The Lake - October 2015

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9300 W 104th Avenue | Westminster, CO | 80021 | USA | Planet Earth | Milky Way Volume 27 | Issue 1 October 2015

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THE PEOPLE Editors-in-Chief | Nicole Heetland Olivia Koontz

the lake THE FORMALITIES 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

2 October 2015 | Issue 1

Team Editors | Esteban Arellano Hannah Jensen Emily Leo Christina Rudolph Patty Sokol Website Editors | Emily Leo Gordon Saur Staff Writers | Hannah Laughlin Meg Metzger-Seymour Ty Milliken Kayla Pray Gordon Saur Sophia Stimpfl Maxin Urich Cartoonist | Dechen Chhenmorito Adviser | Lynn Schwartz

SOCIAL @thelakenewsmag facebook.com/standleylakenewspaper @thelakenewsmag thelakenewsmag thelakenewsmag.com


ISSUE 1 | CONTENTS

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14 20 29

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WHAT’S GOOD? Guess who’s back (back, back, back again)! It’s been an eventful summer for us. This year came with a lot of changes down in B135. New adviser, new editors, new journalism class to train. For the staff, this year began over the summer, when we had to decide what The Lake Volume 27 was going to look like. So we asked ourselves, “If The Lake was a sandwich, what would it be?” Turns out we’re an avocado turkey veggie panini. If we were a city, we’d be a combination of Seattle, Berkeley, Denver, and Monaco. If we were a season, we’d be autumn. From there, we decided to be adventurous with our design as well as our reporting. We are here to discover and deliver the stories that need to be told in a manner that encourages inspiration and change. And we need to give some kudos to our amazing staff who dealt gracefully with all the changes and who work their tails off every day to bring you the latest and greatest of Standley Lake High School. Change is the essence of journalism. It’s in the breaking news, the inspiring life stories, the moments we will always remember. Here’s to growing into our new 2015-2016 skin this school year together, Gators.

xoxo, NICOLIVIA A.K.A. THE EDITORS-IN-CHIEF OF THE LAKE

5


THE RIGHT ANGLE

JURASSIC STANDLEY STUDENTS LEARN TO ADAPT TO NEW TARDY POLICIES

Students run from the front of the school trying to get to class, round the corner and see teachers closing their doors. That’s it. Now late, and rushing for nothing, the stampede of tardy students treks back to the Raptor station to get their ticket—their pass—to class. Last year a large group of students didn’t take tardies or unexcused absences seriously so the teachers and administrators rallied at the end of last year to resolve all of the attendence issues. This led to the creation of the Raptor System. Mr. Pierson, a big supporter of the system, used a similar system at the previous high school he worked at. This also required school visitors to be checked. “We implemented it to have a better access and knowledge base on visitors entering our building because we now have to check ID’s for anybody who comes here,“ Pierson said. “Anybody that is not a part of Jefferson County schools or a student has to submit their state ID through a system and it gives us a quick check on them.” The system performs a background check on visitors to see if there is anything to worry about. If questionable information appears, administration warns the entire staff and campus

6 October 2015 | Issue 1

supervisors. “If a red flag comes up, sexual predator or something like that, it doesn’t mean ‘oh we send them away,’ but it alerts all administration and our SRO to go up and at least do some investigation as to who they are, why they’re there, and what they’re there for,” Pierson said. Mr. Trip Sargent believes the system will now challenge students to prioritize being on time to class instead of being late. “One of my friends showed up to be a teacher for an interview. She showed up five minutes late. They did not allow her to interview,” Sargent said. “There is a life lesson to being timely and I always remember what one of my coaches said, ‘you can be on time or you can be early, those were the only two options’.” Sargent also believes that the system will now cause students that don’t take tardies and unexcused absences seriously to get to class on time or face the punishments. “The other thing that is important is encouraging students to be more thoughtful about getting to classes on time. because there was definite a lack of urgency from some students last year,” Sargent said.

