards of these tests could help students have a better understanding of general knowledge that everyone should have of any subject. This would also insure that students have a successful future in the work force. In a bigger picture, the students of today will be the leaders of tomorrow. If our educators can’t educate us, then what future do we have? John Califf
An unnecessary amenity With the power of the purse comes great responsibility. The U.S. economy is floundering, driven to such a state of despair that harsh budget cuts are occurring throughout a multiplicity of industries. Poudre School District is facing an astounding $12 million budget cut, incarcerated persons are being released early due to lack of corrections funding and people are being laid off left and right. It would seem that in a time of such fiscal trouble, the government would look for ways to be most efficient with its money, using its limited resources to create the most positive impact. However, in regards to Senate Bill 191, the Colorado government is doing just the opposite. Senate Bill 191 encompasses a number of different laws, but the one receiving the most
Sarah Hite
difference between a teacher’s good evaluation and a bad one, and thus a teacher keeping his/her job and losing it. What’s perhaps even more alarming is the decaying opinion of CSAPs among students and parents alike. It is seen to be both costly and unnecessary amenity by a vast number of people. If people don’t understand or care about standardized tests, it is likely that the results will mirror these views. Therefore, a teacher then falls victim to the apathy of his or her students. It is often stated that a good teacher is the greatest gift a child can receive. It is thus the educated’s responsibility to respect, cherish, and even protect that gift from the dangers of Senate Bill 191.
How to balance yourself when stressed
When the going gets tough, the tough get going--a saying as old as time. This month, during this course of this RM Highlighter issue, I’ve seen stress in many forms. Whether trying to catch up from a loss in sports, or working to keep up in class as well as turn in numerous college applications, stress consumes the best
Rough Draft John Califf of us and is sometimes inevitable. The way we deal with our stress determines whether or not we are
Letters to the Editor: Don’t ban boobies
“No, I don’t see many drugs at Rocky, or people doing drugs.”
A5
Dear Editor, Copious amounts of women die from breast cancer each year. Recently, bracelets with the phrase, “I heart Boobies” have become popular among teens. These bracelets raise money to benefit breast cancer awareness, but are being banned in many schools that claim they are inappropriate. In my opinion, this ban is
insulting to anyone who knows someone who has had or died from breast cancer. The company making these bracelets has created a trend that benefits a good cause and has the potential to help people in invaluable ways. I hope that the administration of Rocky can see this, and even if pressured, will not ban these symbolic items from the student community. Michelle Kennedy, sophomore
Tess Halac
able to get through hard times when we are faced with them. To be able to overcome the stress of school, work, sports, or college applications, re-create the stress as the illusion of a mountain. With careful footplacement, it can be scaled if you just keep moving forward. When given that sense of accomplishment over all endeavors that lie ahead of us, anyone can
attain the power to take on the world, no matter what problem being faced. I commend all of the hard working students facing stress this month, but more importantly, all who are stressing in general from time-to-time in the day-to-day grind that we call life. John Califf is a senior and a reporter for the RM Highlighter.
Only a fashion statement
wearing these bracelets? Not only do they make a poor fashion statement, the bracelets portray women in a negative light. Students aren’t buying them to support cancer research, they’re buying them because they say “boobies.” Did you know that men can get breast cancer? Next time you go to buy a bracelet ask yourself, “Why am I buying this? Fashion or meaning?”
Dear Editor, The majority of students would disagree that the “I heart boobies” are controversial. I feel differently about them, they’re more of a fashion statement than an item helping a cause. Only two percent of the funds actually go to the breast cancer foundation. How much of a difference are students making by
Jake Mohr, senior
A6
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
sports
November 5, 2010
New faces, attitude for boys’ basketball
With the loss of four starting seniors and head coach, the Lobos are abundant with inexperienced underclassmen. The team will have to replace Chris Feller, Nate Crabtree, Jordan House, and Chris Roglen alongside the loss of head coach Bruce Dick. Seniors Ty Traufield and Michael Hoppal look to take the leadership role while Ethan Karp and Matt Buchanan represent the juniors. Jeff Myer
will take the place of Bruce Dick as head coach, providing a new perspective on strategy and lead an excited team into the start of the season this month. “Myer has a good vision of what he wants the team to accomplish,” said Karp. Although the loss of four starters hurt the Lobos, they look forward to the chemistry displayed during the offseason and leaders to take the court.
Tennis LoboWraps Courtesy of Sam Tegethoff
Reaching for greatness: Junior Sam Tegethoff is pictured climbing. Tegethoff started the his hobby at a young age.
Risks and rewards
Students getting thrill out of rock climbing by Calvin Jouard Sports Editor
The man’s feet slipped off the rock face, with his fingers caught in a crack Next thing he knew, his finger came off in the hole. Junior Sam Tegethoff has heard this horror story, and many like it. The odd thing Recreational is, he still isn’t deterred from pursuing his lifelong passion; rock climbing. “You just climb, and nothing matters,” said Tegethoff. “It’s super human in a way. “I love being in that state of heightened awareness. It’s almost primordial,” added Tegethoff. Tegethoff’s love for rock climbing started at a young age, with his parents introducing him to the sport when he was 8-yearsold. He has been captivated ever since. When it comes to climbing, Tegethoff prefers bouldering, which involves climbing up a 10 to 15 foot boulder with a crash pad at the bottom. Tegethoff isn’t the only one from Rocky to get involved in the sport. Junior Shaun Tucker also rock climbs, but his introduction
sports
to the sport was different from Tegethoff’s. About a year ago, Tuckers’ friend invited him to see the competitive team. Tucker describes his first experience as “unreal.” “I saw people do crazy things, and it was pretty amazing because I could do some of the things they did,” Tucker said. Like Tegethoff, Tucker enjoys bouldering the most, but he doesn’t mind lead climbing or top roping either. Top-roping is considered the most common type of climbing, with an anchor placed at the summit of the climb, and the climber attaches a rope tied to them to the anchor. This type is largely practiced in indoor gyms. Lead climbing consists of two climbers on a single course, with the one person in front while the other is in back. The first climber has the rope directly tied to their harness, and can set anchors along the course. Freshman Erica Bradley is also an avid climber and seems to like the sport for the same types of reasons Tegethoff has. “(I love) the adrenaline rush. It’s not all physical. It’s a mental
problem too. You have to figure out how to orient your body to complete a route,” Bradley said. One of the reasons rock climbing attracts so many individuals has to do with its availability. There are many destinations around Rocky in which students can quench their thirst for rock climbing. Tegethoff and Tucker like to climb at Rotary Park (near Horsetooth) and Carter Lake. Tegethoff, Bradley and Tucker all participate on the high school climbing team at the local Inner Strength Gym. The competitions at the high school level include events based on completion and time. “I like it for both its competitive edge and laidbackness,” Tucker said. Tegethoff agrees with Tucker in the laid back aspect, but views the competitive edge the sport provides a bit differently. “It’s competitive in the way that it’s you against nature, and it usually comes down to who can (climb the route) and who can’t. That’s good, because it separates the good climbers from the bad ones,” Tegethoff said.
Girls’ basketball outlook positive with return of ‘twin towers’
Gymnastics LoboWraps
With only two returning varsity starters, Erika Musante and Kara Spotten, the 2010-2011 girls basketball team is starting from square one. The team looks to be fairly young and inexperienced as they head into this new season, but the chemistry of the team seems to be at a high level. After
finishing 13- 11 last season, the Lobos must replace offensive threats Paige Towne and Paige Applegate. The pressure will be on collegiate bound athletes Musante and Spotten to lead the team to a successful season while also coping with the young ages and inexperience of the team.
►HOW THEY FINISHED: Third in the region and made it to state. ►HIGHS: Received their highest personal team score at regionals. ►LOWS: Multiple injuries occurred including back injuries and a concussion. ►QUOTE ME: “We finished strong. Everyone on the ream has improved.”Junior Alexis Kinney ►MVP: Samantha Boyce gets the team pumped up and focused at practices and performs well at meets.
Senior class leads girls’ swim team
Football LoboWraps
Soccer LoboWraps
►HOW THEY FINISHED: Overall record: 2-7, Conference record: 2-3, consolation game against Mountain Range on Nov. 5 ►HIGHS: Win over city rival Poudre in 22-19 thriller, and growing closer as a team. ►LOWS: Heartbreaking homecoming loss to Fossil and 2-7 record. ►QUOTE ME: “We had a really good senior group, and now the juniors are being looked up to to lead the team to a better season next year.”-Senior Tyler Prewett ►MVP: Eric Ferguson has 41 receptions for 797 yds heading into the final game against Mountain Range.
►HOW THEY FINISHED: Record of 9-6-1, lost to Rangeview 1-0, finished the season ranked 7th by the Denver Post ►HIGHS: Beating Fairview (ranked 6th) ►LOWS: Losing to city rivals Poudre (score of 3-0) and Collins (double OT) ►QUOTE ME: “Sometimes we play like we’re the best and sometimes we just didn’t play with heart. We were up and down which hurt us.”Senior Matt Anderson ►MVP: Goalie Josh Johnson played three weeks with a broken hand.
After a strong season last year, the girls’ swim team will look towards senior leaders to take the reins. Geneva Mueller and Mary Ellis will be frontrunners, taking the role as captains. “We may not be the team to beat, but I know that everyone is going to try their best,” Ellis said. “I think we’re going to try to focus on building a closer team.” Although seniors make up nearly half of the team, sophomore Adele Waites and junior Mary Wilson will be counted upon to perform well.
Trevor Merrill
Nice and easy: Senior Justin Schnell vollies during a state match. Schnell was the only player from Rocky to compete at state.
