Rocky Mountain Highlighter: 2011 December

Rocky Mountain High School December 16, 2011 Volume 39, No. 4

Junior Brittany Ernst performs the butterfly stroke at the Dec. 1 swim meet against Poudre at Edora Pool Ice Center. Rocky lost to Poudre, 159-144.

See story, page A6

the rocky mountain

hiGhliGhter

Cassa Niedringhaus

The

the

Side SHOW

Tragedy of Addiction

HIGH SCHOOL HIJINKS

The football team of Cathedral High School in Boston lost the state championship after a player raised his fist as he neared the goal line, prompting a poor sportsmanship call from a referee that deprived them of the game-winning touchdown.

BRAVERY IN JOURNALISM Aurora’s Overland High School newspaper editors Lori Schafer and Jaclyn Gutierrez were awarded the 2011 Courage in Student Journalism Award in November for their persistence in getting a story published that their principal was trying to silence.

The story, about the death of a school wrestler, mentioned the official cause of death as obtained from the death certificate.

Substance abuse has lifelong consequences

by Lauren Binder Sports Editor

Brown sugar, dope, meow, crystal, snow, crack, skunk. It doesn’t matter what you call them, drugs have the potential to lead to addiction.

Drugs like cocaine, heroin, meth and marijuana do lifelong damage to the body and brain, according to studies. Their long-term effects include paranoia, infection, slowed thinking and open sores.

Heroin and meth may only take one time to get their user addicted.

Jump to DRUG, page A2

Photo Illustration by Cassa Niedringhaus

Despite love, strength of addiction creates heartbreaking outcome

by Cassa Niedringhaus Editor-In-Chief

Though an addiction rarely defines the character of a person, it has the power to drastically alter or heart wrenchingly end the lives of its victims.

In January, 2010, the lives of the Brooksmith family and those who loved them were forever front changed. Ben Brooksmith, 2004 pecial Rocky graduate, died of a heroin overdose. His parents, Gary and Kim Brooksmith, lost their son.

But because of their loss, they can empathize with the families of the most recent heroin overdose victims. In the last month, heroin is suspected in claiming three lives in the community, including another former Rocky student.

These victims left behind families, fiancés, children, brothers, sisters, parents. Like Ben

S

Brooksmith, they were loved. They loved. They had hopes, goals and aspirations. Yet the power of addiction proved to be too powerful to overcome.

“He had a rough and tough exterior, but anyone who knew Ben considered him to be a softy who had no problem showing his love for his friends and family,” Kim said of her son. “He loved to hug and was never shy about showing affection to those he cared for.”

According to School Resource Officer Jerrod Hardy, several times a year a string of heroin overdoses will occur within a short period of time. Because these most recent deaths all occurred within a week of each other, he said this signals new heroin in the community.

“The heroin is just too pure, too strong, for their

Jump to HEROIN, page A2

New ‘plant food’ drug causes euphoria and stimulation, still legal by DEA QUOTE OF THE ISSUE “Our advice is to never even attempt to ‘try’ or ‘experiment’ with prescription drugs or heroin.

Ben would say, ‘Never even go there. Don’t think you can handle it. You can’t, you won’t and it will take over your life and never let you go.”

- Gary and Kim Brooksmith about their son and 2004 Rocky graduate, Ben Brooksmith

by Isaac Effner Editorial Editor

It is a white powdery substance that has the effects of cocaine, amphetamines and ecstasy and is only temporarily a controlled substance by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

The drug is called “plant food” or “meow meow” and is also sold as bath salts in head shops, and the active chemical in it is called mephedron. It was originally created in 1929 but has resurfaced in America in recent years.

“This one (Mephedrone) came up to us about a month ago,” substance abuse counselor Jenni Sifuentes said. “I had heard about bath salts but the meow meow was new to me.”

The chemical mephedrone is the active ingredient of the drug and causes euphoria and stimulation and, in some cases, hallucinations.

The drug can also cause an inability to sleep, nausea, heart palpitations, weight loss, blood

pressure increases and vaso-constriction, which can lead to toe loss, delusions, paranoia, agitation and psychosis.

“The stimulant effect causes people to stay up for a long time,” school substance abuse counselor Jennifer Wayman said, “and that’s not good for the body.”

The drug has been documented as lethal, with one recorded death of an 18-year-old woman in Sweden and a 22-year-old American male.

Even though the drug has been recorded as dangerous, it is still legal.

“Drug use in teens is always a concern,” Student Resource Officer Jerrod Hardy said, “but it’s not illegal, so it’s not something the police deal with.”

Meow meow is often used in conjunction with other drugs, including heroin and cocaine, which increases the risk of the adverse effects.

“It’s pretty easy to get a hold off but it’s pretty expensive,” Sifuentes said. “The DEA is already looking to make it illegal. But if one drug goes,

The DEA is already looking to make it (plant food) illegal. But if one drug goes, another will pop up.

“

Jenni Sifuentes, school substance abuse counselor

”

another will pop up. I hope it will not get more popular.”

Though very little has been recorded on the drug, there have been hospitalized people in Denver who were admitted due to ingesting bath salts.

“I don’t know a lot of people who have taken it,” Wayman said. “I met one student who took it and didn’t like it.”

Sifuentes added, “It is here. I don’t know prevalent it is, but I definitely think there are some kids at Rocky using it.”

A2 December 16, 2011

Heroin from page A1

systems,” Hardy said. “A lot of times when heroin comes into the country, the first guy that has it maybe has half a pound. Then he cuts it up and mixes it with baking soda or something else. So it was 100 percent pure, but now it’s like 80 percent pure. And then he sells it to the next drug dealer and that guy cuts it down again so by the time the people get it, it’s really only 40 percent heroin and 60 percent other stuff. But what these guys got last week was very, very pure so it hadn’t been cut up as much. They’re taking what looks like the same dose, but it’s just pure heroin and it overruns their system.”

For some, the overdose can be counteracted by Naloxone, commonly known as Narcan, which was formulated to fight opioid overdoses.

If the paramedics are called in time, they can administer the drug. And in cities around the country, outreach projects such as the Chicago Recovery Alliance are distributing Naloxone and educating heroin users in order to prevent overdoses and help people change their lives.

However, heroin overdoses still occur and the young lives lost change the lives of their surviving families and friends.

“Ben's passing has changed everything,” Kim said. “Our lives will never be the same. Our sadness is compounded by the realization that we will never have him with us again to share the joys of life. Ben wanted so much to be married someday, with a family of his own. He adored his baby nephew and had great plans to teach Miles how to ride a bike, how to fish and do all the fun boy stuff that he loved so much. Losing Ben has left a void in all our lives that can never be filled.”

According to his parents, Ben was a man who was truly devoted to his family. His family described him as compassionate and fun-loving. He loved to snowboard, be outdoors, fish and bike. He excelled in state and in national competitions as a

Drug

from page A1 According to AboveTheInfluence. com, to achieve the same high with heroin each time, higher and higher doses need to me used. Hence, this can lead to addiction, overdose and even death. Users also run the risk of possible blood clots in the heart and lungs as well as the risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. However, teens do have a choice in the matter. They have the choice of whether or not they decide to take these drugs. They have a choice to stay away, and avoid the mental and physical breakdown that drugs can induce.

Jennifer Sifuentes, a substance abuse counselor in the school, sees many cases in which teens use drugs, but she knows that not every teenager is doing drugs. Therefore, the excuse that “everybody is doing it” is no excuse to use them.

“It depends on what (drugs) you are using, but addiction affects your attendance and relationships with your peers and family,” Sifuentes said. “And it affects the decisions that you make on a day-to-day basis whether they are good or bad.”

Even marijuana, a drug that many teens assume is less harmful, has lasting effects, especially when started at a young age. Above the Influence said that marijuana started at a young age not only affects your lungs 50-70 percent more than tobacco but is considered a “gateway drug” to harder and more intense drugs.

“I think that some people do drugs because it is exciting,” school counselor Kelly Glick said. “Also family addiction and experimentations lead to addiction. Major rea-

the news rocky mountain hiGhliGhter BMX racer and freestyler. His passion and talent led him to devote countless hours to BMX biking. He sustained numerous injuries through the course of his biking. When the pain grew, he turned to illegally obtained Oxycontin to reduce it. However, the expense of Oxycontin led him to heroin because Oxycontin is a synthetic heroin and the drugs produce similar highs. Both are opiates, whose effects are caused by morphine from the poppy plant.

Hardy said that prescription pills are the No. 1 drug abused by teenagers today, which has also led to a resurgence of heroin on the market.

According to PBS Frontline, heroin users may not become physically addicted the first time they use the drug. With continued use, though, they will show withdrawal symptoms if they attempt to stop using the drug. People naturally produce endorphins in their brains that are responsible for making them feel happy. Heroin allows people to control endorphin production in their brains, but then their brains stop naturally producing endorphins.

“He (Ben) tried many times to detox and stop using,” Gary said.

“He suffered excruciating pain whenever he tried to detox and stop.

We sent him to a medical doctor who specialized in opiate addiction.

This doctor explained that we all have opiate receptors in our brains.

Once those receptors have been fully opened, it is very difficult, if not impossible, to ‘close the door’ of those receptors. When you become addicted, that receptor in the brain tells the body it needs the opiate in order to feel good, to sleep, to be pain free, to feel normal. Your body literally fights again itself. It's a vicious cycle and terribly hard to watch.”

School substance abuse counselor Jennifer Wayman said that the Larimer Center for Mental Health, the Salvation Army, churches and 12-step programs such as Narcotics Anonymous may aid people in overcoming their addictions. She is available for any students within the school battling substance abuse and addiction, as well. In the case of heroin, though,

They (teens) are in charge of their lives. That’s the important thing. If they want to change, they have the power. They are not the only ones. Nobody should think that it is the end of the world.

“

Barbara Cynkar, school nurse

”

sons why they are started on drugs are that teenagers lack support from their families. Technology doesn’t help either, since it is so advanced they are less connected. They also feel like there is no safe place for them in the world, so drugs are a way to not feel stressed and drugs make them feel good, and feel good instantly, a quick fix.”

Everyone wants to feel good, and for those who are depressed and are feeling lonely, “the happy pill” has a whole new meaning. Dopamine, a chemical that runs through the brain and is constantly being produced, is a feel-good chemical. Drugs can give of two to 10 times the amount of naturally produced dopamine instantly. This motivates these teens to take their selected drug over and over again.

“The chemicals produced stop social and emotional growth,” Glick said. “They are stopping or slowing down things that they are learning.

Therefore, when you stop using you get chemically depressed. I think that they think that violence, or other behaviors that they wouldn’t usually act upon, is acceptable. This can

Commemoration of a life: A sitting rock lies at the edge of a pond in Troutman Park in memory of 2004 Rocky graduate Ben Brooksmith and his love of fishing. Brooksmith passed away in 2010 after an overdose on heroin.

the effects on the brain and the body are difficult to overcome.

“Heroin and opiate addiction are so hard to treat,” Kim said. “We researched different facilities throughout the United States, hoping to find an inpatient facility for Ben to go to and detox, get intense therapy and help on re-learning to live a normal life. The cost was enormous. Most wanted $20,000 to $40,000 for a 30or 90-day program, paid in full by the time they discharged.”

For Ben, though he had passion for life and the love of family and friends, the addiction controlled his life. Though it has been almost two years since his passing, his parents are still struggling with the loss of their only son. They have done community service projects in the community in his name and used their faith to cope with their loss. In their outreach to the community, the hope to change lives and make a difference to help

cause families to start to break down and relationships to get hurt.”

