the lake
the lines that draw us down
Jordan burger ‘14 battles an enemy all too common to teenagers– clinical depression
9300 W 104th Avenue // Westminster, CO // 80021 // USA // Planet Earth // Milky Way Volume 25 // Issue 3 January 8 2014
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The whiskey tango hotel
the long stuff
4 // the goods
12// Mental health
A review on Hollywood’s latest novel adaption, a male gymnast, men’s choir takes the stage, the Mckinney brothers, plus a mad lib? What more could you ask for?
How depression–a silent killer–loses its fight against Jordan Burger ‘14.
8 // 30-second sports update
18// It’s just an allergy
Your quick fix on the sports of the Swamp.
There are many food allergies out there, but not all are as severe as the allergies of Meg Henderson ‘15.
10 // Clean it up
22// Let’s talk about sex
A new semester means a new start to school. Having trouble figuring out what to do and how to do it? We’ve got you.
Table of contents
We bend the rules and tackle a controversial subject that most people won’t...sex.
26// Cheer me up You always see them at the games, but what you don’t see is the blood, sweat, and tears that the Poms team really puts in.
what’s cookin,’ good lookin’? Ja nua r y 8 2014 // 3
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Stick it Junior gymnast wins State Championship
Most teenage boys at Standley Lake wouldn’t even consider gymnastics a sport that males can participate in and don’t realize that it is the most physically taxing sport a male can do. Despite the fact that Standley Lake doesn’t have a male gymnastics team, on Nov. 22 Cody Schuetz ‘15 took first all around in the Judges Cup competition with 5280 Gymnastics. Placing first in this competition is equal to placing first in a state competition. After competing in level 10 floor, vault, rings, parallel bars, high bar, and pommel horse, Schuetz finished with a total score of 72. With only fifteen members, Schuetz’s team placed second overall. “Everybody who’s in high school doing gymnastics gets split up into groups that depends on what high school you go to. Then you compete with your group that you’re set in,” Schuetz said.
Pictured from left to right: Mr. Shane Stalter, Alex Barandess, Ryley White, Greg Nuebauer, Jeff Wright Bridgette Ruby, Andew LoSasso,
Robotics Team kicks butt At the Regional Robotics Competition in Arkansas, the Robotics Team placed 12 out of 100 teams nation wide. “It was a really fun and exciting experience,” Jeff Wright ‘15 said. “We’re all really happy with the place we got.”
Schuetz is guaranteed a place in the national competition that will take place on March 1. “Placing first means to me that there are a lot of good gymnasts, including myself, who are really determined to get to college and possibly go into the olympics,” Schuetz said. Competing in Nationals will give Schuetz several opportunities to earn a male gymnast scholarship, and continue to compete until he reaches his ultimate goal. “Going to the olympics is my dream,” Schuetz said. Whether or not gymnastics is a popular male sport, the gender barriers have been broken, and winning state is only the beginning for Schuetz.
// jamey burkey, natasha mccone
4 // January 8 2014
Why are guys in our celing? A couple of weeks ago, there were a lot of guys tinkering around our ceilings with wires, and installing those white, little square pancake things you can see in the ceiling tiles now. Those are Wireless Access Points (WAP) to improve the internet connection of the school. “It’s much faster, much less complicated,” said Mr. Rosa.
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Just ca n’t get enou Like us.
Follow us. Share with us.
Why you should still care about vampires 5 reasons to see Vampire Academy Facts. Richelle Mead based her vampire world on research from other culture legends instead of a vision of sparkly vampires, unlike those things in Twilight. Humor. This story comes with its own unique brand of snark which will surely continue in the movie.
Parking lot horrors burn baby, burn
swerve
Minding her own business, Kayla Fowkes ‘14 didn’t see it coming. She never thought someone would pour motor oil all over her car. What were they going to do? Burn her car in the school parking lot? “I went to the office and talked to Mrs. B and she said there wasn’t much they could do because the cameras don’t see that part of the parking lot,” Fowkes said. “But I had a witness, so it didn’t matter. As I was filling out the incident report though, I decided not to do it. I didn’t want to get him in trouble.”
Waiting in the long line to exit the school parking lot, Jonathan Lucero ‘14 swerved to save himself from a terrible accident. “Without looking at all, [she] tried to turn onto the road right as I was about to pass her. She would have hit my driver side door if I wouldn’t have sped up and swerved. And even after that she still hit my back end,” Lucero said.
beamer, benz, and dented It is not everyday that your shiny BMW gets rammed into on the passenger side. Garrett Terrell ‘14 experienced the horrors of the school parking lot face to face. “I was driving through the school parking lot when a kid started backing out and I honked my horn. He kept backing out while I was straight behind him and crushed my front passenger door,” Terrell said. “After giving me a fake insurance and a fake name, I found out he doesn’t have a license and has no insurance. I had to pay for the 2,000 dollars worth of damage.”
Personalities. Every character is distinctly different from any you’ve read before with their own personal faults and characteristics that are loveable but sometimes cause hair-tearing. Dimitri Belikov. Who doesn’t need
another fictional character to fall in love with? It doesn’t hurt he’s Russian, 6’7” in height, and has a God-like presence that will make you stop in awe.
Rosemarie Hathaway. She brings a
new level of witty banter and personality to the table, expressing her fighting nature and fierce loyalty. // bethany keupp, julia vasquez
// sarah bennett, laurel nordquist-zukin
January 8 2014 // 5
3
Things You Didn’t Know About
Ms. Martin
1. Ms. Martin wasn’t always a PE teacher I actually started out in Social Studies. When I became the head Volleyball coach I switched to PE. I love it down in the gym. I love to have fun with students and get the opportunity to play around almost everyday! I hope to have the students find some sort of physical activity that they enjoy and apply it into their own lives.
2. Ms. Martin’s favorite class
My favorite [class] is the Female Specific Sports and Conditioning class. These girls take this class because they enjoy working out and lifting weights. Many other PE classes have a mix of students that want to be there and a mix of students that just want to get the credit requirement out of the way. This class has a great group of hard working girls that have awesome attitudes and genuinely want to be there.
3. Ms. Martin’s sporty family My family is very close. I have four kiddos and they are all very competitive. We all run 5k’s together, play football, volleyball and yard games. My husband and I play in volleyball and softball leagues in the summer. My kids are 13,13, 4 and 3. My son plays football, baseball, and basketball. My oldest daughter plays volleyball, basketball and runs track. My two youngest run track in the summer and swim. // stephanie mcdaniel, natasha mccone
Q&A with the debate brothers Jeffco League Champions Marcus and Aaron McKinney share lessons from behind the debate podium // olivia koontz, shylah ogle
6 // January 8 2014
The Lake: What do you want people to know about debate? Marcus: People always assume the class is for people who want to be over achievers, and things like that. It’s really not, it’s a class for people who like to think and talk.