Nelsons from page A8
mates, grew from there. “It’s pretty surreal seeing his growth,” Blake says of watching his brother on the field. “I mean, not too long ago, we were just playing catch in the backyard.” Some athletic duos describe playing with their sibling as burdensome. They may bring too much sibling competition onto the field to the point where neither can concentrate on the sport itself. The Nelsons, on the other hand, try to overlook the competitive aspect. “Of course, we have some competition between ourselves,” says Braden. “But we don’t let it come between us.” As a sophomore, Blake doesn’t get as much playing time as his brother. The time spent on the sidelines is used as coaching opportunities from older brother to younger. “Braden will come off of the field and say something about the defense or what we need to do,” says Blake. “I’ll try to pick up everything he’s saying and use it
►HOW THEY FINISHED: Justin Schnell finished second in the region, and advanced to state, but lost in the first round. All other teams got third in the region, not advancing to state. ►HIGHS: First at the Greeley Invitational. ►LOWS: Lost to Fossil 3-4. During the match number two doubles player Jake Kechter suffered a concussion in the first set, arguably changing the result of the match. ►QUOTE ME: “I feel as a team we made a lot of progress. I feel the team was more of a family this year.”-Senior John Behm, No. 1 doubles player ►MVP(S): Justin Schnell was the only player to advance to state.
to better myself.” When the Nelsons aren’t using their sibling connection as a tool, the brotherly love really comes out. Everyone knows that siblings may not always get along. “We use football as an outlet,” says Braden. “I mean, we get to yell and hit each other as much as we want without getting hurt or in trouble. That doesn’t happen at home.” Running back’s coach Mike Dyer has known Braden since his debut in his sophomore year. But the duo appeared for the first time in this 2010 season. “They take up to the brotherly love part pretty well. There are definitely a lot of similarities and differences between the two. It’s fun to see the contrast. Especially in their running styles,” says Dyer with a smile. Although working with someone so close to you may be difficult, it can be beneficial as well. The Nelson brothers utilize this concept everyday on the football field. Because no matter what may happen, the two will always be brothers.
sports
November 5, 2010
The road to sucess
A7
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Winning mentality and high expectations propel volleyball team to great heights rounded.” This season the Lobos were It became clear early on for led by senior outside hitter and Rocky volleyball what their miscaptain Kaitlind Bestgen. sion for the season was going to “Kaitlind had to step up and be; win and win big. make a position change which Before each season the team she readily accepted,” said Gainmeets at head coach Glenn ley. “She is no doubt a very strong Gainley’s house and decides on leader and players respond to her goals for the upcoming season. emotions more than any other.” This year they set their sights on For senior middle Taylor city and conference champs and Mares, the season started with advancing to state. a challenge. During tryouts The Lobos Gainley pulled swept the city by Mares aside defeating Fort and told her Collins in four she would be games, Poudre fighting with ►HOW THEY FINISHED: Overall in three, and three other record: 20-3,Conference record: 9-1, completed the middles to earn Advanced to regionals sweep with a win ►HIGHS: Beating city rivals Fossil her spot. against Fossil in “Every pracand Collins (all in four sets) ►LOWS:Losing to Pine Creek in an emotional tice and every four game match. three sets thanks to earring infracgame I wanted tion by Lobos (called out by Pine They also share to come out Creek player towards end of match.) the Front Range ►MVP: Taylor Mares has hit exand prove League conferthat I was best tremely well, and Kaitlind Bestgen has played great defense and shown ence title with middle,” said great leadership. Monarch. Mares. Much of the Mares Lobo’s success responded well can be attributed to an all around to the challenge, consistently hittalent, unmatched by many other ting over .500. high school teams. Their ability “I still can’t believe the to put six players on the court numbers Taylor is hitting,” said without having any weak spots Gainley. “She has really stepped made the Lobos hard to beat this up her game and provided some season. amazing leadership.” “Last year we were very “Taylor Mares was a huge focused on two hitters,” said strength to this team and I don’t junior outside hitter Kim Catlett. think we could have made it this “This year we are much more well far without her hard work and by Doug Watterson Reporter
Volleyball LoboLights
Field Hockey LoboWraps ►HOW THEY FINISHED: 7-7, 8th in conference, lost to No. 1 Kent Denver 3-1 in 2nd round of playoffs. ►HIGHS: Beating Cheyenne Mountain 2-1
Students from page A8
will be the same kind of powder we have these days.” Senior Chris Morse is also looking forward to the new season. Morse usually rides the terrain park, but is starting to become a fan of riding powder as well. “This season is going to be sick, I can just tell,” Morse said. “Going up a lot with friends and new gear; super excited.” With Colorado having some of the best ski resorts throughout the nation, Morse believes it is a must to participate. “Skiing and snowboarding is so much fun,” Morse said. “If
Regan Miller
Serve up: Junior Keera Brown gets ready to serve in a home game against Collins. Rocky won the match four sets.
effort,” said junior setter and captain Amelia Morgan. Morgan may have had the biggest impact this season for the Lobos while receiving very little credit. “Amelia makes our passers and setters look good and doesn’t get recognized for it,” said Catlett.
at the Fossil game for awhile now and fact that we went in there under great pressure and handily beat made that the high point of the season,” Gainley said. “Girls were crying before and after the game because they wanted it so bad. It was one of the highlights of my coaching career.” After this season the Lobos will lose five seniors but will return eight players with varsity experience which will be key to next years success. “Catlett will be a very strong outside hitter next year to go along with her great ball control skills,” said Gainley. “She is not overpowering but she is a smart hitter who will be good for us.” Gainley also spoke highly of freshman outside hitter Ashtyn Mares. “Ashtyn is a very big, strong, and mentally very mature. She has made a huge difference in a lot of matches this year and I see her becoming a top hitter in the state in the next few years.” Next year will wait on the backburner as the Lobos look to add to this year’s success. At districts they got one step closer to making it to state by taking second in their division and will advance to regionals. Depending on the draw, the Lobos will have a strong case at making it to state following regionals. “We want to go to state,” said Morgan. “We are so determined. I know we will do it.”
Wrestling team looking to surprise
►LOWS: Losing to Kent Denver three times, always someone injured. ►QUOTE ME: “We got to the 2nd round, which was what we wanted to do, and I we couldn’t have asked for a better season.”-Lydia Swartz ►MVP(S): Meghan Loury took control of the team, Megan Braun was a great leader and had a powerful shot. Both were great motivators.
you live in Colorado you basically have to go out and ride. It’s seriously a great experience. I got into the sport through my friends and my background in skating helped a lot. I love going out, trying new stuff in the park and riding with buds.” Collins also believes that riding is an experience no one should miss out on. “Snowboarding is a sport made to challenge yourself,” Collins said. “To me it is one of the most exploring and adrenaline filled sports out there. Even though the season only lasts for a few months it’s a time that everyone should experience.”
“I strongly believe that volleyball teams do not outperform their setter,” Gainley said. “Amelia doesn’t get much credit but she has really stepped up and also provided some amazing leadership.” The lack of recognition doesn’t bother Morgan who has accepted her role on the team. “It’s really rewarding to me,” said Morgan. “Sure I don’t the credit but that’s not a big deal to me. The team players recognize it.” Not all of the Lobos success can be attributed solely to court talent. “In addition to having a lot of good players on the team we just have the heard and drive that we didn’t have last year,” said Bestgen. “Volleyball is a very much a team sport,” said Gainley. “This team is like a group of best friends. They never drag each other down.” The Fossil match was easily the most memorable of the season for the team. With city and conference championship implications riding on the match it was clear why it meant so much to the girls. “That was one of the most crazy and intense games I’ve ever played in,” Bestgen said. Gainley, who is only in his second year leading the Lobos, knew how special the game was. “The girls have been looking
Cassa Niedringhaus
Batter up: Emily Jacomet smacks the ball in a game against Horizon. The Lady ’Bos won, 7-1.
In the eyes of other schools, the wrestling might not be very strong, but according to the team, they have a surprise coming their way. Junior Colton Hankins and Senior Diego Felix both believe other teams are under estimating the skill within the wrestling team. “Because we lost a lot of good seniors last year, a lot of the teams don’t think we’ll be top in state,” Hankins said. “But we have a lot of underclassmen
Cross Country LoboWraps
Softball LoboWraps ►HOW THEY FINISHED: 9-14, lost both games at districts. ►HIGHS: Won in an extra innings thriller over archrival Fossil, and finished 5th in conference. ►LOWS: Losing at districts and finishing with a sub-500 record. ►QUOTE ME: “This year was a lot of fun, and next year we will continue to improve and be more successful.”-Katherine Rosecrance ►MVP(S): Catcher Dani Haleyplayed the entire year with a wrist injury.
Colorado from page A8
ity as reasons for the popularity of Colorado skiing. Senior High Life Club member Jeff Margolf has reasons for great Colorado skiing as well. “Compared to skiing in coastal places, like California, I think
stepping up.” Felix said he believes the teams who are underestimating Rocky, are just giving Rocky a larger advantage. “The team is a lot closer, most (people) have been around two, three, or four years,” Diego said. “They know each other, know the coaches, and know how it works. People probably look past us. We’ll be overlooked and underestimated so that could work in out favor.” -Trevor Merrill
Mary Willson
Running woman: Junior Jordan Becker runs at a meet in October. The girls finished fourth at regionals.
people (in Colorado) are nicer,” Margolf said. “People here don’t care how good you are, and they’re not going to judge you.” And the Colorado skiing experience seems to be taken advantage of by Rocky students, according to Haddad. This is
►HOW THEY FINISHED: The girls finished 4th at Regionals while the boys finished 2nd in conference. ►HIGHS: John Martin Invitational (girls), 2nd in conference (boys). ►LOWS: Beat by Fossil at Regionlas. ►QUOTE ME: “I love that we are all a family, we learn so much about each other during a 50-minute run; more than I could learn about teammates in 5 years.”Lauren Provencio ►MVP(S): Gabby de la Torre for her leadership and unity, and Hayden Brian for his motivation.
especially true for the High Life Club, a club made up of skiers and snowboarders alike, and provides an opportunity for students to hit the slopes. “Our main goal is to have fun and to just go up to the mountains,” Margolf said.