Sargent and Pierson both agree that the Raptor System makes a huge impact on security, causing campus supervisors to possess a much larger role this year with enforcing the new system. Mrs. B now has to manage the raptor system and has run background checks on visitors driver’s license. “With the raptor on the front desk, we run their driver’s license and it does a background check and allows who’s in the building and if they’re safe or not”, Mrs. B said. AJ Ehrhardt ‘17 is one student, though, who disagrees with Pierson, Sargent, and Mrs. B. “Students are going to be students, there gonna do what they want and some stupid system isn’t going to change anything,” Ehrhardt said. Many students agree with Ehrhardt and don’t like the new tardy policies. “Kids our age are immature so they don’t follow rules. So when you’re trying to enforce control like this it just causes more problems,” Ehrhardt stated. Whether people hate it or love it, the raptor system is here to stay to enforce the new tardy policies at Standley Lake. l | Hannah Jensen | Ty Milliken | Patty Sokol


BEHIND THE TRIGGER WITH MASS SHOOTINGS BECOMING FREQUENT, MANY QUESTION THE REASONS FOR THE VIOLENCE The paranoia is inescapable. You have tingles running up and down your spine the whole movie. You sit there and think... what could go wrong? Yet when the worse ceases to happen, you wonder why you were so worried in the first place. Then you remember everything you’ve heard on the news: the tragic events that have become so common—it’s almost as if they have embedded themselves in your mind. On July 23, a shooter walked into a movie theater in Lafayette, Louisiana and killed 2 women. This was almost exactly three years after the infamous Aurora Shooting, which took the lives of 12 people. Now, people are wondering what the cause behind all this violence is. Many people believe that mental illness is the reason behind the shootings, and that therapists can create a diagnoses to stop the gun violence. Kira Boatright ‘17 slightly agrees with some of these people. “I think mental illness is a factor in mass shootings but I don’t think it’s an excuse for such violence,” Boatright said. “I don’t believe a sane person could kill that many people in the case of a mass shooting but also the majority of people with mental illness would never do something that violent.”

Used with permission of the Associated Press Psychology teacher Ms. Kay Evans agreed with Boatright that mental illness wasn’t the only cause for people committing mass shootings. “There’s got to be a certain trigger or there’s got to be an outside influence—some sort of bullying or pushing, that sends a person to the edge that makes them want to commit a mass murder,” Evans said.

According to Evans, the shootings that happened in the past few years will affect younger generations. “I don’t know how you witness a tragedy on that level without it affecting you to some extent,” Evans said. “Like in generations before us, everyone remembers where they were when Kennedy was shot and what they were doing when the space shuttle exploded.”

Since the 1999 shooting at Columbine High School, there have been 34 other mass shootings that claimed the lives of 285 people. This list includes the Sandy Hook and Charleston Church shootings. Together, these shootings claimed the lives of 30 victims.

The impact these shootings have on younger generations will not only impact how they see the world but how they see violence and our society as a whole. l | Hannah Jensen | Patty Sokoll

CROSSING BORDERS In the midst of a civil war, the country of Syria has seen over 9 million of their citizens leave everything they know, in hope of a new life. Traveling to Europe, America, and other middle eastern countries, this massive migration has become the biggest refugee crisis since the end of the Second World War. l | Gordon Saur

UNITED STATES

- Current Syrian refugees taken in: 1,500 - Syrian refugees to be taken in by 2017: 100,000 - Colorado expects 2% of the 100,000

EUROPEAN UNION

- 1,300,000 refugees in the EU since January 2015 - Germany plans to take up to 800 thousand refugees. - The EU has recently voted to distribute 120,000 refugees throughout Europe, forcing Hungary to

tear down their border walls.

THE MIDDLE EAST

- 4,700,000 refugees displaced around Syria - Those still in Syria face ISIS, local militias, and regime bombings - Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron has said that ISIS must be attacked with “hard military force.”

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THE RIGHT ANGLE

WHERE

MY MOM IS WILL YOU BE IN MY TEACHER?!

10 YEARS “Being a resident in a hospital.” -Michael Ramirez ‘16

MRS. HEATHER MARTIN AND SAVANNAH MARTIN ‘18 GIVE US THEIR SIDE ON THE REALITY OF HAVING YOUR MOM AS YOUR TEACHER

Q:What are some of the pros of having your children attend the same high school you work at? Mrs. Martin: I get to see them everyday. I get to know what groups they're hanging out with and build relationships with their friends. Savannah: I have my own place where I can go to chill and hangout. I like it, it's nice and it makes it a lot easier sometimes, always knowing that my mom is always there with me.