Top: Ms. Martin helps a student play kickball. Bottom: Students help clean upthe kick ball game
Arron: It’s actually a lot more fun than everyone thinks, like what you put in is actually worth it, because when you get to tournament day it’s really really fun. The Lake: Is it hard to always think on your feet in a debate? Marcus: I really like it, I like
just in class coming up with an idea and going for it, or in a debate...it’s just a good skill to have. I mean ACT’s timed, tests in school are timed, everything in your life is timed, so it’s a good to be able to right then [think on your feet]. Aaron: It can be hard, like
mad lib
new year, new story It’s the new year, and you feel absolutely _________________. emotion Your schedule is perfect: an off hour with your friends, and class with your favorite teacher Mr./Ms. ____________________. The teacher school smells faintly of __________, probably the foods hallodor way, toiling over their seasonal ____________. During passing food period, you _____________ at that cute girl/boy in your English verb class last year, and he/she ________________ right back at you. verb The day goes on, and it finally hits you. This is a new semester, a
M e n ’ s c h oi r h it s a high note
“I do men’s choir because it’s a different way to express myself. Most people think that in the music department, in choir, is just all girls and maybe a couple guys. Men’s choir changes that up, it changes the variation, and it really gives you a new experience.” -Aaron Webb ‘14
whole new start. The thought catches you so off guard that you ___________ right in the middle of math class. After school, you verb walk into the _____________ parking lot, your head filling with adjective _____________. You make a personal resolution: “By the end of noun this__________, I will be the best _____________________ in all of time frame career/occupation Standley Lake.”
there are some moments where I see it a lot in other people, like other people just freeze up there when they run out of stuff to say. It’s hard, but it’s fun. The Lake: How does it feels to win? Marcus: Last year, with my
partner Isabel Lopez, we took second at one of the Jeffco-only tournaments, and first at the other, so [I] realized that, ‘I’m better than most people in Jefferson County at what I’m doing’...It is cocky, it is kind of bragging, but I like winning, and it feels pretty good.
Aaron: I haven’t won a tournament before, [but] I’ve won plenty of debates...and seeing even just someone on your team win is exciting, [but] you just feel great afterwards, like, more confident in yourself right after you think you’ve won a debate.
January 8 2014 // 7
10,000 hours
Hard work creates success // Jeremy Minnick
You can see the sweat dripping down their face. They aren’t the team captain, they aren’t the senior, they’re the sophomore or junior. The junior that barely gets their fair share in the varsity game, and people view as the JV all star, trying to earn that extra minute in the big game. They don’t know who they really are. They don’t have a clue what they are capable of doing or the impact they can bring to the team. Only a few people really notice this type of effort and hard work because they are only focused on the senior that has already signed their contract and not giving any of the other team members below them a chance. But when they get it, oh when they get it, they will make their coach regret everything. They will prove that the time somebody puts in to be great, is the factor of what makes them a hero versus another guy on the bench.
You're
gonna wanna see
this
Can’t miss winter sport games
The most inspirational quote I have ever came across in my life comes from NBA All-Star Kevin Durant, whom said, “Hard work beats talent, when talent fails to work hard.” Just think about that for a second. Think about how anybody has the power to be great on any given day, at any given time. You can be on top of the world, and then you could fall. You could be buried under scraps of trash, and then you could be sweeping the nation. You can’t just be the best. One thing separates you from being the Michael Jordan of success in sports, to the Greg Oden of failures. Hard work. Everybody wants to be the best and if all it takes is an extra hour of effort, why wouldn’t you do it? Everybody wants to hang a banner, make the wall of fame, and be remembered. Well, nobody is doing it. Nobody wants to get over the hump because they’re lazy. But there is someone out there. Someone that can’t wait to get those two minutes in a varsity game and prove that that is where they belong. Everybody is running out of time to be great. Someone has it building up inside of them and I can tell you right now, if you think it’s you-that you have already done everything to the best of your ability, you’re mistaken. Because you’re not known. You’re still as useless as the tar in the street. You have to do everything you need to, and you can watch the results flow through. But it takes time. It takes 10,000 hours of practice to be great, and 21 straight days to break a bad habit, so while others are sitting in their rooms playing Madden, or watching another episode of Breaking Bad, get out there and be great. Then again there’s that junior. He’s bruised, beaten, and bloody. But more than anything else, he’s successful. He earned everything he has instead of being given it like the rest of humanity. It can happen, it is possible. Working hard has to be your default mode. Whenever you want to accomplish your ambitions, just dive in. Full throttle.
8 // January 8 2014
Wrestling
H o c key
Home Pomona Match Jan. 22
Away game vs. Ralston Valley Feb. 10
A match is always fun when it’s against our dear ol’ friends Pomona. Be sure to come decked in your green and blue as your gators pin down the Panthers.
This game is the hockey teams mark for vengeance. After being knocked out of the state tournament last year losing 4-0 to RV, and seniors Kota Young, Cole Watkins, and Michael Salazar returning, they still have a stand to make as they look to take this top
Led by seniors Saige Bergel, Sunii Clark, and Victor Tellez, Wrestling is looking to dominate this match.
G i rl s B a s ke t b a l l Pomona Away game Jan. 23 After splitting the meetings with long time rivals Pomona, you can expect 2 big brawls from both of these squads. Returning as team scoring leaders, Juniors Casey Torbet and Caylie Hartman look to bring a pair of wins back to the swamp.
Nicole Heetland ‘16 swims the 50 meter freestyle. Girls swimming placed 2nd in their meet against Bear Creek and Ralston Valley.
B oys B a s ke t b a l l
G i rl s S wi m m i n g
Pomona Away game Jan. 23
Jeffco league relays @ Meyers pool Jan. 8
If you never go to any basketball games this season, these are the ones to go to. Want to have a good time? Get pumped? Lose your voice for weeks? Go and show support because at a game against Pomona, anything is bound to happen. Last year we took away two W’s from this team, now lets take two more.
Come watch the swimmers and diver take on a team meet verses all Jeffco schools.Four teammates will compete together in one event to try and win first in the heat, to contribute points to the overall score that determines the winner of the meet.
Prepare your game day face
1. FInd yourself some green and blue facepaint.
2. Paint a green diagonal as dark as you can.
3. Paint a blue stripe. Careful around your eyes!
4. Finish your look with a final stripe of green.
5. Pair your face with some whoops and hollers!
January 8 2014 // 9
CLEAN UP YOUR LIFE It’s a new semester and a new year. Start fresh!