A8
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
November 5, 2010
Opening Dates:
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Students gearing up for new ski season by Trevor Merrill Reporter
With Colorado ski resorts starting to open today, many students are getting excited. Sophomore Grant Rotman has been an avid skier for 12 years, and goes skiing about 25 times a year. He enjoys the sport of skiing, and claims it is not like most other sports. “I like the rush of the danger,” said High Life ski and snowboard club representative Rotman. “And get-
ting into the quiet. It’s one of the few sports you do with a group of people.” Rotman enjoys skiing with his friends from Rocky, and hopes to get even more students to Sports participate. “This year, if we could get 300 Rocky kids at Winter Park on the same day,” Rotman said. “That would be sick.” Senior Dakota Collins also loves going to the mountains, but chooses to snowboard rather than ski like Rotman. Collins is getting excited for the upcoming ski season. “Never been so excited (for the new season),” Collins said. “Hopefully it will be a good snow season. Looking
Special
forward to bust some new tricks, hang with friends and be a part of a Colorado Legacy.” While Collins likes the terrain park, Rotman enjoys moguls and expert terrain, but there’s one thing they both enjoy. Powder. Collins loves riding the “pow pow” as he puts it, and Rotman is excited for this year of powder, for he worries great powder won’t ever come again. “I just want to get as much powder as I can before global warming hits the fan,” Rotman said. “Skiing will always be there but there never Jump to STUDENTS, page A7
Colorado a skier’s paradise by Calvin Jouard Sports Editor
Colorado skiing can be described as the cat’s meow. Or the bees’ knees. Or just plain awesome. At least, that’s what Americans think. According to a reader resort survey in Ski Magazine, six of the top ten best resorts in the western U.S. are from Colorado. Among these top tier resorts are places like Beaver Creek, Vail, Snowmass, and Aspen. Not only is the quality of skiing in Colorado great, but according to readers, the overall experience is as well. In terms of off-hill activities, Aspen takes the crown, and when comparing overall
satisfaction, Telluride is the clear winner, as indicated by Ski Magazine. “A powder day in the high country with cobalt blue sunny skies, it doesn’t get any better,” said math teacher and avid skier Bob Haddad. “Crisp air and views other people dream about! We are lucky to have premier skiing in our backyard.” Born in northern Ohio where snow is scarce, Haddad wasn’t blessed with the same skiing experience that Coloradoans have at their disposal. The move to Colorado created an exciting possibility of quality skiing for Haddad. “The snow is plentiful and fluffy and it’s great powder,” Haddad added.
“We don’t know how good we have it here.” Aside from the great snow, Haddad cites first class resorts and accessibilJump to COLORADO, page A7
Nelson brothers a dynamic duo by Charlie Anderson Reporter
Doug Watterson
Football family: Blake (close) and Braden Nelson (far) pose on French Field. Blake plays fullback for his brother Braden, a running back.
For some, sibling rivalry is something detrimental to production, a distraction, or an obstacle. It can be a chip on the shoulder, something to weigh one down. For others, it can be used as a tool. A bond can be strong enough between siblings to act as a force that drives them to become better. This may be applied in any aspect of life, whether it be academics, athletics, music, or work. For Braden and Blake Nelson, the bond acts as a tool. Brotherly competition forces one to strive to be better than the other. As the
elder, Braden is the role-model. A senior on the Rocky varsity football team, Nelson helps his younger brother grow as a player and teammate while he himself matures at the running back position. “I’m probably harder on him more than any other teammate,” says Nelson. “On the field, he’s still my brother—that never changes.” The football connection between the two manifested itself when the younger Nelson first learned to walk. The chemistry as not only brothers, but teamJump to NELSONS, page A6
S
ports
Teachin’ how to Dougie
Doug Watterson
Biggest fan Anyone can cheer loudly and wear their colors proudly when teams are winning and athletes are at the top of their game. However, it takes a strong person to be there for you when you are weak, someone to be your biggest fan. Every athlete needs one because every athlete faces adversity. When you don’t live up to expectations; when hard work turns out mediocre performance; who will help you sort it out? Who will pick you up? Your biggest fans are there to celebrate the wins, and help you bounce back from the losses. Most importantly, they give you perspective. After all, it is just a game, as hard as that may be for me to admit. Anyone who has ever competed in athletics knows how hard putting a game into perspective can be. For some reason so much emotion goes into each season and contest. That is the beauty of sports, but is also its greatest downfall. It always helps to be reminded that there is always a next week. They can help refocus you to the task at hand whether you are riding high after a big win or feeling down after a tough loss. As they always say, sports teach you some of the greatest lessons for life. This is very true but sometimes it’s life that teaches you some of the greatest lessons for sports. How I’ve been taught to conduct myself in life translates to the playing field. I know without the guidance of my biggest fan I would be no where near the athlete I am now. Many athletes are privileged enough to easily name off a person who fills the role of “biggest fan” in their life, but many are not. You may not know it, but you just might be someone’s biggest fan. Providing this support to a teammate, friend, or family member is very important. Being on the receiving end has many obvious benefits but you can learn just as much by providing guidance. My biggest fan plays as big of a role as anyone, just as important as any coach or player. I know every time I look into the stands you will always be cheering. After every game I always have so much to look forward to, win, loss, or tie. Thank you, to my biggest fan. Doug Watterson is a junior quarterback on the football team and a reporter for the RM Highlighter.
F
eatures
The Will to Wonder Mary Willson
November 5, 2010
Day of recognition:
Mary Willson is a senior and Center In-Depth editor for the RM Highlighter.
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Veterans Day honors those who served
Courtesy of Jennifer Davis
Student body president respect
No I haven’t had my caffeine today—stop asking is the name of a recent Facebook group, created by Rocky students and supported by Rocky students. This page is used as a portal to nitpick our student body president, Kasey Darling. The fact that students feel a need to make a public Facebook page to talk smack about the highest part of our student government dumbfounds me. What dumbfounds me even more is the fact that the majority of the people that contribute have not actually had any sort of interaction with Darling herself, so they have no reason to be talking about her, much less putting her down. It all starts with her motto— have you had your caffeine today? The talk of caffeine isn’t literally referring to coffee or soda, caffeine is a symbol of a driving power. Art, music, sports—everyone has their own caffeine. Student body president Tyler Janzen’s motto from last year: Happy Trails Rocky. Duncan Nelson’s motto from two years ago: Cardinal and Gold, Bleed It. These mottos represent the leader’s personality. Just like how Darling’s motto represents her bubbly, fun personality. You voted for her Rocky. Now, you have a responsibility to respect her. I challenge the makers of the Facebook group to meet Darling, really meet her. A lot could be learned. She works 10-15 hours a week at Inta Juice on top of being a captain of the Dance Team, being in AP Government (one of the most challenging classes at Rocky), in the school play and has a full fledge social life. And somewhere in there she is applying to Duke, Hillsdale and Georgetown to study government. Her life is crazy, yet she finds time to give directly to us, the student body—and she does it wholeheartedly. She gives her time to make our school a better place; and what does she receive in return? Two hundred thirtyeight people saying they hate her sign off motto on Facebook. They even invited her to join the group. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinion, and I believe everyone should take advantage of the first amendment—as you can see through the column I am writing. Yet I really do challenge the supporters of the Facebook group against Darling to meet her before publicly criticizing what she does for the school. And to the bashers of her motto— what would your motto be?
Section B
Courtesy of Erin Murray
Highlighter Archive
Serving their country: Starting on left: Erin Murray accepts a promotion; people observe the names on the Vietnam Wall; Jennifer Davis stands in uniform; Nicholas Valcho poses in uniform soon after completing
boot camp.
“”
Courtesy of Erin Murray
Graduates go on to serve, grow by Ryan Nelson Reporter
Some people may let Veteran’s Day pass without giving it a second thought, to others it is day with significant meaning. This day is a day where America’s veterans, both young and old, both living and those who have passed, are honored and remembered. However, Veteran’s Day is
Eddie Harris, Rocky graduate
I’m proud to serve my country and to be a part of something greater than myself.
more than just a day to remember those who have previously fought for our country. It is also a day to honor the current soldiers of our armed forces. To the current American solider the military means so much more than just what we see in videogames and movies. “I’m proud to serve my counJump to SOLDIER, page B2
Recognition honors sacrifices made in service by Cassa Niedringhaus Features editor
In June of 1954, Nov. 11 was declared a national holiday to honor American veterans. For both veterans and men and women still in service, Veterans Day holds special meaning. It is a day to honor their contributions as well as a way to thank those who served before them. Office manager Erin Murray served in the United States Navy
for four years, from 1975-1979. After training, she went to a base in California. She worked different positions, including communications and software. She had high security clearance and her work was classified. “I felt very proud to be serving my country,” Murray said. “I was in at the end of the Vietnam War era, so a lot of the stuff we did was really classified. Even Jump to VETERAN, page B2
Team goes pink, supports awareness by Regan Miller Reporter
Regan Miller
Supporting awareness: The volleyball team stands for the National Anthem. In their game against Legacy, the team members, coaches, and fans wore pink in support of breast cancer awareness.