Teens have access to drugs by either stealing them from a parent or family member, in the case of prescription pills, or by mingling with those who are using harmful substances and purchasing it from them. Though teens often have easy access to drugs, they should realize that the detrimental effects of using drugs outweigh any possible benefits.

However, if they have struggled with addiction, school nurse Barbara Cynkar said that they still have the power to take control of their lives.

“They (teens) are in charge of their lives,” Cynkar said. “That’s the important thing. If they want to change, they have the power.

They are not the only ones. Nobody should think that it is the end of the world.”

If a teen is struggling with addiction and substance abuse, there are resources in the school to help them including the counselors and substance abuse counselors.

“Always come in here (drug and alcohol counseling office),” Sifuentes said. “Or, go to teachers and counselors. They are always willing to help if they are worried about friends.”

Glick added, “It’s always good to keep busy. Some people use working out, and others think about how they want to be role models for others. Stress management techniques are huge.”

Cynkar hopes that teens can also think about the future and the many good things they have ahead of them in their lives.

“They see more short term, and I see long term,” Cynkar said. “There is so much that they could do.”

prevent further tragic losses of life.

They partnered with the Turning Point Center for Youth and Family Development to replace nearly 70 windows in its facilities. The organization aims to help teens fight addiction and make healthy choices in their lives.

“Ben and his father worked together and independently in the window replacement industry, working for Anderson by Renewal for several years,” Kim said. “The owner of the company loved Ben and tried to be supportive of him during his struggles. It was his idea to do a community service project to honor Ben's memory. Ben’s father Gary and the owner of the company chose Turning Point because of the service they offer to young people in the community.

It is named The Ben Brooksmith Project.”

Along with their touching outreach to the community, they can

Courtesy of Gary and Kim Brooksmith

►Ben Brooksmith

provide perspective for teens who may want to experiment with drugs.

“Our advice is to never even attempt to ‘try’ or ‘experiment’ with prescription drugs or heroin,” Gary and Kim said. “Ben would say, ‘Never even go there! Don't think you can handle it. You can't, you won't and it will take over your life and never let you go.’”

Added Hardy, “I actually watched a show the other night on heroin and the young lady, an addict, they were talking to had an interesting quote.

She said, ‘No matter how much you study heroin, you will never find an old heroin addict, because they all die young.’”

Annual Holiday Stocking show returns to Lincoln Center Top Rocky choir groups, orchestras, bands and music students performed to a sold out audience at the Lincoln Center in the annual Holiday Stocking this past Tuesday.

The event moved back to the Lincoln Center this year after being performed at the Faith Evangelical Free Church last year due to the Lincoln Center renovations. Performers were spread out all over the Lincoln Center in the balconies, aisles and on stage to perform 90 minutes of holiday music for the audience.

- Fahey Zink

Laptop trainings prepare students, parents Freshman parents met on Dec. 6 and 14 to receive training regarding the new 1-to-1 Laptop Initiative. At the meetings, they learned the significance of their children having the laptops as well as how to operate and care for the machines. Freshman completed their training on Nov. 30. Laptops will be distributed in January for a $25 fee.

- Jeanelle France

Adopt-A-Family ends for year in success Rocky just finished its 16th year of Adopt A Family, a studentinitiated program to help those less fortunate during the holidays. This year the school collected clothes, food, toys and other items for 85 families in need.

The families came to get the donations on Saturday, Dec. 10. When they arrived, students and teachers provided a fun atmosphere for the kids while parents collected their donated items and loaded them into their cars.

- Katie Ritter Donations on the move: Senior Will Kelly helps to move donations for Adopt-A-Family to the tables on Friday, Dec. 9. This year, 85 families in need were provided with donations.

Fahey Zink

the news rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

December 16, 2011

Dance distress

Committee formed after ‘grinding’ concerns at event

by Cassa Niedringhaus Editor-In-Chief

In high schools across the country, including this one, administrators are concerned with the dirty dancing that teens seem to enjoy.

Faculty and students alike were especially bothered by the inappropriate dancing by some at the recent Make-aWish Dance on Nov. 11. At the dance, administrators talked to the DJ and asked him to play songs such as the Macarena and the Chicken Dance in order to help control the student dancing, which featured “grinding” moves.

Freshman Skyler Bowden said that while she was not surprised by the grinding, it was a big change from the exceedingly supervised dances at Blevins Middle School.

“I think that at school dances it shouldn’t be about who can dance the sluttiest,” Bowden said. “It should just be about having a good time and not about grinding with people that you barely know … Some things that I found excessively inappropriate are when girls hike their dresses up or when they bend over to touch the floor.”

Since the Make-a-Wish dance, a school committee has been formed to investigate solutions for a problem that seems to be gripping high schools around the country.

“A committee of 10 teachers and 10 Student Council officers have agreed to be part of a committee that is looking at the issue of grinding/inappropriate dancing,” said language arts teacher and Student Council sponsor Jennifer Adams.

“All members of the committee are encouraged to be open and honest about their feelings, which are varied, as we

There have always been rules at dances.

We just need to clarify what ours are.

“

Tyler Nickel, assistant principal

”

investigate ways to address this issue. So far, the committee has only met once and has only begun to discuss the topic.”

Added assistant principal and committee member Tyler Nickel, “We are taking a look at reasonable expectations for dances.

There have always been rules at dances.

We just need to clarify what ours are.”

Senior Lauren Spencer said that she doesn’t think grinding is a major issue at the school. She said that while grinding can be inappropriate, especially for younger teens, it is not a problem if it is not taken to an extreme.

“I think it really depends on age group,” Spencer said. “I think if you’re old enough to be responsible for yourself, as in age of 18 and an adult then definitely (grinding is okay). I think it’s your choice to do something that could be provocative. But, if you are 16 or 17 and you’re also showing off and flaunting your body, it can be a problem. “ This is not the first time that people have disagreed over dancing styles. In the 1830s, the waltz was introduced to America and at the time the contact between the dancers was considered indecent. In the 1920s and 1930s, people opposed dance marathons because they believed the dancing and touching to be

inappropriate. Some cities even banned the marathons altogether. When Elvis Presley ushered in an era of rock and roll, his provocative dancing angered people as well. Dirty Dancing in the 1980s was much the same.

The inappropriate nature of dancing today is preceded by hundreds of years in which the newest dancing style has provoked disdain. But today, the overwhelming influence of the media and technology inflate its presence. YouTube provides free access to all the current songs and their accompanying videos, which often contain scantily clad singers whose dancing styles are less than modest and, many say, are degrading to women.

This media influence has teenagers “bumping and grinding” at their school dances in a way that leaves parents, teachers and administers in shock. Schools across the nation are cracking down with behavioral contracts, added rules, changed music and even video campaigns to end the inappropriate dancing. Some schools are going to the extreme and cancelling dances altogether.

Language arts teacher J.D. Williams is also a member of the newly formed committee. He said that he personally feels that the type of dancing that teenagers favor today is an issue of disrespect and objectification of women. He believes that the media does contribute to the way teenagers dance.

“I definitely think dancing is a learned behavior,” he said. “You’re not born knowing how to do that. It’s not just dancing, though. People will see something that’s shown as cool on T.V., even, say, salmoncolored shoes, and try to repeat it. We are creatures of repeating habits.”

A3

3 ‘grinding’ dance moves that concern: ► #1: Girl bends over.

Boy moves in behind, sometimes with hand on small of girl’s back. Both move to the beat.



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► #2: Girl stands.

Boy moves in behind, sometimes grabbing girl’s hips. Both move to the beat.

 

► #3: Girl and boy stand facing one another. Both move close, often with pelvis areas touching.

Both move to the beat.



High schools around the country take action: ► Minnetonka High School in Minnesota has launched a video campaign illustrating the consequences that grinding can have.

► West Hollywood’s Pacific Hills School will change the music and host the dance with the lights on if students refuse to clean up their dancing.

► Contracts defining appropriate behavior and banning grinding at dances at Aliso Niguel High School in California must be signed by students as an alternative to canceling dances altogether.

► Students began hosting their own off-site dances in Salinas, Kansas, when the schools banned grinding.

► Portland’s Cleveland High School banned their winter formal altogether after students grinding.

Cassa Niedringhaus

Two painters work diligently to coat entire school Fresh finish: Philip Kintzley (left) and Brady Albat coat the halls in fresh white paint as part of a district-wide painting of schools. They are the only two painters hired to finish the entire district job.

by Isaac Effner Editoral Editor

In the last few weeks students and teachers have noticed an especially pungent smell wafting through the hallways.

This smell is that of paint, and is a result of a district-wide painting of schools which occur every seven years.

“It’s going to brighten up and freshen up our schools,” secretary Martha Pasquale said.

This painting marks the beginning of a major undertaking, spanning from earlier this year to the summer, to paint every single school in the entire district, with only two painters.

“Russell Stapleton gives us a schedule,” painter Philip Kintzley said, “We started in Maroon Bells and over the break we’re doing the cafeteria area. We start at about 4:30 a.m. and get done at about noon.”

Kintzley has worked with the district for 25 years and is working full time with his fellow painter Brady Albat to paint the entire district in the allotted time.

Some students and faculty have felt the need to complain about the smell, mainly why it

Cassa Niedringhaus

was necessary for the paintings to occur during classes, while many also understand the necessity for it to occur when it does.

“Ideally, it would be nice to do it over the summer,” English teacher Tom Smailes said, “but

we’re saving thousands of dollars and we need to just put up with it.”

In the end, it is important for the school to realize that Rocky is not the only school that needs to be painted, and does not deserve

special treatment over the other schools.

“Our district gives us only two people to paint the entire district,” dean Russell Stapleton said. “We have an egocentric idea where we believe we are the only school that needs painting,

but there are the elementary and middle schools, and the other high schools too.”

It is necessary for the school to be painted during school according to Stapleton, so the painters can finish as soon as possible, and move on to other schools.

December 16, 2011

editorial A4

National Scholastic Press Association National Critique

the rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

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

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

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

Columbia Scholastic Press Association National Critique

hiGhliGhter

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

the rocky mountain

Making the Grade A- School Painting:

Just for being here at 4:30 every morning, kudos goes to the painters.

B- Championship Photos:

Editor-in-Chief Cassa Niedringhaus Advertising Manager Ben Bigler Editorial Editor Isaac Effner Sports Editor Lauren Binder Features Editor Christine Gravelle Center In-Depth Editor Fahey Zink Limelight Editor Cam Chorpenning Staff Charlie Anderson Jessica Davidson Jeanelle France Sarah Hatch Taylor Hitchings Calvin Jouard Michelle Kennedy Regan Miller Katie Ritter Lukas Short Alexandria White Artists Amanda Kriss Reanna Nelson Adviser Stephen Wahlfeldt

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 Professional Journalists. The RM Highlighter will not allow source review prior to publication, unless there is a clarification issue. Source anonymity will be granted only after careful consideration by the editor, with the editor reserving the right to make the final decision. Staff editorials shall be presented logically and will represent the views of the majority of the staff. Editorial criticism, of either individuals or groups, will be based on fact and will be constructive.

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

Letters to the editor are welcome. They should be signed, and a home phone number should be included.

The writer’s name may be withheld upon request, provided the editor agrees that the reasons for withholding a name are valid and compelling. Try to limit letters to 300 words and place them in one of the “Letters to the Editor” boxes, located in the Media Center and the Main Office, or give them to a RM Highlighter staff member, RM Highlighter adviser Stephen Wahlfeldt, or drop them by the RM Highlighter room, Room 528, during 4th period. Letters may also be mailed to the Rocky Mountain Highlighter, Rocky Mountain High School, 1300 W. Swallow Rd., Fort Collins, CO 80526.