10 // January 8 2014
Freshies: Just getting started
Sophomores: Take it in
You’ve made it through one semester, congrats! By now you’ve gotten the hang of things and realized this isn’t middle school anymore. Just so you know, it gets harder, and you’ve barely just begun. Make sure to kick butt in your classes even though it’s freshman year. You still need to pass all your classes, so hang in there!
Just one more semester and you’ll be half way there! You’ve realized by now that high school can really suck sometimes, but there are still so many things you have yet to experience. Even if you’re ready to be done or your journey is just beginning, start taking it all in. Senior year will be here before you know it!
Juniors: You can do it
AgeOld Advice
Age-Old
Yeah, you’re sick of it. You’re an upperclassman and you get to be in charge but high school is really starting to get old. You really want to be lazy right about now but guess what? This year is probably the most important year when it comes to your future. The ACT is coming up and you’re burnt out. But the grades you get this semester will be the last grades that the admissions see at the college you’ll be applying for next year. So work hard and stay focused, because you’re almost to the top!
SIX “Be’s” The accepting. Love everyone no matter who they are. I
that’s hard and may be a lot to ask but try it Be know out. In the end it will make you and other people feel better. Have confidence in yourself and your deciBe confident. sions you make. You never know what you can do until you go out and try it.
humble. Try not to be cocky and act like you’re the
thing this school has ever seen. Know who you Be best are and let your achievements speak for themselves.
Advice
Royalty: Finally crowned
It’s finally one big party, woohoo! You’re surrounded by all the people you’ve grown up with and you’re all about to embark on the greatest journey called life. Kinda scary, I know. Whether you couldn’t get out of here soon enough or you wish you could stay forever, just stop to take a deep breath. You’ve only got one more semester to go so just kick back, relax, and enjoy this last little ride. Oh, and by the way, YOU DID IT.
Drink up WAKE UP SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
3 lg. scoops vanilla frozen yogurt, 2-3 Tbs. Hershey’s, chocolate syrup, 1 heaping Tbs. instant coffee granules, 2 Tbs. peanut butter, 6 ice cubes, 3-4 Tbs. water
How To:
Add all ingredients to your blender and blend until smooth. Adjust the amounts until you reach the taste you want.
RENEWING ICED TEA
Ingredients:
Be
open. Open your mind up to new ideas and new people. You never know what others have to offer.
Be
organized. Clean your car out, your locker, anything that’s a disaster. I promise you’ll feel better after it’s all done. loving. This one is the most important trait a person
posses. Learn to love yourself before others beBe can cause just doing such a small favor for yourself really goes a long way and makes life a lot less complicated in the long run.
3 ounces ginger, unpeeled and sliced, 1 cup mint leaves, 6 green-tea bags, 1/2 cup honey, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
How To:
In large saucepan over high heat, combine ginger and 6 cups of water and bring to boil. Remove from heat and add mint and tea bags. Cover, let steep for 15 minutes. Strain liquid into large pitcher or other container. Add honey and lemon juice; stir. Let chill. Enjoy!
DETOX WATER
Ingredients:
3 quarts or 12 cups of water, 2 lemons sliced, 1/2 cucumber sliced, 10 mint leaves
How To:
Add lemons, cucumber, and mint to pitcher. Cover with 3 quarts of water and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy!
// kylynn delohery, tina muscarelli, morgan rubendall
January 8 2014 // 11
going down
li
12 // January 8 2014
n the
line
Under the pressure teenagers must endure, Jordan Burger ‘14 found himself in the midst of a battle with depression
He walks the halls lonely, but not alone. Never alone.
ion makes sure of it.
His closest companion is always there, teasing him, testing him, pushing him to his limits.
Depression has its own ego, and it flexes all the power it has--this poisonous friendship is much too familiar, much too permanent to Burger.
Depression, an old friend, follows Jordan Burger ‘14 around from the 5:30 a.m. wake up call, to the 10:00 p.m. lights off routine, keeping him the company of misery.
But it doesn’t only affect the directly diagnosed. Burger’s long time girlfriend, Tasha Sanger ‘14, has struggled to keep Burger as distant as she could from depression.
“You feel worthless, like nobody cares who you are, or what you do,” Burger said. “You feel invisible a lot, again, nobody notices anything. As far as you’re concerned everything that you’re feeling is outwardly obvious, and everybody is missing the signs. That could just be because they’re busy with their own lives or perhaps it’s not as obvious as you think things are.”
“I was on vacation in Santa Fe, and I had no cell service,” Sanger said. “It was right after a big fight with him. He tried to call me, and he was planning on killing himself that night. I didn’t get the call until the morning when we had moved into cell service. It was an absolutely shocking moment, like, ‘oh my god, he could be dead right now.’”
He battles with depression in ways that are loud and catastrophic, emotionally and physically taxing.
Nights like these were not few or rare for Sanger who had to beg through the phone for Burger to put down the pills, knife, or any other destructive device he had in his possession and keep living.
But these battles are also silent and hidden, buried deep inside Burger’s mind. His compan-
January 8 2014 // 13
Burger has attempted to take his life five different times. Five nights when death was more appealing to Burger than life, and depression egged him on to take the pills that would suffocate his body through the internal asphyxiation. Depression taunted him to pick up the knife he could have so easily slashed his wrists with.
boyfriends or gossip.”
“I wasn’t really scared. I was more at peace with it. It just seemed like the right thing at the time,” Burger said.
“I hadn’t slept in days, and I decided to use a thumbtack, it’s very precise,” Burger said. “You can hit your vein really easily, and it had a crooked end so all I had to do is pop it up. It would have ended really fast.”
Depression isn’t only Burger’s friend. Many teenagers find themselves companions with this disease. It has walked through many houses, finding its way to our chairs, making itself comfortable and at home with our despair. In fact, depression is the third leading cause of death in people ages 15 to 24. About 8% of adolescents in the United States meet the criteria for a Major Depressive Order. This doesn’t mean that you had a bad day, or you’re sad for a week or two. This means that you begin failing classes in school, your friends don’t make you laugh anymore, and in the end, the most hopeful thought you have will be the thought of dying. Ms. Melissa Hoza, the mental health provider at Standley Lake, explains that often times the average bad day can be mistaken as depression. However, depression is a much more critical disease. “Sometimes students misinterpret sad feelings or having a bad day as being depressed,” Hoza said. “Depression is a mental health diagnosis and is very serious. I always try to gage whether there is cause to believe that a student is truly suffering from depression, or whether there is some other underlying issue causing them to be in distress. Typically in a high school setting it is a social issue: breakups with girlfriends/
Teenagers unknowingly play with fire and it leads to the permanent “solution”, better known as suicide, before their time is up. The latest and last attempt made by Burger was the revelation to try to shake that destructive friend from his head.