The month of October is breast cancer awareness month, and not only are students supporting the cause, but Rocky’s volleyball game against Legacy had a pink theme to show their support for breast cancer awareness. For the second year, pink balloons and pink jerseys showed the volleyball team’s awareness for the cause. The team also wore pink socks, and wore pink ribbons in their hair. “Everything was pink. We also had a donation table [to support breast cancer awareness] when people walked in,” said junior and varsity volleyball player
Keera Brown. Students in the stands showed their support as well. Many families and friends who watched the game also showed their support for breast cancer awareness by wearing pink, instead of the traditional red and gold attire. “It’s real and important to the girls,” said head volleyball coach and chemistry teacher Glenn Gainley. According to the CHSAA rules, only certain attire is permitted for the players to wear during the game; this includes the type of jersey that the girls regularly wear. But for the breast Jump to PINK, page B2
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Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Features
November 5, 2010
Peace Circles connect students by Cassa Niedringhaus Features Editor
Peace Circles are built around the idea that proactive measures will help prevent hurtful actions between students before they happen. “A lot of facilitators really like to come to Rocky because it is such a positive spin to other circles that have had to go to out of a negative issue,” said counselor and Peace Circle organizer Jo Lacricchio. “All of our circles have been proactive and positive and they really love coming to them.” Peace Circles use an old Indian story that raises the idea that the most power comes from things that are done in a circle. The moon and sun and the shape of their orbits are all in circles. Seasons work in circles as well. “Basically, our goal of Peace Circles is to bring down barriers or walls and to build bridges with one another,” said junior and facilitator Brennan
Veteran from page B1
though the war was over, there were still people in Vietnam and there were still a lot of classified things going on. It made me grow up really fast.” Not only did Murray serve her country, she inspired her son, Nicholas Valcho, a Rocky graduate. With both his parents having served in the Navy, Valcho followed their footsteps and joined the Navy as well. “I got to a point in my life where I was heading down a dead-end track and I wanted to do something with myself,” Valcho said. “I felt a calling to serve. I didn’t really consider any other branches of the military. Navy is in my blood. I ended up following in my parents footsteps.” Valcho has been in the Navy for four and half years now. He is now in training in Oklahoma for his upcoming deployment to Iraq. He will be attached to an Army Air Defense Artillery unit. He is training to use the Counter Rocket, Artillery and Mortar defense (CRAM), operating systems and other equipment that will provide air defense for bases in Iraq. Valcho is predicting that he will be deployed for at least 14 months. He is married and has a daughter who is three years old. He will be using the Internet and Skype to keep in touch as often as possible. “I consider myself to be one of the luckiest men in the world,” Valcho said. “I have a wife who understands my commitment to serve my country and backs me up in every way. It’s going to be very difficult for her because she is going to have to play mom and dad, and Santa and the Easter Bunny. Being gone for holidays, birthdays and anniversaries definitely takes its toll.” Valcho and his wife have been explaining the situation to their daughter. They want her to know that this is part of his job. “We have really been focusing on talking to our daughter, Emma, and letting her know that I’m not gone; I’m at work,” Valcho said. “She does understand that Daddy didn’t just leave.” When parents are enlisted in the military, they sometimes have to sacrifice time with their children in order to serve their country. Senior Jeanette Davis knows what it is like to live with a parent in the military. Her mom, Jennifer Davis, is serving in the Army. She just got back from her third deployment to Iraq. “It’s (having her mom away) pretty difficult because it’s your mom,”
O’Grady. “We restore harmony and repair harm.” The intent behind Peace Circles is to break down the stereotypes and build strong relationships between the participating students. “They provide an opportunity for our students who normally would not hang out with another student to realize there are more similarities than differences,” Lacricchio said. Senior Connor McDonald participated in Peace Circles last year and will also be a facilitator this year. He liked the connections that people made to each other last year and hopes to see that happen again. “I’m looking forward to seeing people open up and watching people connect,” McDonald said. “When I was in it I really connected with people and would like to see it happening from a third person point of view (this year).” Facilitators use different activities to get participants to
“”
Mary Willson
Peacin’ out: Students demonstrate topics that often come up in Peace Circles. Peace Circles came about in 2004 as a proactive, positive way to help students connect.
open up and connect. Facilitators use low, medium, and high level questions to spark discussion. Low level questions are basic and easy to answer in order to get the groups to warm up, while high level questions are emotionally provoking and harder to answer. Facilitators also use an activity called ‘Cross
I am proud to have served. I take great pride in the fact that I am an American.
Wayne Moddelmog, athletic director
Jeanette said. “She pretty much does everything. Nothing really gets done.” Jennifer works as an aerospace ground equipment mechanic. and on ground support. She helps keep the plane serviced so that maintenance crews can fix the plane while it is on the ground. “I felt it was a good opportunity, especially for females, because they trained me,” Jennifer said. “It’s a nontraditional field for females because I am a mechanic. And also I am patriotic and I love my country. I felt that it was something I could do for my country.” Senior Jordyn Zuniga understands what it is like for family members to be in the military, as well. Her mother has retired from the Navy, her father is currently serving in the Army, and her brother has enlisted in the Marines. Her dad is an officer and travels to bases around the United States. His recent tours have been 1-3 months long. They usually use phone calls to keep in touch while he is away. “My parents don’t get recognized very often so on Veterans Day when people come up to them and thank them it means a lot to my family because my family has given up the time and possibly their lives for the military,” Zuniga said. “It makes us feel really good that our family is appreciated by society.” Athletic Director Wayne Moddelmog believes in the significance of Veterans Day, too. He was drafted in June of 1972, one of the last drafts of Vietnam War. He believes that he was fortunate because Congress signed a bill stating that draftees could no longer be sent to the war while he was in basic training. “Training was hard physically and mentally,” Moddelmog said. “Their (the army’s) ultimate aim was to make you worthy of being a soldier because you not only had to be physically fit, you had have a mental toughness about you.” Because of his time in the military, Moddelmog knows the sacrifices that people have made for the country. “I am proud to have served,” Moddelmog said. “I take great pride in the fact that I am an American. The applying of the Star Spangled Banner, the saying of the Pledge of Allegiance,
it creates a very emotional feeling for me, just because of having served and having known individuals who have fought in a war. It (Veterans Day) is an important day.” Dean of Students Jim Gjerde has those patriotic feelings, as well. He was drafted in July of 1969 to serve in the Army in the Vietnam War. He was assigned to the 101st Airborne Division and served through 1971. “I was with a reconnaissance platoon and our job was to look for enemy movement and follow what was going on with the North Vietnamese Army,” Gjerde said. “I was stationed up near Hue, the old provincial capital. It (communication only by mail) was rather lonely. The whole time I was there was very tense and fearful.” Veterans Day is especially important to him because, after coming home from serving in Vietnam, soldiers were not given a warm welcome. People often had very cruel remarks for the soldiers. Gjerde now supports a platoon through Facebook and helps to thank them through emails and to make them feel at home. He feels that he knows what their experience is like. “Vietnam vets were looked down upon and were not welcomed home. Our first welcome home came about after Desert Storm. The Desert Storm veterans asked that the Vietnam veterans join them. It (Veterans Day) holds a very special meaning.” Added Valcho, “Now that I am a veteran, it (Veterans Day) means a lot. Unless you are in the military and serving your country, you don’t really know exactly what it is to follow in the footsteps of the people who have paved the way before you. Veterans Day is really important because you don’t want to let the sacrifices that have been made go unnoticed. You want to recognize the people who have laid down their lives, laid down their time, all for the sake of our country.” On this topic Murray added, “I’m honored to have been able to serve our country. I think it is important to support the people who put their life on the line every single day. God bless their hearts for doing what they need to do to make sure we are safe. It (Veterans Day) is a day to honor those people who serve our country.”
the Line,’ in which participants are asked to step onto a line on the floor if the question asked applies to them. In this way, they are able to see the ways in which they relate to their peers. “It (Peace Circles) is a place for a bunch of different cultures and people to share experiences,” said junior and facilitator
Soldier from page B1
-try and to be a part of something greater than myself,” Rocky graduate Eddie Harris said. “There is a bond and sense of accomplishment that is unmatched by anything I have ever experienced before. I have grown personally and professionally in ways that I probably would not have, had it not been for my experience with the military.” Harris is currently serving in the U.S. Navy. “We fight for those who can’t,” Rocky graduate Frankie Tenuta said. Tenuta is currently serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. For Rocky, many of its graduating students chose the military as a good starting path or even a career. “I wanted to try something different.” Tenuta said, “I wanted to turn my life around a little bit.” Harris added, “I joined the military purely as a starting job and fully intended on getting out after my first enlistment. It turns out that I really enjoy most aspects of it, and I was afforded the opportunity to become an Officer.” But, what does serving their coun-
Pink
from page B1 cancer awareness game, these rules are overlooked.