Q: What are some of the cons of having your children attend the same high school you work at?

“Teaching Kindergarten in California.” -Sarah Hernandez ‘19

“Alive and getting through college.” -Eric Hassler ‘17

“Hopefully still at Standley with my baby gators.” -Ms. Boswell 8 October 2015 | Issue 1

| Kayla Pray | Maxin Uhrich

Mrs. Martin: I don’t have any cons really, we haven't had any issues with anything really. I like it. Savannah: She's Everywhere! She goes everywhere with me, she follows me around, and she knows what I'm doing who I'm hanging out with but it's probably also a good thing too.

Q: Do you think it makes high school easier for your kids having you at the same school? Mrs. Martin: Either way, I don't think it really matters. If anything, I feel like it would make it harder on them. They never really have problems in school, so they don't rely on me that much. But when they do need me, it's nice that I'm only a short walk away.

Q: Do you think your kids relationships are different with teachers because you work at the same school? Mrs. Martin: No I don't think so; they know that if they have trouble in a class, that they’re expected to go talk to they’re teacher like they would in any other school without me around and they have done a really good job doing that. Savannah: I would hope not, I would like to think that they would see me as a regular student and not think that they have to help me more or not be as hard on me because they know my mom. l

| Hannah Laughlin


FALLING IN LOVE WITH AUTUMN ARE YOU EXCITED FOR FALL? HERE AT THE LAKE, WE HAVE JUST A COUPLE THINGS WE ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO.

Comfy Clothes and Weather

It’s not too hot, it’s not too cold, and the perfect attire for the perfect weather is anything comfy—more specifically, hoodies and sweaters. Hoodies are perfect for casual days and sweaters are nice and cozy if you want to spice things up a bit.

Pumpkin Spice Everything You’d have to be crazy to not love the smell of pumpkin spice—it’s possibly the greatest smell that has been introduced to mankind since freshly-baked chocolate chip cookies. It really brings the fall season in.

Upcoming Holidays

Halloween and Thanksgiving are easily the best holidays. You don’t have to buy presents for anyone. You get to embrace your inner self for Halloween, and stuff your face until you can’t move for Thanksgiving. What more could you ask for? | Kayla Pray

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FACTS ABOUT THE LEGALIZATION OF

GAY MARRIAGE

Massachusetts was the The U.S. is now first state to legalize gay included in marriage in other countries that legalized Prior to the Supreme gay marriage. Court ruling states legalized

20

2003. 36

gay marriage.

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THE RIGHT ANGLE

At a crossroad CROSS COUNTRY RUNNERS IMPROVE, TEAM CONTINUES TO GROW

The Cross Country team this year has come a long way from where they were in seasons past. For the first time in years, there is a full girls varsity team. “Last year, the girls team only had 7 people, which is just enough for a varsity team.” said Veronica Petrillo `18. This season, they have a full varsity and JV girls team. The boys teams are also stacked with full varsity and JV teams with over half the boys having to potential to be a top 7th varsity runner. “There are so many good runners on the team this year who all deserve a varsity spot, the only problem is there is only room for 7 boys on the varsity team,” Trevor Smith ‘17 said. Despite what you may think, competition isn’t always a bad thing. “I think it’s good that this year’s team is competitive with each other,” Smith `17 said. “It helps us get better because we all are working harder to fight for that varsity spot.” From past years, the cross country team hasn`t been as victorious as they are now. At the first cross country meet of the season the girls team placed 1st overall with 3 individual runners in the top ten. On the boys side they placed 2nd overall and had 2 individual runners in the top ten. “It has been so cool to watch the team grow from being the underdogs to a team that places in almost every meet.” Emma Abernathy ‘17 said. This team is on their way to becoming the best cross country team SLHS has every seen and they’re not slowing down anytime soon.

| Hannah Laughlin

Photo courtesy of SLHS Softball

GYMNASTICS

SOFTBALL

VOLLEYBALL

The last invite for the Gymnastics team was against Green Mountain High School, Rachel Cody ‘18 leads the team with her floor routine and received a score of 9.475 and had an all-around score of 35.645.

Softball is now 3-11 on the season, Constance Sisneros ‘17 is leading the team in batting average (.444) with a total of 5 RBI’s. The lady Gators will have their last home game against Arvada on Oct. 6.