While Burger and depression were making peace with the end, Sanger was fighting to win Burger’s attention. She was desperate to gain any sort of leverage over the manipulating shadow she knew was shoving Burger to the edge of the cliff. “I was screaming at this voicemail thing, just please answer me and my parents heard it and that’s when we started getting help,” Sanger said. That’s why Sanger brought in help from her parents, who knew this vicious and spiteful disease required the help of professional experts. Her mother spoke with Jordan, attempted to calm him down, and the healing began. It was time to shut the doors and remind depression that it was no longer welcome with Jordan. The most common form of treating depression in the United States has become antidepressants, according to Harold Koenig, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences said in his article for ABC News. Although treatment is beneficial, medications have become increasingly popular, leading to possibly dangerous effects. The problem that our society is running into is that we are skipping an imperative step to the process of being treated with medication.
“it was really difficult going through it on my own, but it just seemed right to not burden other people with my problems.” A study conducted by the New England Research Institution found that 43% of people who have been prescribed antidepressants did not have any psychiatric diagnosis, meaning that many of these people could have possibly been misdiagnosed or are being treated with the wrong treatments. The average family doctor is not qualified to be giving out prescriptions for antidepressants. According to the National Center for Health Statistics, 5% of American 12- to 19-year-olds use antidepressants. Remember that 8% of teens are diagnosed with depression. Six percent of teens are prescribed medication for ADHD. Altogether, this is about 4 million teenagers
DEPRESSION IN THE BRAIN MANY RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT A MAJOR INFLUENCE of DEPRESSION IS A CHEMICAL IMBALANCE OF SEROTONIN LEVELS. People who have been clinically diagnosed with depression often times have significantly lower serOtonin levels.
WHEN THERE IS A LOW PRODUCTION OF SEROTONIN, A LACK OF RECEPTOR SITES, OR A BLOCKAGE OF RECEPTOR SITES, RESEARCHERS BELIEVE THAT DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, OR PANIC CAN DEVELOP.
NORMAL LEVELS OF SEROTONIN
LOW sEROTONIN LEVELS can PRODUCE...
bad MOODs loss or increase ofAPPETITE lack of SLEEP Source: http://www.webmd.com/depression/features/serotonin 14 // January 8 2014
SOMEONE WITH DEPRESSION
20
Percentage of people ages 12-39 who take
antidepressant medication
15 15.4
Percent
10 5
9.2 6.0 2.8
4.6
3.0
0
Males 12-39 years old Source: CDC/NCHS, National Health and Nuritior Examination Surveys
Females 12-17 years old
18-39 years old January 8 2014 // 15
that are on prescribed long term medication, and almost half may or may not be receiving the proper treatments. While medication can bring positive impacts, as seen with Jordan’s recovery from depression, it is imperative that it is paired with psychiatric evaluations and check-ups. “Psychiatrists are specially trained to make a diagnosis and prescribe medications. I also think that depression, and other mental health disorders, are overdiagnosed,” Hoza said. “We are becoming a society that relies on medications when we really need to be relying on mental health professionals for appropriate treatment and therapy. There needs to be pretty clear and consistent documentation to diagnose.” Medication can lead down a slippery slope, one even being addiction. It was freshman year--the year teenagers are at their most vulnerable state, hopeful but susceptible to the tribulations and trials that our adolescent years bring. Burger was playing on the football team; however, after a series of injuries, his knee required him to undergo surgery that left him saying
goodbye to any sense of normalcy. “There was a lot of bullying. Kids were throwing stuff at my knee on purpose. That was just a bit difficult,” Burger said. “I was so unhappy with the people that I thought were my friends, that I called my teammates but were throwing footballs and free weights at my knee that had surgery.” And so it began, just as it does for many teenagers, with the pressures and humility that come from the exile of the hierarchy of a high school society. After the surgery, Burger was prescribed Percocet as a painkiller. This led to an almost three year struggle of addiction, that only further satisfied Burger’s depression, as he continued to wander deeper into the dark. “I had to solve that on my own. Eventually I had run out of painkillers, and I had to stop and go through withdrawals on my own,” Burger said. Prescription drug addictions among teenagers is a topic that is rarely discussed. Burger is not alone in his history of addiction. The New Pats Data released statistics showing that one in four teens reported misusing a prescription drug at least once in their lifetime, which is
about five million teenagers. One-third of teenagers believe that it is okay to use prescription drugs without a prescription of a doctor as long as it is to deal with an injury or pain. There are high risks with the medication that America is becoming more and more comfortable with. Depression, and other mental health diseases, are spiteful and vicious. They require attention, care, and they need to be talked about. Burger found company with depression for almost four years. Four years that depression has sat silently next to Burger. It had wrapped itself around Burger’s body and taunted him to the end in its infinite search for prey. Depression had forced him to shut his mouth, keep silent, and continue on until the misery became too much. Depression almost won with Burger, claiming just another life of another teenager. With the help of his friends and family, Burger is closing the door on depression and bolting it shut. // bethany keupp, cassidy conlon, morgan rubendall, sabrina pacha, shylah ogle
Side Effects of Adderall
Upper abdominal pain
Chronic lack of sleep
Loss of appetite
anxiety
Easily angered or False sense of annoyed well-being SOURCES: http://www.news-medical.net/news/2006/06/27/18580.aspx AND http://teens.drugabuse.gov/drug-facts/brain-and-addiction 16 // January 8 2014 Nausea
Vomiting
Dizziness
Fast heartbeat
side effects of prozac
z
z
z
Nausea
Increased sweating
Vomiting
Loss of appetite
SOURCES: http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/depression/medicines/prozac.html
Dizziness
Fatigue
rash
anxiety
Blurred vision
headache January 8 2014 // 17
This is
Meg she n’t
ca his
tt
ea
y n a or
18 // January 8 2014
s i h t of
. . . s i h t ven
e r o
because she’s allergic... (and that’s no laughing matter)
The aroma of mouthwatering cookies and fudge brownies fill the air, making everyone’s stomach grumble in protest. Colorful plates range from broccoli, carrots and other healthy vegetables to obnoxious sugar filled cupcakes and chocolate puddings, waiting to make kids bounce off the walls. Children fill their plates with an abhorrent amount of cuisine making an obscene mess in the process. Meg Henderson ‘15 was never a participant in this chaos ofholiday parties in her youth or present. She always comes prepared with a substitute meal in the form of some type of fruit or curious snack pertaining to her food allergy. Henderson is allergic to all dairy products and tends to stay away from gluten. Most don’t realize how limited her menu is because they don’t grasp how many foods have dairy in them. “Halloween parties at school, I never eat anything. Public schools have never been very cooperative with allergies,” Henderson said. Most school holiday parties only accommodate to food allergies when the active moms ask and personally make foods for food allergies. Standley Lake’s cafeteria staff receives multiple allergy restrictions made from a combination of both the Colorado School Board and the district. “We got rid of peanut butter sandwiches. We don’t have those anymore,” cafeteria staff member, Anna Topkoff, said. “I think that started maybe all the way through last year. We also try to bag things separately and everything is wrapped individually. With dairy allergies, there is a juice option. We are not gluten free, but I suspect that’s coming.” Going to restaurants is an even bigger challenge when ordering is limited to about two items on the menu--and then still needs to be personalized.