“[CHSAA] bends all the rules for uniforms and clothing requirements for the game,” Gainley said. Not only were the donations important, but the game itself also made an impact on the community. “One of the parents sent a letter saying thank you and that the game was really special,” said junior and varsity volleyball player Kim Catlett. The support that the team provides helps in the fight for the people in the community affected by breast cancer. They hope to support the family or loved ones, as well. “My wife’s family has many cases of breast cancer in it, and it has been carried down through their genes,” Gainley said. The story of Susan G. Komen influences the team’s way of thinking. Komen lost her battle with breast cancer but inspired her sister, Nancy G. Brinker. Brinker founded an organization called Susan G. Komen for the Cure in 1982 to fulfill her promise to her sister to work to end
Lydia Swartz. “We are going to try to bring the school together. We want to connect all the different groups.” Student facilitators are often Peer Counselors but can be any student who steps up and volunteers. Adult facilitators are members from the community who go through a threeday training session. They go through training in order to be prepared for the Peace Circles. Participants in Peace Circles are not the only ones to benefit from them. They help people who haven’t participated, too. “I would hope that there is a ripple effect from the kids who do participate to the other students in our community, just that they get a sense of connectedness and community,” Lachriccio said. “It really does promote the Lobo Way and everyone is included. Even a little bit helps. The evidence of that is when we graduate a senior and they go off and start their own circles (at their college).”
try mean to the soldier? Does it mean sacrificing time? Does it mean feeling self satisfaction that otherwise would have been difficult to match? Does it mean possibly making the greatest sacrifice there is - life itself? “Having to be away from those you love and sacrificing personal liberties at times can be demanding,” Harris said, “But it comes with the territory of the job.” Tenuta added, “I think the most difficult part is the unknown. One day you could be training and the next you could be called up for deployment.” To many, war is something that should never be used. To others, it sometimes seems necessary. To the person who fights for this nation it is purely a duty that nothing compares to. “I think it’s bigger than people can imagine.” Tenuta said. “It’s a brotherhood, it’s a family.” Harris added, “Representing the nation and becoming a part of history is something many will never do. I am also a true patriot, I was proud to have the opportunity to serve my country just as those before me have done in a time of war.”
Breast Cancer Facts
►Breast cancer affects men and women. ►A healthy diet and lifestyle can reduce the risk of breast cancer. ►Regular screening tests help women to reduce the risk of death from breast cancer. ►More information can be found at: http://www.nationalbreastcancer.org/default.aspx. breast cancer. Now a worldwide organization, it has invested over $1.5 billion to help find a cure. Their story is touching to Catlett. “It’s bigger than us,” Catlett said. “It’s not just a volleyball game, but about being good people.” While breast cancer awareness month is October, the players raise awareness of other types of cancers as well. “We also wear ribbons to support skin cancer (awareness),” Brown said. “[Cancer] can affect so many people and if we all take action maybe it can be cured someday.”
Features
November 8, 2010
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Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Statik clothing shocks everyone by Ryan Nelson Reporter
Senior Rhett Cross is much like any ordinary senior at Rocky. Like most seniors he goes to school, hangs out with his friends and is applying for college. But not every senior has their own clothing line. “My dad and I always had the idea for snowboarding clothing Student aline,” Cross said. Cross put his idea into action and created a small, local clothing line called “Statik Clothing.” “I was putting static guard on a t-shirt,” Cross said. “I just thought it would be cool to put a ‘k’ at the end instead of a ‘c’.” Cross started his company shortly after that. He created some designs for tshirts and now has about 15 designs and has big plans for many more upcoming designs. “For right now I am mainly focusing on five or six designs,” Cross said. Statik is still a small clothing line, however, it is rapidly expanding and is now fairly well known among Rocky students. Statik Clothing decals can be seen
Entrepreneurial spark: Senior Rhett Cross shows some of the decal and t-shirt designs that he sells. Cross created the clothing line and is gaining business.
Feature
Ryan Nelson
on many cars in the Rocky parking lot. It is also somewhat known and recognized by people who live in the area and go to school at Fort Collins and Fossil Ridge. “People seemed to really like the first design I released,” Cross said. Chance Lacey, who helps with sales of Statik shirts added, “As a company we try to put out a style unique and interesting to a demographic.” Recently, Cross received around 80 t-shirts he designed. Cross received these
shirts from a custom silk-screen-printing company owned by Rocky graduate, Blake Burroughs. “Blake finally came through on printing the new stuff,” Cross said. With the increase of available product to sell, Cross brought Lacey and junior Connor Woodruff-Dube to help with sales. Cross has created a website to sell a few of his best t-shirts. This online shop operates from a company known as
Spreadshirt Inc. Spreadshirt is in control of the technical functions of the online shop and its order processing. “That (website) is not the one I really want yet,” Cross said. “It was more like just a starting point to get the name out there.” With the 80 new t-shirts and the new Statik Clothing decals released, Statik has recently grown in popularity. “It started getting people interested again,” Cross said. “Some people haven’t really connected Statik with me, which is good. I don’t want to have a face or a name on the brand.” Said Lacey, “We get a lot of customer input on new designs as well as pending designs. In doing this we hope to keep a close relationship with our customers as well as their ideas. At the same time, the Statik Team tries to incorporate little bits of themselves in everything we put out.” With big plans ahead and an income of $10 per shirt for this company, Statik and its creator, Cross, are in a good position for future expansion. You can see a few Statik t-shirt designs at http://statikclothing.spreadshirt. com/.
Around the world Teacher’s travels through Europe, Asia enhance teaching by Fahey Zink Reporter
Opportunities are always knocking, and for foreign language and business teacher Laura Johnson, she’s ready to take any opportunity she can get. Johnson has lived in different of Germany Teacher parts and in Beijing, China. During the time she was getting her marketing major at CU Boulder, she spent her junior year studying abroad in Freiburg, Germany and taking courses about the European Union Strategy in 2001. As the year went on, she started to explore her surroundings and traveled to different regions in Germany, as well as Norway, France, and Switzerland almost every weekend. “All her stories about her traveling make me think about travel,” freshman Haley Anderson said. “I’ve never been to Germany and my mom was born there, so that’s somewhere I would like to go.” Added Johnson, “The first experience was a very guided, organized program. It gave me the confidence to return overseas a few other times on my own and to look for further opportunities.” In fall of 2003, after leading a student group from her church to work in an orphanage in Kingston, Jamaica, she went back to Germany to finish her masters in Hamburg, Germany. Her second
Feature
trip was sponsored through Full Bright Fellowship, but new challenges came about when she had to figure out her own housing and had to be more independent. “The first time I was in Germany it was a flood of adventures, lots of traveling and exploring, but the second time I moved back to Germany it was more about being a local,” Johnson said. While she finished her masters in Hamburg she worked in a software company and wanted to work in international marketing. Johnson also started teaching English and U.S. politics in a German high school, which was the beginning of her teaching days. “I fell more in love with students and the role I could provide as a teacher and as an international exchange coordinator and creating the kinds of opportunities I had as a student,” Johnson said. After moving back to Colorado in 2006, Johnson started on a new adventure. Wanting to learn about a new culture she hadn’t experienced, she found a job at Beijing Union University, a business college in the outskirts of Beijing. Johnson started to work with students in Beijing on working on foreign language skills. Johnson had less support during this time with navigating through a country that speaks little English, but used that time to understand what the culture was about and to help the education of the business students.
“I was there for a semester,” Johnson said. “And for six months (before) I contacted universities and applied for opportunities and I wanted to go to Asia.” With this being her second year at Rocky, she has started to use the lessons she learned in her travels in her German and Business classes, as well as in her coaching for cross country. Johnson hopes to inspire other students to travel as well. “She’s a really good teacher,” sophomore Morgan Widener said. “I actually understand German now and I think all of her traveling has helped her become a better teacher.” Added Anderson, “It (her travels) makes her more experienced. She tells us how something was taught differently in Germany
Geneva Mueller
Bringing in culture: Johnson teaches a Personal Finance class. She uses her travels thruogh Europe and Asia to enhance the lessons that she teaches to her students.
and the grammar rules there.” Johnson recommends students to take any opportunity that comes their way and immerse themselves in those opportunities.
“Try something new three times. Try it once to know what it is, second time to know how to do it, and a third time to determine if you like it or not,” Johnson said.
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Limelight Games and entertainment
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Facepalm
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Mark Steininger
Best voices of all time:
Choir from page B8 musical theater program, makes sure the choirs perform both genres of music to create the ultimate choir experience. “First and foremost, I teach them about singing,” choir teacher, Tim Tharaldson said. “Different types of music are part of the program.”
Glee from page B8 “But Rocky has such a great music department that the ones who make fun of us are the ones who look stupid because we are nationally acclaimed musicians.” Davidson’s and Fabray’s levels of attachment to their stereotypes vary greatly; Fabray desperately clings to her cheerleader status in glee club. Davidson says that, in this way, she is unlike her TV counterpart. “Your activities make you who you are, but they don’t define a personality,” Davidson said. “I am not a nerd because I’m junior class president, and in choir, and I am not a mean girl because I am a cheerleader.”
November 5, 2010
10. Johnny Depp—Public Enemies 9. Mr. Ross—The word “soph-o-more” and “shtuff” 8. Barack Obama—On consoling the nation 7. Louis Armstrong—“What A Wonderful World” 6. Walter Cronkite—Nightly News 5. Jimmy McMillan—The rent is too darn high (YouTube it)
4. MLK—I Have A Dream 3. James Earl Jones—As Mufasa in The Lion King 2. Morgan Freeman—Every time he opens his mouth 1. Kasey Darling when she’s ordering her grande nonfat extra hot extra shot upside down caramel macchiato at Starbucks Charlie Anderson, Ryan Nelson, Chloe Evans and Mary Willson
Rocky has many upper division choirs: Singers is a larger, coed choir that focuses on classical music. Spotlight is a smaller co-ed ensemble that focuses on jazz and non-traditional music. Having different choirs that focus on different music creates an overall choir program that represents all parts of the spectrum: new and upcoming music, along
with traditional and classic songs. Media has recently been portraying high school music as edgy and new in films such as High School Musical and in the TV show Glee. However, Rocky’s music program holds to their traditional roots. Larissa Schendel, the Musical Theater Production director, believes that good musicals can come from any time period and be in
any genre, it just depends on what is best for entire production. This includes the section of strings and brass instruments in the pit. In her opinion sometimes classics are best. “We had an era of good musicals and we don’t now,” she said. “So older music is sometimes better. That’s just it.” The musical is chosen every year based on a list of requirements.