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Columnists express their own views and not necessarily those of the RM Highlighter staff. No expression made by students of the Rocky Mountain Highlighter shall be considered an expression of school board or Rocky Mountain High School policy. Furthermore, Poudre School District and its employees are immune from any civil or criminal action based on any expression made or published by the students.

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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.

Reanna Nelson

The cost of a dream

I

s the “American Dream” disappearing?

Is the suburban house with the white picket fence, the perfect nuclear family, even the freedom to be what you want to be and Staff to do what you Editorial want to do becom► The ing impossible to American achieve?

Impossible, no.

Dream Difficult, undoubtdifficult to edly. The economic achieve conditions in for today’s America today offer generation very little room for success for those who come from families of lower socioeconomic class. They can go to a public school and try to earn scholarships towards higher education, but even with these scholarships school can be extremely dif-

Letter to the editor: Tragedy at Virginia Tech

ficult to pay for as the cost of college has risen greatly even in the last decade. In fact, the cost doubles roughly every nine years. Even those with greater economic means may find difficulty in paying for education and may be followed by the debt from student loans for years after they graduate from college.

But after college, even if they are debt-free, people may still face difficulty in supporting themselves financially. Jobs that pay a salary that can support a middleclass family are becoming sparse as millions of jobs are sent overseas to countries like China and India so that they can be done cheaply.

Many of the professionals that American universities produce are finding themselves without the jobs they

Dear Editor, Virginia Tech. This School cannot catch a break. Five years ago the school was devastated with the deadliest shooting rampage in modern U.S. history, and on Dec. 8 a police officer was killed in a

imagined for themselves; instead having to use their hard-earned college degrees at a McDonald’s if their pride will allow them to do so. In short, although a college education may be attainable for some, employment in their field of expertise may not be.

Because of the economic issues the United States is facing at this time the “American Dream” has become less accessible for our generation. The first challenge is getting an education, but even afterwards the debt can be crippling and the careers that college prepared students for are not always available. If money can’t be made, the American Dream cannot be fulfilled; a sad truth, but the truth nonetheless.

campus parking lot.

Although the shooting was not as devastating to the school, it was or the police officer’s wife and five kids. The officer did nothing to deserve this. He was making a routine traffic stop when ambushed

by the shooter. Why did it have to be him?

Why does Virginia Tech keep getting targeted?

I honestly do not understand what goes through people’s heads that causes them to kill innocent people.

Maybe it’s because of their ostentatious size, or maybe we’re just champs, but there’s officially no more room in the entrance area for state championship photos.

C- Semester’s End:

Students don’t know whether to be excited for winter break or to stress out for finals, but either way the first semester is almost over.

D- No Snow Days:

Temperatures plummet and snow is frozen in place, yet we still have not had a snow day.

F- Another Accident:

Dear City, yet ANOTHER accident at an intersection leading to school. This means it’s time to figure it out and finally make another left turn lane into Rocky–at Rocky Mt. Way.

It truly is a tragedy.

My heart goes out to the officer’s family and everyone else who has ever been affected by a shooting rampage.

Marissa Bonertz, sophomore

You shouldn’t just stay quiet until the eve of 18

Ignorant or wise, impulsive or patient, rebellious or compliant, it is an irrevocable fact of life that you are continuously, and subconsciously, choosing traits that will accumulate into who you are as a person.

These traits may change within the time of one sunset to its partnered sunrise. Your view of life may alter because of different relationships. But realize each newly formulated idea or belief is valid.

Each tumultuous emotion you go through in the trek of a day is not just teenage angst.

It pure, unrestrained emotion and thoughts.

It’s honest expression of the

Unlatch the Hatch Sarah Hatch mind, and it’s unavoidable at any age.

Even with this truth, the youth are criticized and belittled on a daily basis, under a form of discrimination called adultism.

Adultism, like sexism or racism, is plain bigotry. The root attitude of adultism is that if you’re under 18

your ideas are flippant, foolish, and irrational.

In an article written by social justice education lawyer Teresa Graham Brett, she describes how adults assume, “[Children] cannot be trusted to develop correctly, so they must be taught, disciplined, harnessed, punished, and guided into the adult world.”

Guaranteed, many of us don’t understand every fact or figure involved in attaining our dreams, but our ideas and fantasies are worth defending and following.

The Freechild Project, a group trying to free the youth from having their ideas and beliefs subjugated by adults, says, “Oppression of young

people conditions them to accept all other oppressions that exist in the society.”

Latching onto one life plan or one belief and disregarding adult wisdom isn’t right either, obviously. But! The ideas you fall in love with in an instant, in a book, in a relationship aren’t immature or “youthful nonsense.”

They are who you are; defend them to the death, because when you actually die you want to have had vindication in your opinions, emotions, and beliefs from first inhale until last exhale.

Sarah Hatch is a junior and a reporter for the RM Highlighter.

the editorial rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

December 16, 2011

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Humanitarian or harmful?

Benefits of GMOs GMOs not viable option Pro due to lack of research outweigh potential risks G G Con



enetically modified organisms (GMOs) has created a significant controversy in modern science.

Some groups believe that there are undocumented effects of GMOs that will have a detrimental effect on humanity and nature. They believe that foods should be kept in a natural and organic state, rather than be altered through science.

However, this viewpoint blatantly ignores the plight of impoverished people whose lives would profit off of these products, this ignorance stems from the affluent and spoiled middle class college and high school students who are unable to legitimately sympathize with the starving masses. These people can only comprehend that people live at economic levels similar to them, and therefore have no sense of humanitarian priority.

Vitamin A deficiency harms the immune system making the body susceptible to disease, and is the leading cause of childhood blindness and it effects 33 percent of preschool age children around the globe according to UNICEF. A genetically modified organism known as golden rice has been fortified with vitamin A and is scientifically proven to prevent this deficiency along with being inexpensive and efficient, making it an affordable option for poor countries to fight diseases.

If GMOs such as golden rice are held back for further superfluous scientific research, humanitarian efforts will be set back, restricting what will be done to effectively prevent multiple diseases.

Modifying foods also has been able to advance the crop’s immune system, allowing poor agrarian states to start no longer require aid from other nations, and to begin to make progressive steps towards self-sufficiency.

The benefits of GMOs have been documented, through science and field research, and are necessary for the advancement of less developed countries and for fighting poverty in all nations.

The idea that GMOs are dangerous to humanity, or in effect to any manner of lesser animals, comes from a group of people who care more about their ideology of “keeping nature natural” rather than acknowledging the pain and suffering of their fellow humans.

GMOs are beneficial to society and should be taken on their current scientific merit, rather than any supposed future repercussions.

Isaac Effner

A genetically modified organism (GMO) has had its DNA changed with injections from a foreign genetic material.

Conference educates about importance of First Amendment “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”

This past summer, I learned that a higher percentage of Americans can name the five Simpsons than can name the five freedoms defined in the First Amendment.

I have to admit that I was among that majority of Americans who could not name their most fundamental freedoms.

And yesterday, Dec. 15, the day America ratified the Bill of Rights, went largely unnoticed.

The importance of the First Amendment, and the Bill of Rights as a whole, are underappreciated in this country.

Until I attended the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference in July 2011, I did not fully understand the immense importance of those 45 simple words that mean so much to our country. These freedoms, especially those of speech and the press, are freedoms that I exercise daily.

In the Haus Cassa Niedringhaus At the week-long conference, 50 high school journalists from around the country and I explored the importance of the First Amendment at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The Newseum is an interactive museum dedicated to the history of news in America. The exterior of the building has a 74-foot inscription of the First Amendment.

We were given iPod touches to use for the week that were loaded with applications that journalists can utilize in an age of digital journalism. We used a wireless internet connection and these iPods to report on the events of the week, including a tour of the White House and the Capitol, a mock trial with a federal judge presiding over the proceedings, a tour of the facilities of the USA Today, a live filming of Meet the Press, and a chance to meet the staff of the Freedom Forum who organized the event and USA

Today founder, Al Neuharth, himself. We were able to take pictures and report on-the-go, and it struck me how much technology is changing the face of journalism, and the meaning of the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment. With the use of the internet and social media, some of our freedoms look drastically different.

This conference is important because it educates a new generation of upcoming journalists whose definition of the First Amendment is something completely different than the generation that preceded it. Journalists, whose chosen profession is deliberately protected by the Bill of Rights, have a duty to practice and defend the First Amendment in their work.

But besides journalists, it is important that all citizens recognize and understand the immensity of the 45 words that guarantee them the freedoms of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition because these are not just freedoms for journalists, but for all Americans.

Cassa Niedringhaus is a senior and Editor-in-Chief for the RM Highlighter.

enetically modified organisms (GMOs) are taking over grocery stores, with a majority of our foods being treated with a series of injections.

A GMO has had its DNA changed with injections from a foreign genetic material. Modification is used because the product may produce more, be resistant towards insects and weeds, or become drought resistant.

Herbicide-tolerant crops or bacillus thuringiensis (BT) crops are prime examples. Genetically engineered to survive the direct application of herbicides into them, they raise other concerns regarding the weeds which grow around them; these “superweeds” will require even more herbicides to kill them.

The BT crops have pesticides built inside the products in order to produce toxins that kill pests.

Just like the weeds, “superbugs” will also rise and be harder to kill. If this antibiotic gene inserted into most GM crops were to transfer, it could create diseases which would be resistant to antibiotics.

According to the Center of Food Safety, 70 percent of processed foods are modified, so with the typical American diet these foods are unavoidable.

Common GM products are soybeans, corn, and sugar, thus their by-products are also modified.

There is the belief that GMOs would benefit to famine ridden countries. According to Worldpress. org even nations in Africa have rejected the United States offers of GM food. In 1998, a meeting of the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations was held, and all African nations except South Africa rejected the GM crops that Reanna Nelson were offered by the US. In Zambia, President Levy Mwanawasa believed that just because the citizens were hungry that it was no excuse to eat potentially dangerous food. Due to the lack of testing, the long-term effects of GMOs are difficult to track. Unlike the safety evaluations for drugs, there are no human clinical trials for GM foods. The evidence of sicknesses developed from GMOs and the foreign substances in the DNA of an organism just shows how unnatural it becomes. Foods that are meant to be healthy are now being altered in order to be able to produce more but at the consumer’s health. GMOs should be eliminated to preserve the health of people and the environment.

Regan Miller

Photo Poll

Are you concerned about eating genetically modified organisms?

“Yes, they’re changing it from what it originally is so you could get sick or die sooner.”

Amanda Martin, freshman

“I don’t really care as long as it tastes good.”

Dan MacOubrie, sophomore

“It makes the food better, and I don’t really care.”

Joseph O’Neill, junior

“I occasionally think about it with meat but usually I’m not.”

Lynne Lyell, business teacher

A6 December16, 2011

the sports rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Karp capable

Senior post player leading boys’ basketball resurgence

by Calvin Jouard Reporter

Race in the Rockies: Math teacher Susan Chaffee prepares for the Leadville 100 bike race (right) and then celebrates her finish with a friend and a refreshing bottle of water (below).

Courtesy of Scott Kemp

Teachers take on grueling Leadville 100 bicycle race

by Michele Kennedy Reporter

Roughly 14,000 feet of vertical climbing, three major ascents and one unforgettable experience.

The Leadville Trail 100 Mountain Bike Race is a feat that few people attempt and even fewer finish. Consisting of 100 miles of strenuous mountain biking, the race must be finished in less than 12 hours, with the top finishers completing the course in under six and a half hours.