The volleyball team dropped the first two games on the season but they bounced back strong and have won 4 straight regular season games. Hanna Davis ‘17 leads the team with 12 blocks on the season.

10 October 2015| Issue 1


Not so

FOOTBALL

hard hitting FOOTBALL ADJUSTS TO NEW PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT

Football is currently 3-1 this season, Michael Kerr ‘16 is leading the team rushing yards, through 4 games Kerr has picked up 480 yards on the ground. The team has done well staying healthy this season, Landon Warriner ‘17 returned from a broken shoulder and leads the team with sacks. “It feels great to be able to suit up and play again. I definitely enjoy that I’m healthy and football season is back,” Warriner said. The next home game for the Gators will be Oct. 14 against Wheat Ridge.

A sports column:

BY MAXIN UHRICH Ball in hand, you’re running down the sideline trying to run as fast as possible. Then all of a sudden, smack! You’re down on the field, getting up gingerly, feeling discomfort in the head, and having trouble trying to figure out where you are. Concussions have taken a toll on football players in a negative way. One of the many changes this offseason for the football team was the enforcement of wearing guardian caps. A guardian cap is a soft shell, lightweight piece that protects the head, trying to prevent any sort of head injury. The Jefferson County School District enforced that every student athlete that chooses to play football, must have the cap over their helmet during practice - not games.

SOCCER Soccer is now 6-3 on the season. Captain Nick Rosser ’16 is in 2nd place in goals scored for 4A Jeffco. Rosser now has 12 goals on the season and the team is now pushing for a seed in the state playoffs. “It feels incredible to be playing with such a great program with all my friends for all four years,” Rosser said.

But, why only during practices and not during competitive gameplay? I can see how it can be odd looking at football players on the field wearing a protective soft-shell helmet cover but if everyone has it, what’s the difference? While the protective equipment does not have the best visual appeal, it has been proven to protect the head from any injury. The more athletes that remain healthy and don’t get head injuries, the better. In 2011, the Oregon Ballistics Lab tested the effect of the Guardian Cap on the change in g-force and brain attenuation. The study showed that the Guardian Cap reduced acceleration values and a 33% reduction, in the front of the head 31% reduction, and back 25% reduction impacts from 70G to 39G compared to a standard helmet. I’m all in favor for the district enforcing all football players to wear the guardian caps, the amount of concussions has been reduced compared to last season. The program last year had a total of five concussions - so far this year, the team has suffered just one.

GOLF Austin Rosendahl ‘16 qualified for the 4A state tournament this fall. The tournament will be held from Oct. 5-6 and will be played at Fox Hill Country Club in Longmont, Co. Dylan Drennan ‘17, Jonathan Southworth ‘17, and Breyton Lanskey ‘18 qualified for the regional tournament but fell short of state. “He has good days and has bad days, but for the most part he has improved from last year and I can learn many things from him,” Drennan said.

It has been proven to work, but when they only wear them half the time, how effective can they really be? Jefferson County is the first district in the nation to implement their players to wear the guardian caps. Hopefully, soon enough, we’ll be seeing other districts across the nation turn over to the guardian caps, and the amount of head injuries decrease. Photo courtesy of Ron Rosa

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GATOR hoco. From Powderpuff cheerleaders putting forth their best effort, to the electric crowd cheering on the win against Littleton, to Drum major Trevor Fugita ‘16 winning homecoming king, the week was full of spirit. Some people moved away from the familiar, while others found their spot amongst the group. Everyone, no matter where they were, was a part of the Gator squad. | Ty Milliken | Emily Leo

12 October 2015 | Issue 1


13


W ELCOM E TO J EFF CO d i s t r i c t p r e pa r es f o r r e cal l ele ctio n

14 October 2015 | Issue 1


I

t’s a hot Tuesday afternoon, and high school students fill the streets outside of their schools, chanting “Recall”.