“Restaurants fry a lot of things in butter, which narrows everything down so much more! I have talked to so many chefs at so many different restaurants,” Henderson said. Henderson and her family found out about her allergy through what seemed to be the innocent cake and ice cream that every child enjoys on their first birthday. “When I was one, my mom fed me cake and ice cream on my first birthday.” She had a slight reaction that her family didn’t think was that serious. “My mom didn’t take me to the hospital but just gave me Benadryl,” she said. Henderson is one of the many children dealing with food allergies. There has been a major increase in food allergies among children between 1997 and 2011, showing an increase of 50%; researchers don’t know why. One out of thirteen children under the age of eighteen has a food allergy, or two in every classroom. With this increase, doctors and scientists have to come up with more tests for multiple allergies. Henderson had to take an impediment test to confirm her allergy. “I did a thing called a challenge. I went to the allergist where they gave me small doses of milk and waited a few hours then a little more [milk],” she said. “They do this to see how much I can handle before reacting. But I went into anaphylactic [shock] and they had to give me epinephrine. I was in the hospital already, so it wasn’t scary, but now I know.” Anaphylactic shock is nothing fun to experience, even when it’s for testing purposes. “It feels like when you eat something spicy, and your
January 8 2014 // 19
be a
hero
with an epi-pen Epi-pens are used as emergency treatments for life-threatening allergic reactions, like one Meg would have if she consumed milk.
1. Remove
Remove safety cap by pulling straight up. Do not bend or twist.
2. hold 3. stab 4.hold...again Hold firmly with tip pointing down.
Stab the orange tip into the thigh.
Hold Epi-pen in thigh for ten seconds until you hear a click.
5.Call
Immediately call 911 for additional assistance.
20 // January 8 2014
mouth feels tingly, but way worse. Then it’s all downhill from there,” Henderson said. Certified family practice physician, Zara Frankel, M.D., said, “Going into anaphylactic shock could include having difficulty breathing or lowered blood pressure, also swollen lips and vomiting, diarrhea and cramping,” she said. “With the blood test for food allergies, they can be detected as early as six months [old],” Frankel said. “The range of reactions can also be different for multiple children.” With all of the new testing devices, allergies are being detected at younger ages, giving children more to worry about than who their best friend is or how they’re going to make it across the monkey bars. Eating school lunch or eating classroom snacks as well as going to restaurants becomes a totally new obstacle. Reactions to food allergies could take place at any time and are caused by multiple products. Ninety percent of food allergy reactions occur from eight different foods: milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish. Children with food allergies also have a two to four times higher chance of also having asthma or other allergies, according to foodallergies.org. Food allergies can be most fatal at the young adult and adult stages in life. Fortunately, those with cow milk allergies usually outgrow the reaction by the age of sixteen. However, recently studies have shown that it’s taking kids longer to outgrow milk and egg allergies. Working around her allergy, Henderson has learned a lot about food. “I really like baking because I have to make everything myself. Now that I am gluten free, it’s harder to make things gluten and dairy free and have it taste good. Gluten free food is also really expensive. But I’m learning,” Henderson said. Kids with allergies don’t know what they’re missing or they don’t care because that rich piece of cake or magnificent peanut butter sandwich could kill them. The hardest part is realizing that you’re separated from your peers. “[It stinks] knowing I am going to be left out, and I can’t eat anything. Like when my friends and I are at a pizza place and I’m like that’s okay, I’ll just get a Sprite.” Through those hard situations, Henderson does find some moments where she feels equal. “One time I went to a birthday party and when they brought out the cake, she gave me my own dessert. Just to make extra efforts makes a huge difference,” Henderson said. Food allergies create a major impact on life, but it’s what you make of that impact that’s essential. Going a little further to make someone feel included could make a major impact. // alie settje, emma staton, julia vasquez
top four l al ergies d o o f eggs
shell fish
nuts
cheese
a Dairy free, gluten free, peanut free yummy treat
you need:
Cookie recipe
for people like meg
1/2 cup agave nectar, 1/2 cup grapeseed oil, 1 cup chocolate chunks, 2 1/2 cups blanched almond flour, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
What to do
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl 2. Stir together wet ingredients in a smaller bowl 3. Mix wet ingredients into dry 4. Form 1-inch balls and press onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet 5. Bake at 350째 for 7-10 minutes 6. Cool and serve Makes 24 cookies
January 8 2014 // 21
once upon a time there was a girl who never thought it would happen to her... 22 // January 8 2014
...until it did.
January 8 2014 // 23
T
hree minutes. 180 seconds. Her body tenses, her thoughts quicken, her heart jumps.
This could be the end of life as I know it. Tick. What am I going to say to my parents? Tock. What about school? College? Tick. How could I be so stupid? Tock.
She sits on the toilet seat, pulls her knees in to her chest, and squeezes as tightly as she can, as if her arms can keep her from falling to pieces--her life from falling into pieces--because with every tick of the clock she can see life as she knows it slip away… 120 seconds. She closes her eyes. Maybe this is manageable. I’m almost 18, almost out of school. I have to start my own life anyways. Be responsible.
Maybe I could make this work. 60 seconds.
Who am I kidding? I am 17 years old! I am a child. I have $20.00 to my name. I can barely wake myself up in the morning to get to school. I am completely screwed. 10 seconds. She opens her eyes. It’s the moment of truth. 5 seconds.