However, for wrestling coach Ken Taylor and math teacher Susan Chaffee, the race was less of a competition and more of a chance to prove something to themselves and to others.

Chaffee attempted and finished the race this past summer, while Taylor accomplished the same triumph the summer before. For Chaffee, she was able to add Leadville to her list of other ultra endurance mountain bike races that she has overcome.

“For me, every time that I do something like this I think that it changes you,” Chaffee said.

“You are a different person when you are done by persevering and pushing through it all. Every ultra I’ve done I have wanted to quit. I’m not going to be a quitter and that has been really important to me because it’s easy to quit, but to push through— that says a lot.”

Taylor agreed, adding, “A lot of people don’t finish, so that was my main goal was just to finish and do it smart. Don’t go out too fast so that you can make sure

and finish.”

Nonetheless, the biggest challenge of a race like Leadville is not only the physical challenge it poses, but also the massive number of people who ride in the race. Every year the race increases in size, in part due to the bigname bikers who have done the course in the past, such as Lance Armstrong and Levi Leipheimer.

“It’s my third ultra that I have done, but it was probably the hardest in that it was the most crowded,” Chaffee said. “The hardest part of this one, for me, was the mass amount of people.

It was pretty overwhelming but also pretty exhilarating.”

In addition to the 1,500-plus riders who compete each year, many riders have a crew which can give them food, water and mechanical support during the race. Science teacher Scott Kemp has crewed for both Chaffee and Taylor in their contentions.

“It’s always fun supporting people that you know that are in a race, and I don’t think I could do it myself,” Kemp said. “It’s just great to support friends and be there. They’re all part of the Lobo family, so you know, we try to help them out.”

While the fastest riders in the race, no doubt, ride for the competition, many cycle solely for the challenge and love of the sport.

“For us, it’s not a competition,” Taylor said. “It (mountain biking) is a lot of fun. I like the fact that you can get off the roads; you don’t have to battle with cars. I would rather fight with trees and rocks than cars.”

Senior center Ethan Karp is somewhat of a rarity on the basketball team this year.

Not only because of his red hair, either.

“The first thing you see with Ethan is his stature, his size and his strength,” head coach Jon Rakiecki said. “Ethan isn’t just 6-foot-6. He’s 6-6, 210 pounds with some muscle on him who has the athletic ability to jump.”

Karp is the only player for the Lobos boys’ basketball team to fit the typical description of a post player, at 6-feet 6-inches and 210 pounds. The next closest player height-wise is Michael Dermody at 6-foot-3, and the average height on the rest of the team is just 6 feet.

“To have a 6-6 guy with some strength helps us out a lot,” Rakiecki said. “He is our only big guy and that’s why there’s so much pressure on him. With that comes a lot of responsibility. He needs to be in double figures points-wise and he needs to get double digit rebounding.”

“I don’t really focus on that,” Karp said, about the doubledouble goal. “I just try to play my game and it should come as a result.”

By averaging 10.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game through five games, Karp has nearly met his goal of a double-double every game, and shown vast improve-

Basketball Fun: Senior Ethan Karp goes to sit on the bench (left) and senior Jason Tran (below) goes up for a layup with tough defense in the game against Arvada West. The boys lost the game, 56-52, but are still off to a 5-1 start.

Regan Miller

Boys’ Basketball Record: 5-1 Stars:Ethan Karp had 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Michael Dermody had a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the win over Bear Creek.

Ahead: Loveland on Jan. 3 Talk: “Were off to a solid start. We have had one tough loss, but we’ve already recovered and are looking ahead” - Ryan Fergen

ments from his junior campaign last year, in which he managed 5.1 points and 4.3 rebounds a game, and split time with former senior Chris Bonk.

Karp cited skill development and position work as ways he improved his game over the offseason, and also credits the increased intensity of practice and the focus on winning through adversity.

His highlights include a 16-point, 9-rebound performance in the Lobos’ 57-38 win over Bear Creek, and a 14-point, 6-rebound night in the 66-63 overtime win over Westminster.

“The style of play coach wants

Lauren Binder

to play this year fits me better,” Karp said. “I like the tough fundamental defense and set offensive plays compared to the run and gun of last year.”

“He’s gotten a lot stronger and developed more post moves,” senior guard Jason Tran said. “His mental toughness is also much better. He learns from his mistakes rather than pouting about them, and always stays positive and keeps his confidence high.”

Girls’ swimming off to challenging start

by Jeanelle France Reporter

Girls’ Swimming Record: 0-3 Stars: Mary Wilson Ahead: The Colorado Invitational on Dec. 17 at the Mountain View Pool Talk: “The team is getting to know each other and new swimmers are learning” -Mary Wilson

With each new season comes new challenges, and the girls’ swimming team is facing them head on.

Even though the team has yet to win a meet, swimming captain, senior Mary Wilson, has a bright outlook on this year’s swim team.

“This year we have a lot of new girls,” Wilson said. “It’s frustrating at times because we have to take practice a little slower, explain things a little bit more but I love it also. It’s great to see them improve at meets and see how excited they get. I think (coming up short) is just a part of being a young team and not having all of the strokes developed and not having all of the events filled, but I think we’re just going to focus on individual times and not as much on winning the meets. Our coach has put a big emphasis on individual improvement this year.”

The swim team has had three meets so far, but have not won any of them. Despite this, they are still headed to some major competitions later on in the season.

“I know we will have about two or three girls going to state for individual events and then we

already have two relays qualified.

People seem to think swim meets last forever; they really don’t. We want more support. I think it would help us. I think the girls would have a lot more motivation, whenever you have someone there cheering you on, it’s a lot better.”

Wilson started swimming at age 7 at a neighborhood pool like every other little girl. She has competitively competed for about four years and plans on swimming in college at the University of Northern Colorado.

She placed first in 100 backstroke at the first meet and second best in backstroke at the second meet. Both of her older sisters swam, but she is the only one who decided to take up the sport as early on as in high school.

The Lobos swim at their next meet on Dec. 17 at the Colorado Invitational.

himself on a daily basis—it’s the attitude of doing everything to the best of one’s ability.

It is the process by which these two people/organizations differ, and this makes all the difference.

That is why one is in trouble and the other is flourishing.

These ideas are just as prevalent in high school sports.

With the end of the fall sports season, it’s natural to want to kick back and enjoy extra free time, and ignore offseason workouts.

Even with a new season, it’s easy to get caught up in the monotony of practice. But these actions put emphasis on the final product, instead of the process by which you achieve it. In the end, it catches up with you, like Penn State.

There’s a certain way to go

about things that contributes to success. Doings things the right way means giving 100 percent effort in school, sports, relationships, and all other aspects of life.

Whether it be holding the door open for a stranger or touching the line in practice during conditioning, everything counts.

Calvin Jouard is a senior reporter for the RM Highlighter and a linebacker for the football team.

Calvary from page A8

Cassa Niedringhaus

Swim Session: Junior diver Amber Harley (top) goes smoothly into the water, while junior Mckenna Basham (red cap) does the butterfly stroke in an individual event during a Dec. 1 meet against Poudre.

the sports rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

December 16, 2011

A7

Winter Wishes wondrous ice show Junior Bingaman part of Toy Story show as Jessie the Cowgirl

by Lauren Binder Sports Editor

Every December around the holidays, a popular event for an often misunderstood sport is held at EPIC, the Winter Wishes Ice Show.

This city event has been happening for 25 years. Heidi Thiebert, Artistic Director of the show not only spends her whole winter setting it up but also her summer.

“It starts early in the summertime when I write down ideas,” said Theibert. “Then we have auditions for the skaters in the summer and the costume construction and ordering.

There is music editing, and then once all that is finished we will have rehearsals four times a week, for five weeks. The week right before the show is technology week and choreography.”

Winter Wishes has continued to tell stories through ice skating such as Willy Wonka, Tom Sawyer, the Wild Wild West, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Wizard of Oz. This year, skaters are going to be performing Toy Story, but most importantly they are going to be performing an American Tribute to all the people who died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Thibert thought it was time to bring it up in the show

Tough from page A8

there’s a big difference in the fans. If you ask any wrestler who their biggest supporter is, unlike in football or basketball, they won’t say, ‘It’s my girlfriend’ or something like that,” said Carson, who wrestled at 160 and now at 145. “Their first response will be ‘my parents.’ They have to put up with me when I am angry, hungry, want to quit and give in.

(My parents have) stuck by me for 13 years and helped push me when I just (wanted) to throw in the towel and give up.”

Like Carson, Principal Tom Lopez comes from a wrestling family. He started wrestling in high school partly because his father was a boxer, but mostly because he was too small to partake in most other contact sports.

“The sport is all about testing yourself individually, improving your self-esteem, building strength, agility, (and) gaining confidence,” Lopez said. “It’s also about separating yourself and relying on yourself and your own effort in order to help the whole team be better. To be a truly great wrestler, it has to be your life.”

The dedication Lopez felt is true for all wrestlers. They often must endure physical and psychological hardships that are truly unique to their sport in order to excel.

“You know there is a saying that goes like this, ‘Wrestlers are not right up in the head. They endure all this hardcore training that no other sport compares to (such as) the weight cutting, the mental game everything that does go on in just one simple week only to go out and have to spot light on you for six minutes,’” Carson said. “So I guess it all goes down to do you have a heart of a warrior? That’s what draws me to do all this, and I am probably not mentally right because of it.”

Lauren Binder

Toy Story Skating: Junior Elly Bingaman and partner Joe Johnson practice a scene from Toy Story three with Buzz Lightyear and Jessie. The show will be Dec. 16-18.

and to the audience’s attention.

“About 10 years ago in the summertime I was thinking of doing part of a show as a tribute to Vietnam, and that September is when it happened,” Thiebert said. “ I just couldn’t believe it, and I want to pay another tribute. It is so meaningful and basically it’s the ‘We have not forgotten’ theme.”

On a happier note, current and post students have been participating in this winter tradition. For junior Elly Bingaman, she is pleased to play the Jessie the Cowgirl from Toy Story in the upcoming Winter

Wishes show. She is able to combine one of her favorite cartoons with her favorite sport.

“I’m a lead role in Toy Story and one of just a few people with a solo,” Bingaman said. “I’m super excited.

I’m really happy to have this part.

It’s a lot of hard work, but it is really fun.”

Freshman Haylie Patrick will also be performing in the upcoming show on Dec. 16-18. One of her roles is to be a character from the mystery board game Clue, as Miss Scarlet.

“I like it (Winter Wishes) because there is no pressure,” Patrick said.

“It’s Christmas time too, and everybody loves Christmas.”

“My favorite part is putting together a choreography notebook,” Theibert said. “ Right now I am putting the ‘Santa’s Rock and Roll’ where I make a map for the skating sequence, like who is skating what and with whom. I just love that I am the only one who knows what is going on before I tell them.”

Winter wishes to these girls is a good escape from all the demanding aspects of being an ice skater. Since she was 5, Bingaman has been performing and competed in the sport.

She follows her sister, alum Ariel Bingaman, and her mom, who used

Padilla from page A8

York to New Zealand, and is held at the Budweiser Events Center every November.

Most wrestlers will attest to the family atmosphere that is found in all aspects of the sport – practices, matches, tournaments, and every struggle and success that is in between.

“The wrestling team itself is a family. If any family is in need, the whole team is there to help out. Whenever someone is down, the team and their families lift them up,” senior 145-pounder Colton Hankins said. “As my family sees me go through such a tough sport, the support grows stronger and stronger. It makes our family closer than it ever has been. We go through rough times on the mat, but that helps us when we’re going through rough times as a family.”