These include financial restrictions, copy writing rules, cast, and others. This year, Schendel wanted something light-hearted and funny, which is what she got. Whether contemporary music is being used or traditional music is continued, one thing is for sure—Rocky has a well-built choir program, that any TV show would be proud to portray.
The Finn For senior Brode McDonald, singing in the choir was not a closeted goal or a secret desire; in reality he started the way most teenage boys start singing. His mom made him do it. “My junior high required either a music explorations class or a choir class, and my mom put me in choir,” McDonald said. “Then I actually ended up liking it.” Besides being a bass in Rocky’s top choral group, Rocky Mountain Singers, McDonald is also the school’s starting quarterback. In this sense, McDonald is a direct correlation to Glee’s Finn Hudson, an essential member of the glee club and the school’s football team, as well.
Because of the vast differences in his activities, McDonald says he is often the brunt of jokes and teasing from his friends, but he doesn’t mind it. “Everyone makes fun of me all the time,” McDonald said while laughing. “We had to sing the Alma Mater to the freshman football team so they could learn it, and everyone was like ‘choir boy, choir boy, sing it choir boy.’ It doesn’t bother me though. They’re just teasing. It’s funny that a quarterback is in choir. It’s just an odd situation.” The Rachel Senior Kendal Jones has been singing in choir as long as she could, just like her Glee counterpart Rachel Berry.
“I started way back at Johnson (Elementary School) in 5th grade, where tryouts were ‘Happy Birthday,’” Jones said. On top of choir, Jones is enrolled in AP classes, is involved in tutoring, and is an NHS member. The hustle and bustle behavior is identical to Berry; but to Jones the similarities stop there. “I guess I can relate to the driven-ness of Rachel, but I more identify with the dorkiness of Finn,” Jones said. “I’m a little bit of both.” According to her, Rocky is greatly supportive of the activity. “I mean there will always be some sort of stigma,” Jones said. “But really, no one makes fun of choir kids.”
The Mercedes Senior Kaia Lagoni knows what it’s like in the spotlight. She was the lead for the 2010 fall musical, Anything Goes, as well as supporting leads in the 2008 and 2009 fall musicals. “I love to sing and entertain people,” Lagoni said when asked why she enjoys the spotlight. “It’s so amazing to me that a performer can transport people into a different reality through a song or a musical.” Lagoni can be compared most to Glee’s Mercedes Jones, the fashion-forward diva who, like Lagoni, craves being the center of attention. “I am flattered to be compared to Mercedes,” Lagoni said. “I agree because I love to perform like she does, but the day that I can belt like her would be the best day of my life.” Lagoni not only sees Glee as a fun and comedic show, but as an opportunity to learn. “I love it (Glee) because the kids on it are amazingly talented and they are the kind of performers I hope to be some day,” Lagoni said. “I try to learn from them every episode.” In Glee, stereotypes are sharply defined, and to an extent the divisions are evident in high schools. However, by delving below the superficial levels of high school, the stereotypes are eliminated. Davidson put it best. “All the characters on Glee are definite dramatizations, but I think there’s a little of those characters all of us,” she said. “I’m not necessarily Quinn, but choir and cheer are representative of who I am. I’m proud to represent these groups and I try to represent the character of those groups even better than Quinn.”
Fudge Ice Cream Chocolate Hot Dogs 10% discount for all Rocky students with school ID until Dec. 31st
In Old Town at 172 N. College Ave.
(next to Starbucks)
482-2038
Limelight
November 5, 2010
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Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Debate rages over Swift’s album
Speak Now relates to teenage girls by Chloe Evans Limelight Editor
Carly Simon began the personal attacks through song, and now Taylor Swift has perfected it. Swift’s new album, Speak Now, is hitting the charts with full force and is skyrocketing toward the number one spot on many top charts. Famous for her breakthrough album Fearless, many of Swift’s popular songs are targeted towards specific people in her life. Though there are songs on her last album rumored to be about certain people and relationships, Speak Now makes no secret of who the songs are dedicated to. Just some of the people to make Swift’s ever growing list include Kanye West, who infamously stole the starlet’s spotlight in 2009, Joe Jonas, her ex who reportedly dumped her during a 25 second phone call, Taylor Lautner, another ex whose heart she apparently broke after a messy break up, and John Mayer, the infamous, older heart breaker
HER CD Review
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/MCT
who is rumored to have corrupted the young star. The almost 7 minute long ballad, “Dear John,” perfectly portrays Swift’s ability to craft personalized songs. Titled for her secret love affair with Mayer, Swift sings, “I lived in your chess game but you changed the rules everyday,” publically calling the player out on his infamous romantic games.
Besides being well versed in writing personally appointed songs, Swift has mastered the art of telling stories in a three to four minute time span. The 20-year-old has the ability to capture exactly how teenage love, heartbreak and ambition feels. By either imagining scenarios or replaying her personal experiences, the songs put many girls’ fantasies into words. “Long Live”
is about her success in the music world, “Remember December” describes her regret of ending a relationship, and “Never Grow Up,” expresses her nostalgia for her childhood. Swift is stereotyped as a love song writer, but there are songs on the new album that reflect experiences other than romance. However, T-Swift has the tendency to be overly cheesy
when she does write a love song. They are consistently about kissing in the rain, arguments with significant others being resolved unrealistically, and feeling “sparks” in relationships. The album becomes incredibly hard to listen to with a straight face when Swift speaks periodically, instead of sings, in her songs. When listening to Speak Now, it’s important to remember Swift’s targeted audience: teenage girls who want songs they can relate to. Her voice may not resemble an angel’s and her songs may not be about ground breaking topics, but that’s not the goal of her music. She’s a 20-year-old who uses her music as an outlet and critics of Swift need to remember this. As a self proclaimed, typical, cheesy, sappy teenage girl, these songs are easy to relate to. They’re great to sing along to in the car, and it’s easy to place the name and face of someone in your life to each song. Whether the lyrics are about the boy who broke your heart (“Last Kiss”), the back stabbing girl who stole your boyfriend (“Better Than Revenge”), or the people who have stood by you through everything (“Long Live”), Swift knows how to speak directly to the listener.
Grade: B+
Swift’s new album overloaded with fantasy, immaturity, tired love stories by Charlie Anderson Reporter
Taylor Swift’s career has acted as the horror film equivalent in today’s music industry. The beginning of the film comes alongside a slight chance of hope for the future victims, a possibility that one may escape and find help. When Swift debuted her self -titled album in 2006, there was hope. Her songs were something many categorized as “fresh and “new.” A 2008 release under the name of Fearless brought forth yet another batch of love songs. Admittedly, some were
HIS CD Review
catchy. But critics and fans alike, whether they refused to believe it or not, could feel the horror film’s killer creeping up upon the country singer’s career. The killer brought forth a set of unwritten rules, demanding something unique, perhaps something different than love songs. Speak Now, Swift’s third album released on Oct. 25, was a chance to display her deeper side, a side that can concentrate on the real life for more than one song. The cut to the jugular: at twenty-years-old, Swift cannot break away from her fantasies. The title track, “Speak Now,” tells a story of a young woman as she attempts to break up a wed-
ding of a former love. “I am not the kind of girl who should be rudely barging in on a white veil occasion,” sings Swift in a voice on the verge of Disney pop. Then don’t. Miss Swift, if this man is going to get married, he has obviously put some amount of thought into it and won’t be talked out of it no matter how sweetly you ask. Your chance to take your man back ended quite the time ago. You have earned yourself a title not only as the Most Repetitive and Dull Singer on the Block, but also as the Worst Procrastinator. Yet, she has the audacity to sing: “Today is never too late to
Aggie from page B8
cian) what he wants,” Steinmark said. “I could definitely see Devyn making it, for sure.” Kaia Lagoni, who sings in Rocky’s choir program and had a lead in the school musical, hopes to “make it” in the music world, as well. She shared the stage with the band for one of Robuck’s new songs. “I’m honored to sing with Devyn; he’s definitely going places,” Lagoni said. “Hopefully, I’ll continue singing with him in the future.” The band members hope for success, but for now are now planning on attending college. “I would love if I would make something out of this,” Robuck said. “No matter what, music will always be a part of my life.” But, Robuck wants to thank the Rocky community for its support. “It’s really cool seeing how many people from Rocky came [on Saturday,] I’m really glad for the support.” The Aggie was a springboard for the young artists; they’re becoming well known local musicians. Who knows, Robuck could be
the next top iTunes seller.
be brand new.” Doesn’t Jared the Subway Guy say that? Certainly a hypocritical line from someone has hasn’t come out with material considered ‘brand new’ since her 2006 album. At a time when women her age are midway through the college experience, Swift is stuck pretending she’s a 15-year-old girl by the name of Juliet. Of course, it is respectable that the singer also writes her own material. But her once innocent blue eyes are starting to appear snake-like in a sick obsession with ceaseless and monotonous love stories. It is a shameful fact that Swift is seen as one of the leaders in American pop culture, acting as
a role model for children and teens. As a leader, Swift is unanimously obligated to make at least a slight ►Speak Now difference in album molding the minds of her impressionable audience. State your views on the world; let us hear about something other than your love life, please. Quite frankly, relying on love songs has worked only for Marvin Gaye. Grade: D
3-D, new stunts add spark to third Jackass by John Califf Reporter
Whether it’s breaking things, causing physical pain, or exposed genitalia, the Jackass 3-D crew lived up to all of its hype and exceeded expectations in their new theatrical feature premiering in 3-D. Although there was some repetition, overall the film proved to be enjoyable despite the negative ideas people have toward the comedic stuntmen. In comparison to the other two movies, this one was featured in 3-D. This aspect added to the film’s stunts: it made the viewers feel like they were there with the crew during every in-your-face stunt. Whether the audience felt sick, nervous, or even shocked, the 3-D aspect was executed to highlight the stunts and to refresh the spirit of classic Jackass themes. “This show has some extreme s*** other extreme people don’t have,” said Chris Pontius, one of the daring crew members. Anyone could agree, there are no other stunt people who come close to the Jackass crew. They are the originals, and they have been doing what they do best since I can remember.