She can practically see her heart beating inside her chest. Palms sweaty, she picks up the little white stick that will, momentarily, answer the question that’s been tugging at the back of her mind for the past few weeks: could I be pregnant? You know her story-you have heard it many times before. In the halls, on TV, in your home-maybe her story is yours. About 42% of students at Standley Lake consider themselves sexually active. Of the 42%, around 60% always practice safe sex, which means that nearly half of the sexually active students here are at risk of pregnancy-and even more for STDs. The Lake conducted a survey of 300 freshmen, sophomores, juniors, and seniors that addressed methods of birth control and their usage, STDs, and the quality of sex education at Standley Lake and at a national level. The surveys were all over the board when it came to the student body’s familiarity with birth control. When asked the question, “Do you think our school does a good job at teaching sex education?” 60% of students answered, “No.” Taylor Brock ‘14 said, “From my perspective and what I can tell, our school doesn’t really acknowledge that sex really exists. So, from that, I think they should know it’s common and should do more to preach being safe.” However, according to science teacher Ms. Andrea Sabadosh, all 10th grade biology students are taught biological decision-making, which includes coverage of reproduction and the choices that come along with it. ‘’Obviously, we’re approaching it from the biological pathway, and maybe what they’re looking for is a more teenage brain pathway,” she said. The issue may be that not every student in Standley Lake has taken a 10th grade biology class-or any biology class at all. In the chaos of registration and accumulation of credits, some students just get lost in the shuffle. Or, perhaps students do receive sex education, but there’s a miscommunication. The presentation of sexual education on a powerpoint in room B105 doesn’t always click with students during the real life situation. But there is only so much a school can appropriately do. “Certainly there are boundaries that shouldn’t and can’t be crossed when a teacher teaches a student about something like that,” Ms. Sabadosh said. School counselor Ms. Lisa Perry agrees, “There’s always going to be controversy about how much the school should teach and how much it is the responsibility of the parents to teach their child,” she said. She brings up an interesting point. “In terms of really comprehensive information, you guys can probably answer that better than anybody,” she said. “Some students put the blame for unsafe sex squarely on teenagers,” Daniel Lee ‘15 said, “I feel like everyone knows what the consequences are, but people don’t really take it seriously. Everyone knows that if you have unsafe sex, then you have a chance that you’re going to be a father/mother but I feel like the majority of the kids at our school don’t take that into consideration until they have to face what their actions made.” Whether or not they are being taken into consideration, the consequences of unprotected sex still stand-in the form of an unexpected pregnancy or a possibly lifelong disease. Danielle Van Morter ‘15 agrees. “I think that if students are naive about what their safe sex options are, then they shouldn’t be having sex at all,” she said. “With the technology we have, it really only takes a quick Google search.” Students in this day and age do have resources. Between school counselors, health education teach-
24 // January 8 2014
9/100
women whose partners use condoms will become pregnant even if they always use condoms correctly every year
-Danielle Van Morter ‘15
However, even though there was not a large variation in the surveys as far as the methods of birth control being used, students did demonstrate a familiarity with condoms and birth control pills. “I think kids are obviously really smart about sex, and they seem to have a lot of resources that they can use to practice safe sex. Even if they may not know about more than condoms and birth control, it’s great that kids now are being smart and using those,” Devyn Ward ‘14 said. Teenage pregnancy has seen a steady decline over the last two decades, decreasing by 42% from 1990 to 2008. With television shows like 16 and Pregnant, Teen Mom, and advertisements encouraging teenagers not to join the 750,000 teenagers who become pregnant each year, teenage sex has become a hard subject to ignore. Throughout students, teachers, and counselors, thoughts on sex seem to point in one general direction: be safe, be smart, be educated. // sarah bennet, chaye gutierrez, laurel nordquist-zukin, katelyn mertz, natasha mccone
18/100
women will become pregnant Every Year if they don’t always use condoms correctly
at standley lake... 42% of students surveyed would consider themselves sexually active. That’s about 10.5 Abstistudents in your math class.
Lowest efectiveness highest efectiveness highest efectiveness Lowest efectiveness
ers, medical professionals, informative websites, organizations such as Planned Parenthood, and the fact that sex is not as taboo as it used to be, there isn’t much room for excuses.
women will get pregnant each year if they do not take the pill as directed
2/100
“If students are naive about what their safe sex options are, then they shouldn’t be having sex at all.”
IUD Implant
only
60% of sexually active slhs students practice safe sex
less than 1 pregnancy per 100 women each year
Depo-provera Shot Patch Nuva Ring Pill
Condoms Withdrawal or “pulling out” Statistics Courtesy of: www.plannedparenthood.org/
January 8 2014 // 25
BLOOD S W E AT TEARS Sixteen pretty faces of Standley Lake Poms with an incredible amount of strength and passion
26 // January 8 2014
12345678 What comes next? Not nine. Their hearts beat in eight counts. Pin on one. Prepare on two. Quadruple pirouette for three, four, five, six. Land seven. Pose on eight. A different movement for every count seems like it would be hard to remember. But you watch a dancer and they have it all together, including a perfectly pointed toe to top it all off. They’ve done it thousands of times, perfecting each small movement that accompanies each number of the eight count. They’ve done it so many times that it becomes muscle memory and they don’t even have to put a thought towards the next step. The student body only sees the final product. They only see the finishing touches of something that has been worked on for months. They only see the perfect hair, the glitter, and the smiles. What they don’t see is the blood, the sweat, and the tears.
January 8 2014 //27
The
BLOOD
The sound of a body hitting the gym floor is an awful sound. The feeling of your body hitting the gym fwloor-even worse. “I’ve got bruises all over my legs and girls hurt their backs all the time because we’re forced to bend in ways that the body isn’t made to bend,” Captain Taylor Frandsen ‘14 said.
ically impacts their bodies greatly. “We’re actually really lucky though,” Frandsen said. “Because a lot of teams have serious injuries that will take girls out for the whole season. But we haven’t had any like that.” The blood that flows from injuries is not the only blood involved in the sport of dance.
These girls have bruises that have bruises. They are deep purple battle scars from hours and hours of fierce training that never seem to go away.
The blood running through the veins of these dancers is more important than anything else. It takes drive and dedication to become one of the top high school jazz teams in the nation.
The practice and the hard work they go through phys-
The
SWEAT
“Do it again,” head coach Tabitha Bartel said. The girls have heard it a million times.
However, for girls like Danielle Lombardi ‘15, the feeling of constructive criticism is a little different. “I just look at it as another chance to get better,” Lombardi said. “Other girls will get upset about it or start crying.” Unlike others, Lombardi sees critique from the coaches or other girls in a different light. “Someone is telling me something to make me better than I already am and I think that’s more positive than negative.” Lombardi has worked her way up the ladder of poms, beginning in eighth grade. “I didn’t know what poms was,” she said. With eleven years of dance experience on her back, Lombardi was still apprehen-
28 // January 8 2014
sive going into tryouts. “I didn’t really understand turns and leaps and all of that stuff so it was really intimidating because there were girls who could already do all the skills perfectly while I could hardly do a double turn,” Lombardi said. Still climbing the ladder, Lombardi made varsity as an alternate for her sophomore year. This came with the feeling of the need to prove herself. “I got to dance sometimes,” she said. “But it was a lot of pressure when I did get to dance because I felt if I messed up the team would say, ‘Oh the alternate messed up, that’s why we lost.’” It took drive and sweat to become a better dancer. She took every piece of criticism and made it optimistic.