It’s a Thursday night, at the boardroom down in Golden and teachers swarm in, wearing blue shirts that read: “Stand Up for All Students”. It’s a cool Saturday morning, and students, teachers, and parents are filing through the neighborhoods to leave huge orange and blue door hangers on front porches. Welcome to JeffCo. Welcome to the Jefferson County School District, where a tug-of-war competition has surfaced between the teachers’ union and the school board majority, where over 1,000 teacher resignations have been submitted in the past two years, and where students are standing up, yelling for change. There is turmoil now in JeffCo, and the first ripples date back two years. The school board majority, comprising of Julie Williams, John Newkirk, and Ken Witt took hold in the election of 2013. After a long district-wide history of voting for teacher union-backed candidates and large increases in district spending, the election of the reformist “WNW” ticket put an end to this. The trio cited increase in school choice, fiscal accountability, transparency, and rewarding JeffCo employees as their top priorities. “The three candidates were interested in reform and not sticking with the status quo,” Sheila Atwell, the director of JeffCo Students First, an organization that supported the majority’s 2013 election, said. However, many in the JeffCo community feared

that their campaigns, which were each funded by large, conservative political groups, such as Americans for Prosperity, would bring outside political agendas into the district. “These people are not education reformers,” Wendy McCord, a district parent, said. Concerned district members feared their premonitions were coming true when Cindy Stevenson, a nationally-recognized district superintendent for 12 years, announced that she would retire in June, leaving many to feel she was forcefully ousted by the majority. But Board member Julie Williams highlighted that this was not the case. “There has been an agenda since the day we were elected,” Williams said. “She didn’t want to work with the conservative Board because we are looking at moving the Board in a different direction than the way it was for the past 40 years. Change is hard.” This resignation was quickly sped up in February 2014, when she announced in an emotional Saturday board meeting that her resignation would go into effect immediately. “I can’t lead or manage,” Stevenson said at the meeting, “because I am not respected by this Board of Education.” Board member Lesley Dahlkemper was quick to blame the majority for the hasty resignation. “I want to be really clear, this is about the three board majority,” she said. “I want to ask the three member of the majority how this decision is good for 85,000 kids.” The Board quickly set out to find a replacement by contracting an independent nationwidesearch for the best candidate. However, once

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the results came in, the majority quickly discarded them, and named a sole-finalists for the position: Dan McMinimee, assistant superintendent for Colorado’s Douglas County School District. But this decision was met with worry amongst the district, with many fearing the increase in salary that the majority offered McMinimee, as well as the possibility for him to bring to Jeffco a reformist-minded agenda that was implemented in Douglas County. Fast forward to August of 2014. The annual teacher compensation negotiations between the district and the teachers’ union circled around the question of how teacher evaluations should affect the salary of a teacher These discussions were interrupted, however, when an independent analysis of Jeffco’s teacher evaluation system found it not to be a “sufficiently valid and reliable basis on which to make salary determinations”. However, these recommendations were rejected by the Board in a 3-2 vote, with the majority claiming they did not fulfill the district’s goals of having an effective teacher in every classroom. Instead, during a final discussion of the recommendations, board president, Ken Witt, announced his own compensation proposal. This new plan, which became known as “pay-for-performance”, struck out the 2008 program of compensation based on specific steps in favor of pay increases for teachers rated “highly effective” and “effective”. It also proposed to raise the minimum district-wide salary from $33,616 to $38,000. “To my mind, it’s disrespectful to give every teacher the same raise regardless of the job that they are doing,” Atwell said. “That’s what the old way of paying them was.”

Left, from top: Students protest Williams’ APUSH proposal last year; The Board of Education meets in a crowded room to discuss a curriculum review committee; teachers protest Witt’s “pay-for-performance” scheme OCT

NOV

DEC

ROAD TO

RECALL

JAN

NOV. 2013

FEB

Superintendent Cindy Stevenson announces her retirement, due to conflict with newly elected school board majority.

16 October 2015 | Issue 1

M AR

MAY. 2014

BOE selects finalist for superintendent, Dan McMinimee, who formerly worked for Douglas County School District.

APR

M AY

SEPT. 2014

JUN

Julie Williams, responds to revisions made by the College Board to the AP U.S. History curriculum with a proposal to change materials that condone civil disorder and social strife.

JUL

SEPT. 19, 2014

AU G

On the day of a planned student protest, teacher sick-outs protesting the BOE cause Standley Lake and Conifer High Schools to close. Disapproval from school board results.