Movie
Review
APEGA/ABACA Press/MCT
Two Thumbs Up for Pain and Stupidity: Steve-O, a member of the Jackass 3-D cast, poses for the paparazzi at the movie’s premiere. The movie showcases dangerous and extreme stunts in an attempt to gain laughs.
Compared to their other movies, the stunts were generally the same. It includes the average shopping cart crash, people getting hit unexpectedly, and other typical Jackass stunts. However, the way the crew carried out the stunts proved to be wilder than ever before, especially in the opening and closing of the film. But, some of the stunts were of the same caliber of most of the Jackass episodes and the previous movies. Even though some parts were repeated, the film was able to dodge mindless repetition with new stunts like snake pits and bungee port-o-potties. The film was enjoyable, the stunts were way off the charts this time, and the 3-D aspect presented a new perspective on an old idea. The stunts were synchronized and the crew kept the viewer guessing if the next stunt was going to go even further than the previous ones. The overall Jackass 3-D experience is one I would recommend for anybody, with the discretion of age and maturity. Remember, don’t attempt to recreate any of these stunts or activities under any circumstances.
Grade: B+
B8
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Students embody TV show’s characters by Tess Halac Editor-In-Chief
F
rom its premiere in 2009, the TV show Glee has been a widely acclaimed and popular show throughout the United States. Not only are the musical numbers catchy and fun, the eccentric characters give it a comedic twist. While some may see them as wild dramatizations, the show quesstereoLimelight tions types and their connotations. Jocks, cheerleaders, rebels and outcasts alike are all characterizations found within the show and high schools across the nation. Rocky is no exception; the RM Highlighter interviewed students representing different stereotypes portrayed in Glee and discovered that a stereotype may define a person superficially, but in delving deeper, a stereotype can lose its clout. The Quinn If one only knew junior Jess Davidson from afar, one would probably see her as an appendage of one of her biggest activities— cheerleading. In coonsidering Glee, one might compare her to Quinn Fabray, the school’s head cheerleader. “Cheer has negative effects on my voice because of all the yelling I do,” Davidson said. “I really have to work with my voice.” Another similarity between Fabray and Davidson is the teasing they get about their participation in glee/choir. While Davidson isn’t the victim of slushy attacks in the hallways like Fabray, she does recognize that people might see her differently. “I am supported for the most part, but choir kids are generally seen as a little bit out there because of the way the media portrays us,” Davidson said.
Special
Jump to GLEE, page B6
The Rachel: Kendal Jones
The Finn: Brode McDonald
L
imelight
November 5, 2010
The Quinn: Jessica Davidson
The Mercedes: Kaia Lagoni
What's in the Limelight?
Nov. 5 Movie Release: 127 Hours Movie Release: Fair Game School: Padia Family Benefit Concert on the Rocks School: Peace Circles Nov. 7 Miscellaneous: Daylight Savings Time Ends Nov. 9 School: Choir Concert
rocky’s
Nov. 10 Concert: Reel Big Fish at the Ogden School: Parent Teacher Conferences Nov. 12 Movie Release: Unstoppable Concert: Bad Religion at the Fillmore Nov. 13 Concert: Rebelution w/ Passafire and Tribal Seeds at the Aggie
“”Y
our activities make you who you are, but they don’t define a personality. -Jessica Davidson
kids
Graphic by Chloe Evans
Choir program uses variety of music to build overall experience
by Mary Willson Center-In-Depth Editor
3.5 million people crowded the streets of Rio De Janiero on New Years Eve, 1994, to rock out to Rod Stewart. All of these people were part of the biggest concert in history. Eight years earlier 80,000 filled the lawn of Central Park to see the New York Philharmonic (a classical orchestra) which comes
in at number two as the biggest concert in history. These two genres of music are completely different—yet they still have drawn the biggest crowds in history—contemporary and classical music. Rocky’s choir program is the best of the best; it is nationally recognized. This program, along with Rocky’s Jump to CHOIR, page B6
Lobo musicians get break at Aggie Robuck, Lagoni open for Fierce Bad Rabbit by Mary Willson Center-In-Depth Editor
Mary Willson
Waiting For A Break: (From the left) Devyn Robuck, Drew Miller, and Steven Steinmark play at the Aggie while Rocky students look on from the audience. Robuck’s band and Kaia Lagoni opened for Fierce Bad Rabbit on Oct. 16.
Senior Devyn Robuck isn’t only known for his curly locks and friendly smile—but also for his musical talent. Singer Robuck, guitarist Steven Steinmark, and bassist Drew Miller opened for the local band, Fierce Bad Rabbit at the Aggie Sat., Oct. 16. The Aggie has hosted bands like 3OH3!, Insane Clown Posse, and Buckethead— and now Robuck and his band are a part of that list. “We played at Bohemian Nights, and Dayton Hicks, the bassist from Fierce Bad Rabbit, came up to us and said they were having a CD release party in
October and asked if we wanted to open for them,” Robuck said. “We said ‘heck yeah.’” Robuck played at Bohemian Nights (a local music festival during New West Fest) around local venues, and for other community events, yet the Aggie represents a whole new level of achievement. Playing a show at the Aggie isn’t only exciting for Robuck; Steinmark shares Robuck’s passion and is a part of Robuck’s success. “It’s a really cool opportunity just helping him make it and helping him succeed,” Steinmark said. “I know it’s (being a musiJump to AGGIE, page B7
Nov. 14 Concert: Lifehouse at the Ogden Nov. 16 CD Release: Rascal Flatts- Nothing Like This CD Release: RihannaLoud CD Release: Bruce Springsteen- The Promise
Nov. 19 Movie Release: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Movie Release: The Next Three Days Nov. 20 School- Choir fundraiser “Singers, Spaghetti and ‘mini-soda’” Nov. 22 CD Release: Kanye West- My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy Nov. 24 Movie Release: Love and Other Drugs
Nov. 27 Concert: Oh My Stars w/ Boys at the Aggie Nov. 30 CD Release: Black Eyed Peas- The Beginning CD Release: AkonAkonic Dec. 2 School: AP Art Show
B4
November 5, 2010
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Mark
C
enter in-depth
How is Huck Finn and Mark Twain’s writings still relevant today?
After 100 years, Twain’s autobiography released, relevancy of works questioned in school
“”
Mark Twain’s writings still bring up many important topics that are still under debate, like racism, social prejudice, and the ignorance of people.
Ian Roberts, senior
School question Twain relevance by Geneva Mueller Reporter
In regards to the time-honored work The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain remarked that “persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” One thing is for certain—Twain’s controversial novel is much more than the whimsical tale of a boy and a slave floating There is value down the Mississippi in teaching River. his words, Recently but there is within the Poudre no need to School DisTom hide behind Smailes, trict, some language the words works have arts themselves. been moved teacher from the “required readings’ list to the “recommended readings” list, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn included. With this change in place, the only required readings take place in ninth and tenth grade: To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet and either Julius Caesar or Merchant of Venice (ninth and tenth graders respectively). Keeping the :recommended” status of Twain’s satirical work in mind, English department chair, Tom Smailes, reflects on the connotations of the loaded word. “I like the fact that I have choices,” Smailes said but he admits that “the downside is that some teachers won’t teach it.” Even without a required text for juniors, Poudre School District literacy facilitator, Vicki Collet, is confident that the system is still effective. “Teachers will still require readings, of course. They will use their professional judgment to select texts that are relevant to their students and rigorous in their content,” Collet said. Many students complain about the books that are taught in high school English classes; however, the fact of the matter is that they would not be taught if they were without literary merit. “These books were recommended by the Secondary Language Art Department Chairs (a teacher representative from each middle and high school). This canon of
“”
Twain
texts has been built up by the the group over many years,” Collet said. As is evident, the group is an esteemed committee who cares about the output of the district. Oftentimes, teachers choose not to teach Twain’s work because it is controversial and brings up issues that are still prevalent in the society and culture of today such as racism and family issues. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is still viable, still relevant—there are multiple different approaches to teaching it,” Smailes said. “But there are other pieces with impact as well.” The work is on the banned book list—it employs racial slurs and heavy stereotyping. Whether these devices were chosen by Twain to further his social criticism or simply because they were accepted at the time, no one will ever know. However, there is no use pretending that the book is not extremely powerful. “There is value in teaching his words, but there is no need to hide behind the words themselves,” Smailes said. Poudre School District’s literacy facilitator, Vicky Collet, discusses the value of the work. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Literary themes of universal and timeless relevance. Additionally, Twain’s use of stylistic elements could provide and effective focus for instruction,” Collet said. With this in mind, the concern has surfaced that there is no required reading for eleventh graders. This poses a problem for students who wish to continue to AP Composition and Literature as seniors—these students would have no common ground. Therefore, there is a decision pending within the English department as to what work this will be. “The text needs to be challenging, relatable and something that goes beyond the surface level,” Smailes said. Until a decision is made, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains a recommended work that is taught to Rocky’s Juniors. Will it continue to withstand the test of time?