Some may think that this special kinship is in relationship to wrestling is only because

Lauren Binder

Fanning Faceoff: Junior 132-pounder Michael Fanning (left) faces off with a Fossil wrestler. The wrestling team has had a successful early season with six shutouts.

families grow up with the sport, like with the Padilla family. While incredible lines of wrestlers surface again and again in wrestling (for example, Hankins’ father wrestled for all four years in high school, as did Hankins’ brother Conner, who graduated in 2010), it seems as though families attach themselves to the sport almost instantly.

“I was one of the first people in my family to wrestle, but my family gives me so much support.

They make me a stronger person.

Scholarship Ink

Cam Chorpenning

Exciting signing: Seniors Amelia Morgan and Kim Catlett, with parents, sign letters of intent to play volleyball in college. Morgan (sitting left) signed with Flagler College in Florida, while Catlett signed with the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs.

to go pond ice skating when she was younger. Bingaman expresses about how skating can be very high demand.

“It has to become your life,” Bingaman said. “You have to build up the strength and flexibility to be able to do all the things that get you points. If you aren’t competitive, it still takes up a ton of time and strength but it’s less stressful and less pressure. For me, it takes up most of my time after school and during the shows it takes up most of my weekends too. I have devoted most of my life to this sport.”

So bring your family to this season’s show and watch the hard work in action. Maybe it will become a family tradition some day.

“I think that it will always happen, it has become a huge tradition,” Theibert said. “I don’t see that it will go away and it will evolve like it always has. As long as there are skaters, there will be a Winter Wishes.”

I’m so grateful that they let me participate in the sport and other activities. They’re always looking out for my best interests, and cheering me on – it’s amazing that they’re helping me pursue my passion of wrestling,” said sophomore Trevor Anderson, who is in his second year of wrestling at Rocky.

Current wrestlers are able to kindle the relationship by sharing wrestling with their families, and their families are able to kindle the relationship by being constant support.

Duckworth knows firsthand – his younger brother, Wes, wrestles at Webber Middle School, and is picking up Zach’s tricks of the trade to prepare for high school wrestling.

It can definitely be argued that wrestling teams and wrestling families will always be intertwined in a way that other sports and other athletes simply don’t see or understand at the surface level.

But according to Colton, peering into the window of wrestling rela-

►Elly Bingaman

Wrestling Record: Dual:11-0.

Stars: Ben Drysdale, ALex Carson, Derick Padilla, Aaron Beckman, Tony Martinez, Danny Murphy, Roman Ortiz Ahead: Greeley West dual and Warrior Classic Tournament .

Talk: “We’ve got a great group of guys and we’re ready to dominate and get to state.” - Erik Tharp

tionships is as simple as attending a meet.

“The sport is really so difficult.

No one understands it until they come watch it how fierce and exciting it actually is,” he said. “It takes a real man to wear spandex while beating another man up.”

Not only that, but it takes a group of real men to create a team so lovable and close that every parent jumps on board.

“Our wrestling team is very unified,” said Anderson. “Everyone is caring towards one another; we always lift each other up with encouragement.

It’s a very individual sport, but it couldn’t be more of a team sport at the same time.”

December 16, 2011

Wrestler Support

sports A8

Rocky alum Diego Felix (blue shirt) and Jeremy Luna (blue hat) come to support former Lobo teammates in the match against Fossil. The team has a strong support group even from student who have graduated.

the rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Calvary Charge Calvin Jouard

Talkin’ ’bout Tebow Tim Tebow should have a talk with the Penn State football program.

I mean, they both have a lot in common, so the talks would surely be enjoyable and productive.

Both love football, being involved with young boys, and both represent larger entities than themselves.

However, each goes about representing themselves and their counterparts in slightly different ways.

The Penn State football team was recently embroiled in a sex scandal, in which defensive coordinator Jerry Sandusky was charged and arrested for 40 accounts of sexual abuse of young boys over a 15-year span. The most troubling part, and what transformed the dilemma into a scandal, was the program’s inability to report Sandusky’s crimes to authorities. Some maintain that the program was trying to protect not only the football program’s prestige, but the university’s spotless record as well. It’s the idea known as “by any means necessary.”

And this attitude has caught up with them.

Tebow, on the other hand, is the epitome of good.

From his actions to his character, he represents himself and the Broncos organization in the best way possible. Ask any football lover, radio host or mother, and they’ll tell you that Tebow is the kind of role model they want for their kids. Tebow is doing things the right way.

Additionally, he is winning games for the Broncos, however unconventionally (7-1 as a starter). And Tebow’s character and success are not merely circumstantial.

His success on the field and as a person is intertwined with how he approaches tasks and conducts Jump to CALVARY, page A6

Lauren Binder

Building a bridge to

Generation

Grap pling

►Chris Hansen and friends support the Lobo wrestlers.

Padilla family all about tradition of wrestling

Lauren Binder

Rocky until he graduated in 2008.

To the Padilla family, wrestling is far more than a fun pastime or a way to spend Saturday afternoons – it actually brings them closer together as a unit.

“We’re always involved in something wrestling. It’s 24/7,” Derick said. “Wrestling is all we talk about when winter rolls around.”

Derick’s dad even puts on a major national wrestling tournament every year, the Big Horn Nationals. The tournament attracts teams from New

by Jessica Davidson Reporter

Merriam Webster defines family as “a group of individuals living under one roof and one head.”

Senior Derick Padilla could define sports family in a single word: pecial wrestling.

For the Padilla family, wrestling is life. Padilla has many uncles who competed at the state level, his father has been involved in wrestling all his life, Derick’s youngest brother wrestles at Boltz Middle School currently, and Derick’s older brother, Greg Padilla, wrestled for

S

Lauren Binder

Jump to PADILLA page A7

Pin and Win: Senior 152-pounder Derick Padilla works to pin a rival wrestler in the match against Fossil. With a family line of wrestlers, Padilla was exposed to the sport at an early age.

Wrestling not for everyone; only for tough at heart

by Jeanelle France Reporter

Grappling, or wrestling, is arguably the world’s oldest form of organized sport.

Evidence of the existence of wrestling stretches from depictions in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics, Biblical references and even in the development of Asian forms of the sport such as jujitsu and Taekwondo.

While the pastime has undergone specific changes in order to make it more accessible and relevant to distinct regions, the general guidelines have remained the same. You pit one person against another in similar stature, and its every man for himself.

The most agile, well-trained, and generally the strongest emerges as the winner.

Coming into the 21st century,

Manly Murphy: Sophomore 113-pounder Daniel Murphy head locks another wrestler from Fossil. The wrestlers are off to a great start on the season.

The team is undefeated in duals this season.

wrestling is commonplace in high school athletics. However, even though it was highly regarded in earlier years, some people don’t respect it as much as ancient people once did.

“I hear a lot of negative comments,” senior wrestling manager Meghan Loury said. “Mostly things like ‘eeww, that’s gross.

Lauren Binder

Why would you want to watch that?’ I mean people do say ‘that’s gay’ sometimes, and I just get really mad.It’s exciting to watch because it’s so different.

The boys aren’t really cocky, I mean compared to the basketball and baseball boys and especially the football boys. They’re really tight-knit too. It’s like a family.

It’s also really different (because) in no other sport do boys have to cut like 5-20 pounds and have to lift people their own weight for six minutes to wrestle them. That is the hardest thing ever. I don’t think anyone knows that because people who don’t wrestle have never tried that before. It’s seriously the manliest sport ►Coach Hargreaves ever.”

Alex Carson is a second generation wrestler. His older and younger brothers both have wrestled as well.

“I mean there is nothing that compares to seeing someone battle for 360 seconds non-stop so I mean Jump to TOUGH page A7

DeBord sister duo contributing to undefeated girls’ start Girls’ Basketball Record: 4-0.

Beat Prairie View 55-50, Heritage 38-37.

Stars: Anna Ernst had 12 points in the win over Heritage, and 14 against Prairie View.

Ahead: Cherokee Trail Invite Dec. 15-17.

Talk: “We will have challenges to face and we are preparing for them.”

-Mckenna Dando

by Lukas Short Reporter

With the girls’ basketball team currently at a 4-0 winning streak, there is no doubt that the DeBord sisters, Taylor and Maddi, are a duo that have contributed to a fair share of the team’s success so far this year.

Senior Taylor DeBord has been playing varsity for the basketball team since her sophomore year, but had played varsity, and suited up freshman year. The other half to this sister duo is sophomore Maddi DeBord. Both girls are conveniently the same height at about 5-foot-4ish, and the team’s point guards.

“Our relationship on the court

is a natural chemistry when we play, she knows my strengths, and weaknesses. And I know hers,” Taylor said Even with the best of relationship between the two, they still mean business when it comes to their sport and have what Maddi calls “a natural competition.”

They view this as an advantage because of how they push each other.

“We play hard on each other.

She knows I can do better and I know she can,” said Taylor.

My sister is really good support and is always positive,” Maddi added. “She grounds me as a player.

“She’s worked really hard for

the team, and at basketball in ►Maddi general,” Taylor said.

This hard work is apparent in DeBord Maddi’s playing and is what, as Taylor says, the reason Maddi has earned a varsity spot.

Taylor connects with her sister in the mutual experience of being on varsity as a sophomore and is exited for her success. She also is exited for her last high school season and the success of ►Taylor the team.

DeBord “We have a group of girls who want work hard,” Taylor said. “No selfish players.”

December 16, 2011

Car Collision

features B1

Wednesday, Dec. 7, on the intersection of Shields and Swallow, two cars collided causing a truck to flip.

Thankfully, the only effect from the crash for students were tardies that morning.

Who Knew?

the rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Cassa Niedringhaus

Peers you would not expect to have been bullied Brenden Fitchfreshman What and When did it happen?

7th Grade- Middle School “I was picked on by this guy that called me names, said mean comments, and would shove me once in a while.”

How it has impacted you and what would you tell other students?

“It may be funny to you, but it really hurts.”

Ananda Wimbergersophomore What and When did it happen?

7th Grade- Middle School “This girl called me fat and said I ate too much. She said that’s why I didn’t have a boyfriend.”

How it has impacted you and what would you tell other students?

“Some kids happen to be bullies, but the majority of people help others, not hurt them.

No matter how alone you feel, counselors and students will always be there to help.”

te

Ed Kennedy- junior What and When did it happen?

Elementary and Middle School “Kids would call me fat because I was just a bigger kid.

They would also call me a goody-goody.”

How it has impacted you and what would you tell other students?

“Embrace who you are and make sure not to worry about what others say.”

g n mi

hache sean m

Photo Illustration by Christine Gravelle

re

New face of bullying

by Michelle Kennedy Reporter

Bullying is generally associated with pushing features in the pecial hallways, mean comments uttered face to face or other inappropriate actions.

However, now bullying can be directed through a hurtful or threatening text, a Facebook wall post or an email. This newer form of bullying, known as cyber bullying, has become a large issue for schools, students and counselors alike.

S

LLYI

U hurB th dam tful “There’s still the traditional bullying of name calling, pushing in the halls or picking on people,” counselor Crystal Kelly said.

“That has just become more directed in words, through mostly Facebook and text.”

Cyber bullying is an issue that generally occurs beyond the school’s direct control because it is directed through social media and texting. Unfortunately for schools and counselors, this makes cyber bullying a difficult situation to Jump to NEW, page B2

at agi ng s 59%

Taylor Hitchings

27%

of students have been cyber bullied.