S EPT

OCT. 2014

O CT

In a 3-2 vote, the BOE approves the measure to create a curriculum review group; which would include the voices of students and teachers.


But this new proposal worried Dahlkemper, Fellman, and teachers across the district who had agreed to sacrifice any raises since 2008 in light of the Great Recession. Furthermore, teachers feared the sense of competition the program could create. “The more teachers that are being highly effective, the smaller percentage raise that everybody gets,” McCord said. “The idea that they are trying to pit them against each other is really antithetical to the whole profession of education.” The Board approved the plan in a 3-2 vote, which prompted the teachers’ union, Jefferson County Education Association (JCEA), to issue a vote of no confidence in Ken Witt. This decision was accompanied by an evergrowing amount of teachers leaving the district. According to numbers reported by the district, since the majority took office in November 2013, over 700 teachers have submitted their resignation, with many moving to other districts with the promise of a higher salary.

“THE THREE CANDIDATES

WERE INTERESTED IN REFORM

STATUS

“When you have over 700 teachers leave the school district, there is a problem,” John Ford, president of JCEA, said. “Through our exit interviews, through those teachers, we are finding those same common things over and over again: teachers are not feeling valued and they are not feeling respected.”

QUO.” - SHEILA

The board majority and their supporters, however, attributed the rise in teacher turnover to a nationwide trend.

ATWELL,

“I think that across the nation, a lot of teachers have been leaving the field because they aren’t being given the flexibility to really teach,” Williams said. “And frankly, if a teacher doesn’t want to be in Jeffco, there are other teachers that do.”

AND NOT STICKING WITH THE

JEFFCO STUDENTS FIRST

Atwell is not concerned by the teachers that are leaving the district. “From the research that we have done, teachers that are rated ineffective - a lot of them have left,” she said. “I don’t know that I would be terribly worried about an ineffective teacher leaving the district.” However, the issue of compensation and teacher turnover was quickly overshadowed a few weeks later when, in light of changes to the AP United States History curriculum, Williams proposed to form a curriculum committee to

NOV

DEC

JAN

DEC. 2014 FEB. 2015

A new teacher salary plan, which pays based off an effectiveness rating, is approved by the board.

FEB

Under pressure from parents, school board releases names of several teachers who participated in sick-out. Jeffco teachers union takes legal action to protect teachers.

MAR

APR. 2015

APR

ensure materials do not “encourage or condone civil disorder”, which many saw as a form of censorship. This proposal electrified the district and the nation, with students walking out of class and filling the sidewalks in protest. “Julie Williams’ proposal to censor AP US History and then the comments that followed I think is where [the distrust] all really started to manifest itself,” Ford said. It was this issue that gained national attention and birthed numerous student organizations, such as JeffCo Students for Change, which led a series of walkouts protesting the proposal last year. The interactions between these studentorganizations and the majority brewed more dissatisfaction with the board.

NUMBER OF TEACHERS THAT LEFT JEFFCO IN THE 2014-2015 SCHOOL YEAR

During a board meeting on May 7, Witt called attention to a social media post mentioning burritos favorited by one of the student leaders of Jeffco Students for Change. McCord, along with many others, filed a formal complaint against Witt for bullying the student by accusing them of TO favoriting “racial epithets” towards Lisa ACCORDING CO. DEPT. OF EDUCATION Pinto, a Hispanic staff member for the district, and for violating a minor’s privacy by asking for the post, which revealed the student’s identity, to be displayed. This incident pushed McCord to start a recall election. “That, for me, was the final straw,” she said. From there, she partnered with two other parents to form Jeffco United for Action and filed a petition for recall in late-June of 2015. “There’s been a lot of hard work leading up to this moment,” McCord said at a rally. “But the fight has just begun.” The movement quickly grew. Only 17 days after the recall efforts were announced, more than 37,000 signatures were collected for each candidate, over twice what was needed. “It’s not surprising,” Williams said, on the large amount of signatures. “We do have 15,000 employees in the district, and so if you just times that by two, that’s your 30,000 signatures.” The collection of the required signatures is not the end of the process. In November, there will be a vote on the ballot on the recall of each individual Board majority member, the candidate to potentially replace that majority member, as well as the candidates for the regular

M AY

Julie Williams, shares an article on her personal Facebook, which encouraged parents to keep their children home from school on national “Day of Silence” that aims to raise awareness about LGBT bullying. Williams later apologized.