The girls practice around eight to eleven hours a week. “After putting so much time toward something like dance, it’s hard to not fall in love with it, “ captain Carrie Bumgardner ‘14 said. A dream can only be accomplished if every single person on a team is completely in love with their sport. For Standley Lake Varsity Poms, drive, dedication, and passion is in the blood onstantly pulsing through their veins.
She became a better dancer with each piece of criticism, no matter how hard it was. She practiced. And practiced. And practiced. “When you know you’re an underdog of the team, you have to do it every time. Just do it over and over again. I go to practice and then I come home from practice and I practice even more,” she said. Despite any adversity that has come along, Lombardi remembers she must continue trying to get better. “I’m never not thinking about poms,” she said. “Sitting in class when my teacher is lecturing, I’m thinking about my dance.” Even the best dancers can get better. “In dance, there’s never a point where you can stop improving. You get four turns, now do five,” she said.
The
TEARS
The day is finally here. It’s the day that this group of girls has been working for relentlessly, practicing day in and day out to continuously improve. It’s finally time to show the judges what they’re made of. There can be no deductions, no nerves, and no mistakes out on that floor. Only pure emotion driving their bodies to move to the rhythm of the music and make a statement. The competition for the state championship. They stand, waiting for what feel like an eternity. Tears rolling down their faces, hearts pounding harder than ever, hands shaking with adrenaline, and the lights of the Denver Coliseum shining down with tens of thousands of eyes all on them. Waiting for the music to begin, without making a single move, or a deduction will follow. Ready to show the judges their all. Through their dance, they must portray their mental
state after the ending of a relationship-- being hurt and depressed to being filled with strength and anger, and finally to happiness and independence. Before they enter the stadium to perform in the state competition, they sit in a circle, heads down and focusing, building each other up. Unlike other sports with three periods, four quarters, or nine innings, these dancers only have a few minutes to prove what they’ve got. Only a few minutes to perform better than their best. “During competitions our dance is only two minutes long,” captain Taylor Frandsen ‘14 said, “but we prepare for it the same as someone would for a football game.” There is nothing but pure focus in the time before a performance in order for the dancers to bring out their absolute best. “We have our headphones in, we are fo-
cused until we go on, and we don’t talk to each other unless we’re pumping each other up. We get in the zone,” Frandsen said. With the National Dance Alliance (NDA) Nationals being held in March, the poms team must keep working towards their goals. “Since we did better at state this year we’re hoping to place better at nationals as well. I think we have a good chance because the judges are from out of state so they’ve never seen us before and this dance is a lot more powerful than our jazz dance last year,” captain Carrie Bumgardner ‘14 said. After placing 4th in the 5A jazz division at Nationals in 2013 and 8th in the 5A jazz division at state this year, the girls will put their experience and hard work towards the hope of placing better than ever in this year’s National competition. Putting years worth of drive and hard work
and dedication toward these three days. it’s time to turn the tears into sweat. You hear it all the time, “Poms is easy. I could do that.” But what you don’t see is the amount of strength it takes to do the things dancers do. A dream doesn’t become reality through magic; it takes so much more than what is seen on the surface. For these girls, dance has a much deeper meaning than glitter and costumes. The blood, sweat, and tears is all worth it once they’re out on the floor, waiting for the music to consume the stadium. Eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one. Dance. / kylynn delohery, tina muscarelli
January 8 2014 //29
i got you // Morgan rubendall I remember when I was growing up and everyone always raved about how excited they were for high school and about how great it was. I was beyond excited to be a freshman, but now? Now I regret getting out of bed every day. High school has really taken its toll on me. These past three years have been rough to say the least. I’ve lost more people than I could ever imagine. One day, everything was great. Life was good. Then all of the sudden, everything changed.
consumed in thoughts that I just can’t seem to get rid of.
about you to talk to because they won’t judge, I got you.
Now, I know there are people out there that have never felt this way before, but for those reading this that know the exact feeling I’m talking about, just know you’re not alone.
I’ll take care of you. I think we all need a little help sometimes. We all need to learn how to take care of each other.
Life is hard. Probably the hardest challenge you will ever have face. I know. But I promise everyone’s worth something. You’re worth something. Whether you believe me or not, it’s true.
I guess I should take my own advice though. I need to think about myself for once, but I can’t. I think it’s selfish. So I choose to fake my smiles and force happiness upon others. There’s this famous quote by Winston Churchill that says, “If you’re going through hell, keep going.” It’s true. Just power through it.
I now have absolutely no confidence in myself. I’m sad all the time. I can’t even explain why. There’s no source to why I feel like this. It’s just a shadow that hovers over me and never seems to disappear.
Everyone tends to get knocked down at some point, it’s just your decision as to how you react to it. Whether you get up or stay down. You choose. Find that last bit of strength inside your beaten down body to use every ounce of energy you have left to stand up.
This didn’t happen all at once though. It started the day I lost my best friend freshman year. From that day on, nothing has been easy. It’s just gotten harder.
This isn’t some sort of PSA (Public Service Announcement), I promise. Just a way of expressing someone’s here. Someone else understands what it feels like to hate yourself.
I can’t sleep anymore. I barely eat. I mean I eat, but not as much as I should being a full time athlete and everything. I lost ten pounds in just a week for no reason. Maybe all of these feelings are just turning into stress and that’s why.
I’m here. I can relate one hundred percent. Each and every day I hop on the struggle bus and sit back, watching my life fall apart while I’m just a passenger with no control.
So keep that pretty head of yours held high and stay strong. Because someone cares.
We can get through this together. Even if you have no idea who I am, just know that I am here. If you ever need that one person who knows nothing
So fight for your life.
My nights consist of my brain running a thousand miles per hour without stopping. My nights are
I know it’s hard right now, but you’re born to be a fighter and I promise everything will get better. There is always a light at the end of the dark tunnel. Saying that is probably the most cliche advice out there, but it is true. We got this. You got this.