25%

of students have witnessed bullying but did not report it. of students were bullied in either elementary school or middle school.

303 students surveyed

NG

Creating awareness: Junior Weatherly Armstead makes a poster for her now club. The club meets every Friday at lunch in room 606.

of students have been bullied.

62%

Rylee Johnstonsenior What and When did it happen?

Elementary School- 3rd Grade “I rode the bus with this girl and I would always sit with the older kids. She would tease me, and one day she pushed me off the bus seat.”

How it has impacted you and what would you tell other students?

“Retaliation is never the right thing and make sure to stay true to yourself. Treat people how you would want to be treated.”

Student starts club, works to stop bullying

by Taylor Hitchings Reporter

BS—a swear word, a card game and now a club.

BS, short for “Bullying Sucks,” is a brand new club started by junior Weatherly Armstead. Those who attend can expect to learn more about bullying at Rocky, and then share that information with others at different schools.

“It hasn’t really got-

ten into full swing yet, but we’re going to have guest speakers and we’re going to go to junior highs and speak to the kids about bullying,” junior Brianna Roselles, a member of the club, said. “We recently had a conference that had a big convention where we saw speaks that talked about bullying and their experiences.”

Jump to CLUB, page B2

Teens sleep in boxes for experience, make change in community

by Christine Gravelle Features Editor

Christine Gravelle

Making the bed: Senior Ari Nevo (far left), senior Shaina Sutton, senior Greg Luft, junior Lily Schulz, and other participants work on building their boxes. Through the event, the group was able to make over 8,000 dollars.

When someone hears about a group of teens sleeping in front of a church in December, with only cardboard boxes and coats for protection, one word comes to mind; insanity.

The weekend of Dec. 3, over one hundred adolescents from 14 different congregations slept outside in boxes to

prove a point and make a difference all over Fort Collins.

Boxes were built to sleep in and only small food packs were given to the teens. It gave them the ability to truly feel the realities of being homeless for a day.

Homelessness is not only something prevalent in big cities, people all over Fort Collins are suddenly losing their homes and belong-

ings. People now have to look at the possibility of becoming homeless straight in the eye.

According to the National Center on Family Homelessness, “one in every 50 American children experience homelessness.”

“The kids set up their boxes, we have a vigil with speakers who have experiJump to BOXES, page B2

Small Talk Jess Davidson

Jess ‘nose’ best

So, did you hear that Jess Davidson got a nose job?

I didn’t know that I got a nose job, but apparently my peers did.

Urban dictionary defines a rumor as “something that is thought to be true but isn’t... spread for shock value or defamation, etc.” And in the case of the nose job rumor, the “shock value” started from a fact that got twisted. Indeed, on Nov. 22 I did undergo surgery on my nose.

But in no way was I going under the knife for cosmetic reasons.

In my sophomore year, I was kicked in the face while stunting in cheerleading (that sport is more dangerous than people think), unknowingly fracturing my nose and crushing cartilage, dislocating my septum completely. X-rays showed no break, so we decided to let the nose heal on its own.

I developed a saddlenose deformity, causing a dip in my nose that caused chronic pain in my septum and pain whenever I sing.

When the option of surgery was presented, I cautiously took the opportunity to end my discomfort, after living with a fractured nose for two years.

Had I not gotten the surgery, I could have possibly experienced such pain for the rest of my life. But obviously, if anyone gets facial surgery, it’s a nose job, right?

It serves no medical merit, right? I’m shallow enough that I’m willing to have a facial bone sliced through four times, just to be prettier, right?

Now maybe I’m just speculating.

Maybe people simply don’t understand the difference between nose surgery and a nose job. Maybe I’m being overly sensitive.

Nonetheless, I had surgery to prevent being in pain for the rest of my life, and some of my fellow students have been ignorant enough to transform my agonizing experience into a rumor.

At first I was appalled that people were Jump to JESS, page B3

B2 December 16, 2011

the features rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

A clean magic trick

Custodial staff puts in long hours of work to make sure school looks good

by Isaac Effner Opinion Editor

After school, students leave spills, errant school supplies, trash and other items all over the school, but as soon as school begins the next staff eature day, the whole building is miraculously clean.

Most students don’t take a second look at this transformation; however this change is due to the diligent work of the custodians.

“It takes us usually about two hours (to clean up after lunch),” Head custodian Will Esponoza said. “To clean the tables, stack the chairs, sweep the floor, scrub the floors and throw out the trash.”

Additionally, after lunch, Esponoza and his custodial team are in charge of cleaning the entire school, from the hallways, the area surrounding the school and the cafeteria.

This includes cleaning up spills, taking out and collecting the trash, gathering spare trays and sweeping and scrubbing the floors.

Lunch time is the busiest time for the custodians, but the members still have a lot of work to do. The day begins before 6 a.m. with the lights being turned on, all the hallways cleaned and preparing for lunch.

F

After the school day ends, a group of eight custodians undertake the task of cleaning every individual classroom.

This includes taking out the trash, vacuuming the rooms and cleaning the white boards. The night custodians also sweep up the halls, and mop them using a “riding scrubber.”

Even though the custodians do an amazing job, it is still very important that students clean up after themselves.

“I think it’s pretty vital,” night custodian Cory Pfohl said.

“They’re going to have to grow up sometime and have respect for everyone.”

The need for student participation was not only true for the night cleaning staff, but the post-lunch custodians as well.

“I think it’s very important that students clean up after themselves,” day custodian Claudia Perez said, “and it helps a lot.”

The fact that some students leave trays of spare food in the hallways and outside has always been an issue for the custodians to clean up and is an issue for the health standard.

“Just on a hygiene level, it isn’t good to be leaving trash and food out on the tables. However, it’s a very small percentage of students who leave things behind,” Esponoza said.

Even though most students

New

from page B1 handle.

“It feels like sometimes we, at school, are being held responsible to help try and manage cyber bullying and it’s all happening outside of school,” counselor Pam Kilness said. “I know how to deal with it when they are doing things at school but it’s a whole different thing when they’re on the internet.”

Regardless, the school will take action when a cyber bullying issue comes up. According to the Code of Conduct, behavior that occurs inside or outside of school that is detrimental to the welfare or safety of other students, including bullying, is grounds for suspension.

“They could be suspended,” Dean of Students Russel Stapleton said. “But that is only one end of the spectrum. Obviously on the other end of the spectrum we want to teach students how to interact with each other that doesn’t get to the point of targeting each other.”

Boxes from page B1

enced homelessness as well as breakout sessions, and then spend the night outside, waiting for donations,” sleepout organizer Christine Nofsinger said.

The event is 24 hours long and the purpose is to help teens learn and experience the realities of homelessness and raise

no

1 li

kes u

!!!

As Stapleton said, it is better to try to stop bullying before it happens—and sometimes student involvement is the best way to do this.

One example of student involvement is the new “Bullying Sucks” club, which attempts to raise awareness and stop bullying in the Lobo community.

“I think there is a lot of cyber bullying because of the internet and cell phones,” club member, senior, Heloisa Adegas said. “It’s the way that people most communicate these days, so of course it’s going to be used for bullying too.

It’s easier to say something about

money for HPI: Homelessness Prevention Initiative. This group works to help prevent people from becoming homelessness by paying for the part of their rent that they cannot afford.

“This event makes me appreciate that I have a home to go to and a warm bed to sleep in,” senior Shaina Sutton said. “This is their reality, and it makes me

Christine Gravelle

Making the school shine: Mahomed Magoub (above) works on cleaning all the blackboards and Rosa Anaya (right) helps to maintain the cleanliness in the hallways. The custodial staff work long hours before, during and after school to set up for scheduled events to keep the school looking presentable.

do contribute by cleaning up after themselves, very few actually care or think about the work put in to cleaning up the school put in by the custodial workforce.

“I would say keeping everything decent is the hardest part,” custodian Arlandis Jordan said.

someone on the internet than to say it to their face. You don’t feel the regret of saying something mean, like if you said it to their face and saw their reaction.”

Kelly agrees, adding, “The bullying that is cyber bullying is sort of a way for the people that are doing the bullying to hide. It’s like OK I’m going to do it through a text or do it through Facebook, but the thing is when they do it on that there’s a lot bigger chance of being able to do something about it because there’s evidence.”

According to bullyingstatistics. org, half of teens say that they have been the victims of cyber bullying. Sometimes, however, what may appear to be bullying could have been intended as an innocent joke.

“Students have to be smarter with technology in general,” Kelly said. “They have to think more about what they’re texting to people because it’s like an email. Its tone, you have to think about how you are sending a text and you have to think about what you’re putting of Facebook.

Anything could be portrayed as bullying.”

glad to help.”

As of Sunday, over $8,000 was raised, and the group expects their total to grow.

“It was nice to see faith based groups do something like this,” Nofsinger said. “They are empowered to make a change and care about everyone in their community, not just their peers.

“Someone will throw something and I don’t have time to keep track of everything.”

Club

from page B1 BS has a little something for everyone, whether they’re being bullied, a bully, or anything in between. It deals with a number of issues, including the different types of bullying, how to recognize it, and how to deal with it in a positive way that doesn’t make the problem worse.

“My little sister was bullied at Webber a while ago,” Armstead said. “When she would get bullied at McGraw, I would bully the bullier.”

For reasons like these, BS is more than just something to put on a resume for Armstead. It’s personal.

“Yes, I have [been bullied], but I was mostly the bully itself,” she said. “I want to turn that around.”

For Armstead and Roselles, the club is important because they believe bullying continues to be a large problem at Rocky.

“I really don’t think that direct bullying, like the kind you see in movies, is very popular,” Roselles said. “But just the name calling and talking behind peo-

I want people to know that they are never alone, and that there are people out there that go through the same thing.

“

Weatherly Armstead, junior

”

ple’s back. I think that’s a form of bullying…You see people call kids bad names almost directly to their face.”

The club is open to any students, but Armstead made a point to invite those who are currently being bullied.

“I want people to know that they are never alone, and that there are people out there that go through the same thing,” Armstead said.

BS meets Fridays at lunch in Room 606.

Cold for a cause: Several teens (left) put together boxes that will become their beds for the night, while a sign (below) is taped to a van for collecting donations.

The event lasted 24 hours.

Christine Gravelle

the features rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

December 16, 2011

B3

Lobo Bistro: An enriching experience

Students learn, staff provided with restaurant-style atmosphere

by Katie Ritter Reporter

Smells of delicious food hang in the air of Maroon Bells on Thursdays after second period.

Hmm, strange. This is far from the cafeteria. That is because this is the Lobo Bistro.

The Lobo Bistro is a studentrun restaurant located in room 345. Many students have a lack of information about the Lobo Bistro and the hours of hard work that are put in to make it happen.

There are multiple reasons why the Lobo Bistro is an important part of the school.

The students who run the Bistro are those with special needs. Running the Lobo Bistro gives those students a chance to learn job skills, along with skills that are necessary in everyday life. Each student is assigned a job for the week which includes: manager, server, host, cook and someone to clean up.

Different tasks are assigned for each day of the week so that the bistro runs by a schedule.

Mondays they plan their meal.

They go online, they look at some recipes and come up with a theme. Tuesdays they typically go out and shop, Wednesdays the students prep and do anything that needs to be done and Thursdays the meal is actually cooked.

The students get to participate in every part of the process.

Sara Cummings, Media Center staff member realizes just how

Cam Chorpenning

Q&A

Tyler Snelling

Watching Christmas cheer Senior Tyler Snelling works at the skating rink in Old Town, a holiday hot-spot for families. Snelling works for the City of Fort Collins’ Recreation department and works throughout the city at locations like EPIC and the Mulberry swimming pool.