710

JUN

JUN. 2015

JUL

Parents take the first step in recalling the majority board members, and begin to collect signatures supporting the recall.

AU G

AUG. 2015

S EPT

The school board and a majority of teachers approve a new contract that runs for only 10 months. The contract also includes details such as smaller class sizes, and solidifies the pay-forperformance plan.

O CT

NOV

NOV. 2015 All five seats of the Jeffco Board of Education will be up for election this November.

17


elections of Dahlkemper’s and Fellman’s seats, as they will not be running for reelection. Now, in a district where a large portion of voters do not have a direct connection to those involved in education, a mad dash grassroots race on both sides has emerged to sway uninformed voters. “Our role really is educating the public in Jefferson County about what is going on, about the decisions that the Board is making and sometimes isn’t making,” McCord said. Jeffco United for Action has printed yard signs printed with “Recall Witt, Newkirk, and Williams”, door hangers

18 October 2015 | Issue 1

with information about the Board, and has published several articles about their grievances with the Board on their website. Students across the district have also started protests to demand the recall. These citizens argue that the Board has wasted taxpayer money in the compensation of McMinimee and a board attorney, caused over 1,000 educators to leave the district, attempted to censor US History classes, and violated Colorado open meeting laws. With the potential replacement of all five board seats, a new slate of candidates has emerged, including Ron Mitchell running for Ken Witt’s seat, Brad Rupert for

Williams’ seat, Susan Harmon for Newkirk’s seat, Ali Lasell for Fellman’s seat, and Amanda Stevens for Dahlkemper’s seat. “I really don’t believe that party politics should enter the boardroom,” Rupert said. “Our priority should be providing an excellent education for every student.” However, Atwell finds fault in the recall. “The recall petition really talked about things that were either flagrantly wrong or just didn’t rise to the level of a recall or the amount of discord and angst that it’s caused,” she said. She points out that the effort does not cite that Superintendent McMinimee’s offered salary included potential bonuses and

retirement whereas Stevenson’s didn’t. Moreover, the board majority and their supporters fear that a 5-0 union-supported slate will disturb the staggered terms of the board members, and will not allow for diversity in the district. As the district draws closer to Election Day, teachers found old wounds reopened with the approval of a new contract that gave teachers a 1% raise. However, JCEA reluctantly approved the contract, disappointed with it’s short expiration date in summer of 2016. “I know of no other onebillion-dollar organization that negotiates for six months only to come out with a 10-month


agreement in its employee association,” Dahlkemper said. “Denver Public schools just approved a 5.5% salary increase for its teachers. In Jeffco, we approved 1%.” But Williams defends the approval. “As far as the 10 month contract, I think it’s the right thing to do,” she said. “It is prudent to be able to look at it next year and see where does it need tweaking.” The slate, however, has used this new contract to their advantage in their campaigns. “I think, if elected, we need to take a hard look at the current contract, whether the term of it is appropriate, whether the compensation package within it is appropriate,” Rupert said. “We are simply no longer

competitive.” This opinion is what has fueled the distrust between the Board majority and the teachers’ union and a surge of overall support for a new group of board members in the past few months. “Teachers are not feeling valued. They are not feeling respected,” Ford said. “That’s why we are here: how do we save public education in Jefferson County?” With so much on the line for the recall election, all sides are anxious to see which Jeffco will welcome them come election day. l | Esteban Arellano | Nicole Heetland | Meg MetzgerSeymour | Gordon Saur

Top, from left: John Newkirk, board majority member and recall candidate, speaks at a public forum; Volunteers for Jeffco Students First prepare a booth for information about the recall; Brad Rupert, who is running for Julie Williams’ seat, speaks to a room full of hundreds of supporters at a kick-off rally for the clean slate

Bottom, from left: An anti-recall activist blows up balloons at a festival in Littleton; Shaylyn DeLong and Kimberly Douglas, Bear Creek High School teachers, walk door-to-door to find support for the recall; Standley Lake students grab posters to prepare for a protest in support of the recall

19


NO STRINGS H C E A D T T A

?