You DO matter. Literally.
it’s more than a game // Jamey burky Remember that part in the movie Fever Pitch when Jimmy Fallon takes Drew Barrymore into the sports bar to watch the Red Sox game, and then people start getting mad after the Red Sox give up a run and Drew tries to calm everyone down and says, “It’s only a game.” Yeah, about that: any sport is more than a just a game. Trust me. Cue the insults, cue the people calling me stupid for thinking so highly of sports. Whatever, sports are way more than just a game. Those of you that know me, I’m a huge St. Louis Rams fan. I’ve been bleeding that navy blue and gold since I was 8 years old. I get goosebumps when watching replays of their Super Bowl 34 win over Tennessee. I sleep under a shrine to the Rams themselves. I even had to hold back tears when Torry Holt retired. I can’t show off a fan-cave because I am not the most wealthy person around, but money doesn’t define a fan--passion does. You can call us fans crazy, but it’s more than a game. To me, the St. Louis Rams are family. Those
30 // January 8 2014
55 men are like siblings to me. I love them when they do well, and cannot stand them when they have an off day. What matters is that the next day, or the next Sunday I wake up and I’m proud to call myself a Rams fan.We treat our teams like a child. We don’t abandon them when they lose; we endure consecutive losing seasons because we love them. They’re our team. That, my fellow students, is passion and that cannot be felt for “just a game.” It’s passion that drives us fans. Willing to spend some money, even when we’re near broke, to go see our team when they’re in town. Cancelling all plans because the game is on in an hour. People who love books or technology who don’t care for sports just don’t understand, and no fault to them because they just aren’t interested in sports. Those of you who love Harry Potter and who might faint out of excitement when meeting JK Rowling, that’s like me if I were to meet Tavon Austin or Torry Holt. We both have our passions, and to say football, baseball, or any sport is just a game is ignorant.
It’s like saying books aren’t special, they’re just pieces of paper with words on them. You see what I’m saying now? It brings fans together. I went to the Aug. 24 preseason game between the Rams and Broncos. The Rams starters dominated the Broncos starters 21-10 . After every big play for the Rams, the Tavon Austin 90-yard punt return, the Alec Ogletree fumble recovery for a touchdown, this random Rams fan and I would find each other and celebrate and taunt the Broncos fans. I didn’t know who he was, and he didn’t know who I was. I’ll probably never see him again. But for those three hours, we were family. The game brought us and every single Rams fan together. That’s what sports can do, it can bring people together. We are Tigers. We are Rams, Broncos, and Islanders. Call us Spurs, Stars, or even 49ers. It doesn’t matter. We are one thing, We are fans.
it could be us
#ArapahoeStrong What’s the difference between a warrior and a gator?
of the school, marched into the library, and shot 17-year-old Claire Davis at point blank range.
We Gators are just like the Warriors. We’re a community, we’re peers, we’re a family.
Warriors are fighters; they’re the brave soldiers, historically known for kicking butt and taking names. They’re tactical, experienced, and they’re the poster children for courage. They fight until they win and then they fight some more.
His attack totaled 80 seconds from the moment he entered the school, ignited a Molotov cocktail setting three bookshelves ablaze, and then took his own life in a corner of the room. 80 seconds and Davis’ life was forever traumatized, as was the safety of every other Warrior.
The only thing that separated us from the tragedy that struck Arapahoe is the location.
Gators are the gentle giants. They’ll snarl to display their jagged teeth and show off their whipping, scaled tail, but they’re secretly the most nurturing guys in the swamp. They mate for life, they love loyalty, and they protect their own with all their might. So what’s the difference between the Warriors at Arapahoe and the Gators at The Lake? They’re all a bunch of teenagers undergoing high school’s good, bad, and ugly – its heartbreaks, homecoming nightmares, Friday night football games, and awkward freshman-year brace faces. They count down the milliseconds until the last bell on Friday afternoon and do everything they can just to survive the week. They’re just like us. But it just so happens that on Dec. 13, when the Warriors were counting down those milliseconds until the last bell, their Friday was interrupted. Interrupted by Karl Pierson, an 18-year-old who entered Arapahoe High School from the north end
The Promise
We strive to deliver the latest news in the freshest and most unique way. Our ultimate goal is to allow our community to utilize The Lake for all their news by creating an easy-toreach outlet that is entertaining to all.
The FORMALITIES
But remember, they’re just like us. While we dozed off for 80 seconds during sixth hour on that day, the Warriors fled their school with arms up, a sign to police that they weren’t armed, and literally ran for their lives. And the fact that students just like us, who shout just as loud from the student section of every sports game and read from the same textbooks as us, faced such a life-altering tragedy on just another Friday should show us that we are not any less prone to experiencing the same event. We live in a time where these tragic shootings are becoming increasingly frequent, and although we are fighting for our safety, we as fellow students and Gators have to look out for each other. We have to live every day with love and pride for our school and our peers. Our community and school has proven time and time again that we can come together and love harder than the hate despite the tribulations that we are experiencing. Now let’s live that every single day.
tHE PEOPLE
Chaye Gutierrez // Editor-in-Cheif Sabrina Pacha // Editor-in-Chief Ben Reed // Advisor Aina Azlan // Cartoonist
Jamey Burky // Team Editor Cassidy Conlon // Team Editor Kylynn Delohery // Team Editor
Olivia Koontz // Team Editor Alie Settje // Team Editor Emma Staton // Team Editor
Opinions or expressions made by students in this publication are not expressions of board policy. The district and its employees are immune from any civil action based on any expression made for or published by students. The Lake is an open forum for and by the students, faculty, and community of Standley Lake High School. The Lake is willing to accept and print any appropriate articles submitted by the students of SLHS and reserves the right to edit any of these articles. We will not print letters sent to us without a name and signature. Submit letters to standleylakenewspaper@gmail.com
Keep this in mind as you walk through these halls. Do not live in fear, but live in love, so if the time is to ever come that we are in our last seconds, we have no regrets. Smile at that kid who’s always eating lunch alone, make amends with the person you haven’t talked to since freshman year, let someone go in front of you in the nightmare that is our parking lot. The thing is that we never know what tomorrow will bring. It could bring the best joy of our lives, but it could also bring loss and tears. What happened on Dec. 13 at Arapahoe High School broke the heart of Colorado yet again. But us Gators have never let a broken heart stop us for long. Come together, love, and just take care of your fellow Gators. Just like the Warriors will take care of each other in the tough weeks to come. Send them love and light and keep in mind that we’re just like them. Nurture those around you like a real gator would. And those Warriors--they’ll keep on fighting. Fighting for their lives.
Sarah Bennett // Writer Bethany Keupp // Writer Natasha McCone // Writer Stephanie McDaniel // Writer Katelyn Mertz // Writer
Jeremy Minnick // Writer Tina Muscarelli // Writer Laurel Nordquist-Zukin // Writer Shylah Ogle // Writer Morgan Rubendall // Writer Julia Vasquez // Writer
January 8 2014 // 31
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