Twain’s controversial novel
much more than the whimsical tale of a boy and a slave floating down the Mississippi River. is
Already a bestseller, Twain’s autobiography released from vault after 100 years by Mary Willson Center In-Depth Editor
The autobiography is said to be juicy
A secret that has been kept for 100 years from —including secrets one of histories most of a scandalous affair with his secretary, along with famous authors will be reveling brutal accusations about friends, addresses unlocked Nov. 15 from religious doubts, questions the U.S. imperial missions the California-Berkeley and even bashes the president at the time vault—Mark Twain’s autobiography. Every student The autobiography is said to be juicy— has heard the pen including secrets of a scandalous affair name for author Samuel Clemens. For years and years—decades—over with his secretary, along with reveling brutal accusations about friends, addresses the last century students have indulged themselves in his stories religious doubts, questions the U.S. imperial missions and even bashes the president of carefree boyhood characters at the time, Theodore Roosevelt. learning about friendship and Twain spent six months of the last year breaking down the walls of racial segregation in books like Huck- of his life writing a manuscript full of brutal thoughts, saying things that he has leberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. never said about anyone in print before. What isn’t always realized The autobiography is really 400 pages of through reading assignments and bile. chapter quizzes is that Twain was With all of Twain’s thoughts out to a pacifist and an anti-imperialist. the public, the hope is that the world of He fought for peace, native rights, women’s right, the aboli- literature can come to a full and complete conclusion of who he really was—because tion of slavery and was a huge it will all be out in the open, with no one anti-racist. Twain was alive that is still connected to Twain to care. during the turn of the cen“I imagine he waited a century after tury when all of these views his death to release [the autobiography] were considered offensive so that time and history would be altered and radical. To protect his from the time it was written,” Windreputation, and anyone he walker said. knew when he was alive, he History becomes history after society instructed that his autobioghas been tainted, and this may have been raphy which contains all of his another reason for the century long wait raw opinions to be held for 100 Twain put on his hard hitting autobiogyears after his death, which came raphy. in April. The autobiography was dictated to a The 100th anniversary of his death was celebrated with a one million dollar stenographer in the four years leading up to his death at the age of 74. He had the auction of his 500,000 word manuscript, idea that if he said his words out loud which is just now about to come out to the rather than directly writing them down, public. The literary public has been anticipathe will have a more natural tone than his ing the release. writing. “I am a huge Twain fan, especially of his Yet one question is relevant through essays, so I am personally excited,” Barnes and the anticipation of this book: Why do Noble Community Representative we care? Well, 100 years after his death, Cassonda Windwalker said. “From school districts across the nation are still what I’ve heard, it is incredibly requiring Twain to be read and endless detailed.” scholars study Twain’s works, and now a new Twain piece lands on countless bookshelves for all to enjoy–and study.
Mark Twain’s writings are still relevant today because he criticizes the incongruities in society and there are still plenty of them. Huck Finn addresses liars, cheaters and hypocrites and they definitely still exist and do the same things.
Katie Ritter,
They talk about the South and the dialect in that area. It teaches about the southern culture, the time period and the importance of not judging people.
Casey John, senior
It’s relevant to the cliques in school, but it can relate to more than the segregation within those cliques. People from different groups can still be friends and the book teaches us that.
Nate Baratta, senior
There are still prejudice and social groups that re still separated around school. It’s a satire of society and it’s a good lesson that we should all keep in mind.
Lauren Provencio, senior
B5
B4
November 5, 2010
Rocky Mountain Highlighter
Mark
C
enter in-depth
How is Huck Finn and Mark Twain’s writings still relevant today?
After 100 years, Twain’s autobiography released, relevancy of works questioned in school
“”
Mark Twain’s writings still bring up many important topics that are still under debate, like racism, social prejudice, and the ignorance of people.
Ian Roberts, senior
School question Twain relevance by Geneva Mueller Reporter
In regards to the time-honored work The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain remarked that “persons attempting to find a motive in this narrative will be prosecuted; persons attempting to find a moral in it will be banished; persons attempting to find a plot in it will be shot.” One thing is for certain—Twain’s controversial novel is much more than the whimsical tale of a boy and a slave floating There is value down the Mississippi in teaching River. his words, Recently but there is within the Poudre no need to School DisTom hide behind Smailes, trict, some language the words works have arts themselves. been moved teacher from the “required readings’ list to the “recommended readings” list, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn included. With this change in place, the only required readings take place in ninth and tenth grade: To Kill a Mockingbird, Romeo and Juliet and either Julius Caesar or Merchant of Venice (ninth and tenth graders respectively). Keeping the :recommended” status of Twain’s satirical work in mind, English department chair, Tom Smailes, reflects on the connotations of the loaded word. “I like the fact that I have choices,” Smailes said but he admits that “the downside is that some teachers won’t teach it.” Even without a required text for juniors, Poudre School District literacy facilitator, Vicki Collet, is confident that the system is still effective. “Teachers will still require readings, of course. They will use their professional judgment to select texts that are relevant to their students and rigorous in their content,” Collet said. Many students complain about the books that are taught in high school English classes; however, the fact of the matter is that they would not be taught if they were without literary merit. “These books were recommended by the Secondary Language Art Department Chairs (a teacher representative from each middle and high school). This canon of
“”
Twain
texts has been built up by the the group over many years,” Collet said. As is evident, the group is an esteemed committee who cares about the output of the district. Oftentimes, teachers choose not to teach Twain’s work because it is controversial and brings up issues that are still prevalent in the society and culture of today such as racism and family issues. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is still viable, still relevant—there are multiple different approaches to teaching it,” Smailes said. “But there are other pieces with impact as well.” The work is on the banned book list—it employs racial slurs and heavy stereotyping. Whether these devices were chosen by Twain to further his social criticism or simply because they were accepted at the time, no one will ever know. However, there is no use pretending that the book is not extremely powerful. “There is value in teaching his words, but there is no need to hide behind the words themselves,” Smailes said. Poudre School District’s literacy facilitator, Vicky Collet, discusses the value of the work. “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn Literary themes of universal and timeless relevance. Additionally, Twain’s use of stylistic elements could provide and effective focus for instruction,” Collet said. With this in mind, the concern has surfaced that there is no required reading for eleventh graders. This poses a problem for students who wish to continue to AP Composition and Literature as seniors—these students would have no common ground. Therefore, there is a decision pending within the English department as to what work this will be. “The text needs to be challenging, relatable and something that goes beyond the surface level,” Smailes said. Until a decision is made, The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remains a recommended work that is taught to Rocky’s Juniors. Will it continue to withstand the test of time?
Twain’s controversial novel
much more than the whimsical tale of a boy and a slave floating down the Mississippi River. is
Already a bestseller, Twain’s autobiography released from vault after 100 years by Mary Willson Center In-Depth Editor
The autobiography is said to be juicy
A secret that has been kept for 100 years from —including secrets one of histories most of a scandalous affair with his secretary, along with famous authors will be reveling brutal accusations about friends, addresses unlocked Nov. 15 from religious doubts, questions the U.S. imperial missions the California-Berkeley and even bashes the president at the time vault—Mark Twain’s autobiography. Every student The autobiography is said to be juicy— has heard the pen including secrets of a scandalous affair name for author Samuel Clemens. For years and years—decades—over with his secretary, along with reveling brutal accusations about friends, addresses the last century students have indulged themselves in his stories religious doubts, questions the U.S. imperial missions and even bashes the president of carefree boyhood characters at the time, Theodore Roosevelt. learning about friendship and Twain spent six months of the last year breaking down the walls of racial segregation in books like Huck- of his life writing a manuscript full of brutal thoughts, saying things that he has leberry Finn and Tom Sawyer. never said about anyone in print before. What isn’t always realized The autobiography is really 400 pages of through reading assignments and bile. chapter quizzes is that Twain was With all of Twain’s thoughts out to a pacifist and an anti-imperialist. the public, the hope is that the world of He fought for peace, native rights, women’s right, the aboli- literature can come to a full and complete conclusion of who he really was—because tion of slavery and was a huge it will all be out in the open, with no one anti-racist. Twain was alive that is still connected to Twain to care. during the turn of the cen“I imagine he waited a century after tury when all of these views his death to release [the autobiography] were considered offensive so that time and history would be altered and radical. To protect his from the time it was written,” Windreputation, and anyone he walker said. knew when he was alive, he History becomes history after society instructed that his autobioghas been tainted, and this may have been raphy which contains all of his another reason for the century long wait raw opinions to be held for 100 Twain put on his hard hitting autobiogyears after his death, which came raphy. in April. The autobiography was dictated to a The 100th anniversary of his death was celebrated with a one million dollar stenographer in the four years leading up to his death at the age of 74. He had the auction of his 500,000 word manuscript, idea that if he said his words out loud which is just now about to come out to the rather than directly writing them down, public. The literary public has been anticipathe will have a more natural tone than his ing the release. writing. “I am a huge Twain fan, especially of his Yet one question is relevant through essays, so I am personally excited,” Barnes and the anticipation of this book: Why do Noble Community Representative we care? Well, 100 years after his death, Cassonda Windwalker said. “From school districts across the nation are still what I’ve heard, it is incredibly requiring Twain to be read and endless detailed.” scholars study Twain’s works, and now a new Twain piece lands on countless bookshelves for all to enjoy–and study.
Mark Twain’s writings are still relevant today because he criticizes the incongruities in society and there are still plenty of them. Huck Finn addresses liars, cheaters and hypocrites and they definitely still exist and do the same things.
Katie Ritter,
They talk about the South and the dialect in that area. It teaches about the southern culture, the time period and the importance of not judging people.
Casey John, senior
It’s relevant to the cliques in school, but it can relate to more than the segregation within those cliques. People from different groups can still be friends and the book teaches us that.
Nate Baratta, senior
There are still prejudice and social groups that re still separated around school. It’s a satire of society and it’s a good lesson that we should all keep in mind.
Lauren Provencio, senior
B5