Q: A: job?

just handle a lot of front desk paperwork I guess. Like ice skaters, contracts for the ice that time we rent out, and then just taking payments for signing up people for classes.

Regan Miller

Learning making lunch: Matt McNeil (right) sets the table before staff arrives at the Lobo Bistro. Staff and faculty members Pam Kilness, Crystal Kelly, Mark Reedy and Jim Glenn enjoy the student-made lunch. Lunch is made and served every Thursday.

important student participation in this program is. Her reason for attending lunch at the Lobo Bistro is to “enjoy delicious food in the company of friends while supporting a great program.”

However, the meals that these students make aren’t just for anybody. Teachers are welcome to head down to the Lobo Bistro for lunch on Thursdays. Although there is no price for a meal, a five dollar donation is appreciated.

The donations made then go into making a meal for the next week.

The Lobo Bistro can accommodate up to 16 staff members.

“Usually about 10 show up, but it depends on the day,” Integrated Services teacher and Lobo Bistro coordinator Chris Rosazza said.

The Lobo Bistro is meant to look like a restaurant so that teachers can get away from the hustle and bustle of the day and enjoy a meal. Cummings was quick to point out that the Lobo Bistro seems like a restaurant.

“The atmosphere is very

What exactly is your

much like an actual restaurant,” Cummings said. “The lighting is subdued; the décor and furniture are tasteful. The food, service and atmosphere are actually as good if not if not superior to a typical restaurant.”

Last year, after receiving a grant, a new fridge and microwave were purchased for the Lobo Bistro. All this effort is put in for two main reasons: to help teachers to enjoy a meal and to allow students to learn how to cook and enjoy a teamwork experience.

Q: A:

Is there any part of your job that you enjoy in particular?

I really like just knowing that I’m a part of people’s everyday lives, that I’m actually out there helping people, not just throwing fast food at them or anything. So, I guess just being out of the normal high school job.

Q: Thompson brings talent to school’s choir program A:

by Sarah Hatch Reporter

Music. Say it slowly, say it with relish.

“And watch as the clouds roll student away forever, eature it’s just the dark before the dawn, so hold on,” an original line of lyrics, conjured up by senior Sadie Thompson.

Once or so every week, Thompson enters her basement and, instead of focusing on the couch and the instant gratification of television, she goes into her recording studio to make her lyrics lift off the page and into the sound waves.

“I hadn’t seen the benefits of practicing until this year, but playing piano since I was six and taking voice lessons have really paid off,” Thompson said. “That, and perseverance and a willingness to try new things.”

And she would know. Having

F

Jess

from page B1 taking something so personal for me and turning it into a twisted rumor, a social spectacle. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that what happened to me happens to my peers every single day.

The falsifications about my nose surgery really made me think about the way I handle rumors.

Despite this experience on my side of the fence, I’ve grown accustomed to assuming that the little things I hear about people during the day must be true. As teenagers, it’s easy to think that the words must have come directly from the mouth of the person, when often times that is

Jess Davidson

Voice with a future: Senior Sadie Thompson (right) sings with fellow students, senior Delaney Bacon and senior Alexa Lyons. Thompson was a key soloist in the holiday stocking.

only been at Rocky for a year, she has made Singers, All-State Choir and American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), some of which will take her not the case.

Let the person undergoing the experience do the talking. Though it may have seemed small to some to gossip about my “nose job,” it would have meant a lot to me if people thought about how I was feeling rather than what I was going through.

To those who I have wronged in the past through assumptions and rumors, I sincerely apologize. I plan to turn over a new leaf. My “nose job” taught me to put a higher emphasis on respecting others and ending assumptions. I can only hope that by putting my experience out there, I won’t be the only Lobo making the choice to stop making an “@$$” out of you and me.

Jessica Davidson is a senior reporter for the RM Highlighter.

around North America for concerts.

“Sadie has a comprehension for musicality that is not seen in most students,” choir teacher Tim Tharaldson said.

Before Rocky and North America, Thompson was living in Fiji with her family, and her passion for music was ignited through a youth outreach program called Gen-Y, which played concerts for native villages.

“Music isn’t the absolute crux of my life, but it’s a love and a hobby,” Thompson said. “It’s a tool. It’s personal therapy. My inspiration and motive behind music is Jesus Christ.”

Thompson is contemplating minoring in music at college.

But not before she takes a gap year to immerse herself in all her passions through internships and time away from the rigorous structure of school, passions which include, music.

“I’d possibly work for a music production company during my year off,” Thompson said.

Before all these future plans commence, Thompson is going to finish her high school experience with not a fizzle, but a bang.

A key soloist in Rocky’s annual production of Stocking, the myriad of holiday celebratory songs jostled into one concert, Thompson is playing the piano as well as singing “Winter Snow”

by Audrey Assad.

“It’s a song my mom actually found,” said Thompson. “It’s not cliché but still fits the criteria of having a holiday association.”

Thompson knew that she needed to submerge herself into her passion and take advantage of every opportunity she had when she entered Rocky, and at the end of her senior year in May she will have done in one year what many fail to do in four.

When do you get the most customers at the skating rink?

We’ve got the ice show every year, which will get a lot of people in, we do skating competitions, like we just had the Midwestern Classic, which apparently was a big deal, and then we have swim meets and basically whenever a big organization rents out anything from us.

Q: A:

What’s it like working downtown?

Working downtown is interesting. You get to deal with the homeless people, which is amusing sometimes, you get to call the cops on them which isn’t always fun. It’s nice to see the little kids skating outside; it’s more of a festive thing than it is all about the skill.

Q: A:

Do you have any idea what kind of job you’ll do after the season is over?

Once the rink closes I’ll be back at Epic or Mulberry or wherever else the city wants to put me, and then from there on I’ll probably just stay within the city.

Compiled by Regan Miller

American Living the center in-depth

B4 December 16, 2011

December 16, 2011

the rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Dream

B5

^

Students take different path for American Dream

by Fahey Zink Center-in-Depth Editor

Achieving the American Dream seems like it has simple steps; graduate high school, go on to college, get a career, have a family, and live the perfect life with the nice house and the white picket fence.

However, some are changing these steps to getting their own American Dream. Many students today have decided to do something different instead of the stereotypical rushed plan that has been set out.

“There’s a lot of countries that encourage a gap year between high Colby Thomas, senior school and college and there’s starting to be more of that happening in the U.S.,” College and Career Center counselor Nicole Wilgenbusch said.

Added senior Colby Thomas, “I don’t think there’s a rush. Kids are so eager to get everything done but this is the time to take advantage of life.”

Thomas is graduating early this year and working until March. He is then traveling to Ecuador to work in a Catholic run orphanage. He visited the orphanage earlier this year and decided to go back and stay for three months.

“My older brother did it and I thought it was really cool and we went down there and I fell in love with it,” Thomas said. “Some of these kids just get dropped off and they’re really amazing kids.

When my brother went back three years later, some of the kids remembered him. That moment I realized how much I can affect these kids’ lives.”

Thomas isn’t the only one who has taken the advantage of traveling. Senior Taylor Wright also got to experience traveling abroad to Argentina by being a part of an exchange program last year.

“I was trying to look for a way out in general,” Wright said. “I have always been interested in Argentina so it seemed like the

I don’t think there’s a rush. Kids are so eager to get everything done, but this is the time to take advantage of life.

“

”

time to cut the umbilical cord and go out on my own. I went to the American Field Services, (AFS) and applied, had to get teacher recommendations, had an in person interview with a volunteer from AFS, so I had to be proactive about it. Rocky doesn’t coordinate exchanges so I had to figure out the process.”

Wright stayed with a host family and went to school there her senior year and came back to Rocky to complete missing credits this year. She believes that it was a good idea to do something different and that experience has helped her overall in life.

“Even though I’ve had to come back to Rocky to finish up some credits, I have no regrets in my decision whatsoever,” Wright said. “I have really grown as a person and have learned a lot of lessons that will help me overall in life. Not only have I learned a different language but I’ve gained a lot of independence and learned a whole bunch about myself.”

Wright continues to keep in touch with her host family and hopes that one day she will be able to go back to visit. Until then she plans on going on to college and majoring in International Relationships and hopes the exchange program will open up doors for her.

“Before I left I was planning on applying to college and then when I got back I would attend college, but that did not happen,” Wright said. “So I’ll be attending next fall and it is kind of weird because all of my friends are on a completely different path than I’m on right now. But honestly I don’t know why we stress going to college so much right after high school because I think it’s really beneficial to gain some real world experience before continuing your education and before deciding on your major. When I left I didn’t know who I was at all and know I’m really confidant on the person I’ve become. So I think that will help me not only in my academic pursuits but my social pursuits as well.”

Added Wilgenbusch, “I think almost everybody needs some sorts of education after high school but not necessarily traditional college. So going to a four year school might not always be the best plan. There is benefits to exploring all your options.”

After-graduation plans from the past three years 55% GO ON TO A 4 -YEAR COLLEGE

19% GO ON TO A 2-YEAR COLLEGE

5% TOOK THE YEAR OFF

*Percents based on senior exit survey on Naviance.

Some believe American Dream others believe it’s the American scheme

by Regan Miller Reporter

Walking through the gates of Ellis Island, into the land of rights and freedoms—the American Dream has been a point of achievement since the creation of the United States.

As the decades have passed, and the years gone by the American dream has evolved and been modified to each specific individual. Some have the belief that the American Dream has dissipated and become impervious, while others believe it is still reachable.

“I think it (the American Dream) is whatever you want it to be,” business teacher Terra Theibaut said. “If it’s college and career that’s what it is. If it’s having a family then that’s what it is. If its rights and freedoms then that’s what it is. I respect everyone who has their own dream; it’s about setting goals of what you want your dream to be.”

For Thiebaut, the objective is about accomplishing career goals, having a family, and giving back to others.

She successfully has become a teacher of various business classes and is the head coordinator for PACE, and works in the college and career center.

“If you set expectations and goals that are achievable then you will be successful, but if your banking on winning the lotto, or to have your family support you, then your goal are unobtainable,” Thiebaut said. “You have to work hard and set realistic goals, then (the Dream) will be a reality. So long as you’re using your

What others are saying about the American Dream ►“When we make college more affordable, we make the American Dream more achievable.” -Bill Clinton, former President ► “Part of the American Dream is to own your own property-something no one can take from you.” -Henry Bonilla, former Congressman ► “You stuff somebody in the American Dream and it becomes a prison,” -Craig L. Thomas, former United States Senator ► “I believe in the American Dream because I have lived the American Dream.”

-Carl Paladino, bussiness man and political activist ► “The American Dream, to me, means having the opportunity to achieve, because I don’t think you should be guaranteed anything but opportunity” -Lenny Wilkens , former NBA player and coach rights ethically and to the best of your ability you will be successful.”

Other viewpoints consist on the dream to be an impossible goal that Americans are constantly working towards.

“Personally I think the American Dream is the unachievable, unobtainable and not possible,” senior Brennan O’Grady said.” It’s like asking for the best of everything at one time. I feel like today it’s more

about consumerism and materialism; we have become a society that when you lose all those things it destroys the American Dream.”

O’Grady believes that the American Dream has never been anything feasible—that the dream has just been every good thought and intention and compiled to have everything perfect in one’s life is simply unrealistic, but to each person it differs.

“I don’t know for me what it’s going to be like I

still have to figure out what is important to me,” O’Grady said. ”The American Dream is something that everyone strives for. It’s a creation of a falsehood that they all strive for. It depends on how you define it; it all comes down to definition.”

The thought of happiness and being content is another viewpoint. Instead of worrying about financial situations it is focusing more on person to person relationships and the idea of having the right and freedom to pursue happiness. “(It’s) doing what you love, fulfilling what you want to do, and making yourself happy,” sophomore Kaitlyn Nagel said. “It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter--you don’t have to grow up, have kids and get married, but you can do whatever you want to do.”

“Happiness derives from people to people relationships, not people to things,” junior Will Laybourne said.

Working towards goals helps make it to where these aspirations are possible according to many. The idea of earning the way to the dream is prevalent.

“If you always have everything given to you probably won’t even be happy with what you have,” Nagel said. “And when you are set off on your own you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. You have to work hard to get to where you want; it has to happen to get you there. (The American Dream) is to achieve personal happiness, but you definitely have to work for it.”

American Living the center in-depth

B4 December 16, 2011

December 16, 2011

the rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Dream

B5

^

Students take different path for American Dream

by Fahey Zink Center-in-Depth Editor

Achieving the American Dream seems like it has simple steps; graduate high school, go on to college, get a career, have a family, and live the perfect life with the nice house and the white picket fence.

However, some are changing these steps to getting their own American Dream. Many students today have decided to do something different instead of the stereotypical rushed plan that has been set out.

“There’s a lot of countries that encourage a gap year between high Colby Thomas, senior school and college and there’s starting to be more of that happening in the U.S.,” College and Career Center counselor Nicole Wilgenbusch said.

Added senior Colby Thomas, “I don’t think there’s a rush. Kids are so eager to get everything done but this is the time to take advantage of life.”

Thomas is graduating early this year and working until March. He is then traveling to Ecuador to work in a Catholic run orphanage. He visited the orphanage earlier this year and decided to go back and stay for three months.

“My older brother did it and I thought it was really cool and we went down there and I fell in love with it,” Thomas said. “Some of these kids just get dropped off and they’re really amazing kids.

When my brother went back three years later, some of the kids remembered him. That moment I realized how much I can affect these kids’ lives.”

Thomas isn’t the only one who has taken the advantage of traveling. Senior Taylor Wright also got to experience traveling abroad to Argentina by being a part of an exchange program last year.

“I was trying to look for a way out in general,” Wright said. “I have always been interested in Argentina so it seemed like the

I don’t think there’s a rush. Kids are so eager to get everything done, but this is the time to take advantage of life.

“

”

time to cut the umbilical cord and go out on my own. I went to the American Field Services, (AFS) and applied, had to get teacher recommendations, had an in person interview with a volunteer from AFS, so I had to be proactive about it. Rocky doesn’t coordinate exchanges so I had to figure out the process.”

Wright stayed with a host family and went to school there her senior year and came back to Rocky to complete missing credits this year. She believes that it was a good idea to do something different and that experience has helped her overall in life.

“Even though I’ve had to come back to Rocky to finish up some credits, I have no regrets in my decision whatsoever,” Wright said. “I have really grown as a person and have learned a lot of lessons that will help me overall in life. Not only have I learned a different language but I’ve gained a lot of independence and learned a whole bunch about myself.”

Wright continues to keep in touch with her host family and hopes that one day she will be able to go back to visit. Until then she plans on going on to college and majoring in International Relationships and hopes the exchange program will open up doors for her.

“Before I left I was planning on applying to college and then when I got back I would attend college, but that did not happen,” Wright said. “So I’ll be attending next fall and it is kind of weird because all of my friends are on a completely different path than I’m on right now. But honestly I don’t know why we stress going to college so much right after high school because I think it’s really beneficial to gain some real world experience before continuing your education and before deciding on your major. When I left I didn’t know who I was at all and know I’m really confidant on the person I’ve become. So I think that will help me not only in my academic pursuits but my social pursuits as well.”

Added Wilgenbusch, “I think almost everybody needs some sorts of education after high school but not necessarily traditional college. So going to a four year school might not always be the best plan. There is benefits to exploring all your options.”

After-graduation plans from the past three years 55% GO ON TO A 4 -YEAR COLLEGE

19% GO ON TO A 2-YEAR COLLEGE

5% TOOK THE YEAR OFF

*Percents based on senior exit survey on Naviance.

Some believe American Dream others believe it’s the American scheme

by Regan Miller Reporter

Walking through the gates of Ellis Island, into the land of rights and freedoms—the American Dream has been a point of achievement since the creation of the United States.

As the decades have passed, and the years gone by the American dream has evolved and been modified to each specific individual. Some have the belief that the American Dream has dissipated and become impervious, while others believe it is still reachable.

“I think it (the American Dream) is whatever you want it to be,” business teacher Terra Theibaut said. “If it’s college and career that’s what it is. If it’s having a family then that’s what it is. If its rights and freedoms then that’s what it is. I respect everyone who has their own dream; it’s about setting goals of what you want your dream to be.”

For Thiebaut, the objective is about accomplishing career goals, having a family, and giving back to others.

She successfully has become a teacher of various business classes and is the head coordinator for PACE, and works in the college and career center.

“If you set expectations and goals that are achievable then you will be successful, but if your banking on winning the lotto, or to have your family support you, then your goal are unobtainable,” Thiebaut said. “You have to work hard and set realistic goals, then (the Dream) will be a reality. So long as you’re using your

What others are saying about the American Dream ►“When we make college more affordable, we make the American Dream more achievable.” -Bill Clinton, former President ► “Part of the American Dream is to own your own property-something no one can take from you.” -Henry Bonilla, former Congressman ► “You stuff somebody in the American Dream and it becomes a prison,” -Craig L. Thomas, former United States Senator ► “I believe in the American Dream because I have lived the American Dream.”

-Carl Paladino, bussiness man and political activist ► “The American Dream, to me, means having the opportunity to achieve, because I don’t think you should be guaranteed anything but opportunity” -Lenny Wilkens , former NBA player and coach rights ethically and to the best of your ability you will be successful.”

Other viewpoints consist on the dream to be an impossible goal that Americans are constantly working towards.

“Personally I think the American Dream is the unachievable, unobtainable and not possible,” senior Brennan O’Grady said.” It’s like asking for the best of everything at one time. I feel like today it’s more

about consumerism and materialism; we have become a society that when you lose all those things it destroys the American Dream.”

O’Grady believes that the American Dream has never been anything feasible—that the dream has just been every good thought and intention and compiled to have everything perfect in one’s life is simply unrealistic, but to each person it differs.

“I don’t know for me what it’s going to be like I

still have to figure out what is important to me,” O’Grady said. ”The American Dream is something that everyone strives for. It’s a creation of a falsehood that they all strive for. It depends on how you define it; it all comes down to definition.”

The thought of happiness and being content is another viewpoint. Instead of worrying about financial situations it is focusing more on person to person relationships and the idea of having the right and freedom to pursue happiness. “(It’s) doing what you love, fulfilling what you want to do, and making yourself happy,” sophomore Kaitlyn Nagel said. “It doesn’t have to be cookie cutter--you don’t have to grow up, have kids and get married, but you can do whatever you want to do.”

“Happiness derives from people to people relationships, not people to things,” junior Will Laybourne said.

Working towards goals helps make it to where these aspirations are possible according to many. The idea of earning the way to the dream is prevalent.

“If you always have everything given to you probably won’t even be happy with what you have,” Nagel said. “And when you are set off on your own you wouldn’t know what to do with yourself. You have to work hard to get to where you want; it has to happen to get you there. (The American Dream) is to achieve personal happiness, but you definitely have to work for it.”

B6 December 16, 2011

the limelight rocky mountain hiGhliGhter

Dabbling in the Duckpond

by Amanda Kriss I love when the Pond freezes!

I don’t! It’s cold!

And you better be careful! You don’t want to break the ice!

Games & Amusements Puzzle 1 (Medium, difficulty rating 0.46)

1

5

7

9 8

I’m fine!

I am an expert Pond ice skater!

Yeah, sure...

By the way, have you seen fish?

Sudoku Challenge

8 1

5

7

7 6

9

6

4

2

8

1 7

5

3

6

6 2

7

Difficulty level: 

3

1

3

8

The objective of the puzzle is to complete the 9 x 9 grid so that every column, row, and 3 x 3 grid within the 9 x 9 grid contains the digits 1 through 9 exactly once. Each puzzle can be solved with pure logic, so guessing should not be necessary.

4

7

(Puzzle solution posted on bulletin board outside of Room 528.)

Photo

Generated by http://www.opensky.ca/~jdhildeb/software/sudokugen/ on Fri Dec 9 21:14:35 2011 GMT. Enjoy!

of the issue One-Act Wonders

Top Ten

Goals for the New Year:

Found Him!

Cam Chorpenning

Barf-o-rama: Junior Samantha Reed pretends to vomit during her One-Act play 13 Ways to Screw Up Your College Interview. The One-Acts took place on Dec. 2 and 3 and were directed and performed entirely by students.

10. Eat My Weight In Garlic

Mashed Potatoes 9. Give Uncle Fungus One More

Chance 8. Re-Use Toilet Paper to Reduce

Costs 7. Do Something About Those

Awkward PDA Couples 6. Liberate Animals at Petsmart...

and Red Lobster 5. Locate and Befriend the

Elusive Mr. Tumnus 4. Learn More About Mennonites 3. Eat a Ferret 2. Trim That Stray Nipple Hair 1. Stop Making Fun of Rylee (Charlie Anderson)

Pablo’s brings unexpected new creativity to pizza Aritstic Eats: Menus above the kitchen display the wide variety of creative pizzas that Pablo’s Pizza offers. The restaurant is named after the famous artist Pablo Picasso and follows his example in terms of creativity.

by Calvin Jouard Reporter

Not another pizza place.

This is one’s initial reaction upon seeing Pablo’s Pizza. Not another pizza place.

Pablo’s Pizza (named after Pablo Picasso) provides a pleasant surprise, however. Upon entering the small restaurant it is immediately apparent that Pablo’s Pizza wasn’t “just another pizza place.” food It’s undoubteview edly the most sophisticated pizza parlor in Fort Collins, with abstract art above tables and a coffee shop-esque atmosphere. It embodies the essence of cool. In this way it separates itself from the classic pizza place, and sets the stage for an altogether new and refreshing pizza experience.

The food seems to embrace this “cool” and different vibe as well. Some pizzas stick to traditional Italian essence with red sauce and mozzarella, while some offer tastes of barbeque

R

Calvin Jouard

and even Mexico. All pizzas are served on a thin, flaky crust, adding an artisan Italian feel, and makes for a great addition to each pizza.

The Sweet Caroline strays from the Italian template completely, with a savory Thai Peanut sauce, mozzarella, marinated chicken, red onions and pineapple, a combination that has one begging for more. It’s these types of dishes that hold true to the creativity of the man the restaurant was named after.

Pablo’s also makes a sumptu-

ous vegetarian pizza called the Blonde Beast. The combination of homemade basil pesto, lemon olive oil sauce and marinated chicken make it a treat for even the strictest of carnivores. Pablo’s tastiest options don’t include meat. The artisan crust seems to emphasize the taste of artichoke hearts, olive oil and assorted peppers, but doesn’t do much for pizzas with pepperoni and Italian sausage.

The salad options stick to the theme of the restaurant, with ingredients ranging from man-

darin oranges to pepperoni to Portobello mushrooms. Pablo’s also offers a less than creative calzone option. Stick with Pablo’s for pizza, and go to D.P. Dough

for a quality calzone.

Pablo’s is a great new alternative for pizza lovers and delivers nothing short of art to the hungry consumer.