TEEN DATING CULTURE STIRS UP CONTROVERSY

20 October 2015 | Issue 1

the students photographed in this article are only models and are not mentioned in the article itself


THERE’S NO HEART NEXT TO HIS NAME IN HER PHONE. They don’t talk much at school, spare for the occasional question regarding the math homework. They don’t say “hello” in the hallways—and they definitely don’t walk together. But they talk more than most people think, and their relationship reaches far beyond what most people expect. Ellie Parker and Tom Greene, both of whose names have been changed for personal privacy, are involved in what is generally known as a “friends with benefits” relationship; they have a casual sexual relationship without emotional involvement or monogamous commitment. “I definitely think it’s more of a thing where he noticed me in the halls or whatever, but there wasn’t really anything there until after [we had sex],” Parker said. “Just because literally, I knew his name and that’s basically it—I didn’t know anything else about him.” This type of relationship is not uncommon. The culture of teenage sex is a lot more ambiguous than the traditional idea that sex is limited to two people, in love, having been together long enough to know they trust each other to sustain their relationship. Casual sex is the result of an ever-changing youth, interested in trying new things and push-

ing boundaries. These types of relationships can get pretty sticky, especially if the emotional attachment is unclear. “I have developed feelings in this kind of situation, and it honestly just sucks,” one student said, “It was hard to maintain that lifestyle.” On the surface, many see the concept as a plausible option for avoiding the development of emotions and further complication. “I think it would probably be easier, just because you don’t have that emotional connection, and you can just use each other for [your] bodies...that’s probably easier than the build-up for an emotional connection,” Nick Rosser ‘16 said. “Friends with Benefits is no big deal to people, while relationships are kinda taken seriously, and people actually build up to that physical connection.” Others tend to think that casual sex doesn’t usually work out. “I think that sex is inherently an emotional experience,” Mara Strother ‘16 said, “so I think in a relationship you should have emotional strength between the two people in order to have that sexual relationship.” When asked if friends with benefits situations are more complicated, Jonah Staton ‘17 replied,

21


“Absolutely, and eventually, emotions are just going to evolve over time. You can’t just hold that back.” Varying beliefs also extend to students who think sex without strings attached is dangerous, foolish, and unethical. “For me it’s just kind of a moral to wait, once you’ve been able to get to know that person and you’ve made that decision out of love alone,” said Emily Carlson ‘16. The opinions students hold about sex can become their identity. This extends as far as calling people out: “she’s a slut,” “he’s a player,” “she’s a prude.” As a result, many students are frustrated with the contrast between the sexual interactions of guys and girls. “I think that if guys are gonna have sex and be the hero of the school, then girls should be able to have sex with everyone on the football team and be the heroine,” Lyle Cooper ‘17 said. “It’s important for girls to be able to do what they want and hopefully our society rears and goes in a direction where girls can have sex just as much as guys do—because it’s the same. Calling us [girls] sluts is so

22 October 2015 | Issue 1

old-fashioned.” On the upside, name calling is losing its significance. People are shifting towards more understanding approaches, saving judgement for after they get to know others. Parker felt this way about Greene. “He’s actually a really nice guy—he’s not what people think he is, like a total jerk. I’m glad he is the person he is, because I thought he was a jerk [too],” she said. Madrid Mitton ‘17, also challenged the norms of social labelling. “I think all of those are really ridiculous, and [calling names] make everyone’s lives complicated—especially if you have a romantic interest. They carry way too much stigma for them to really be valid,” Mitton said. “I think it’s stupid,” Staton said. “I don’t really think anyone should be super involved in anybody else’s business— unless of course [they are] in fact involved. I don’t see the point in making someone else feel [bad] because [they] want to,” he said. “ A lot of people do what they want to do. If someone wants to be involved in a sexual relationship with multiple different people, it doesn’t make her a slut. It’s what she wants to do. It’s her choice.” At the beginning nothing was expected to happen between Parker and Greene. After all, he had just noticed her in the hallway once or twice. “I was hanging out with my friends, and she brought Tom up—so we [talked]


about him. All of a sudden, he started snapchatting her as we were talking about him, so it was kinda like ‘whoa, that’s weird’,” Parker said. “Then he asked what we were doing that night. We just ended up hanging out. Then, there was alcohol involved...and later, it just kinda happened.”

things,” he said. “I think they should just make the right choice for [themselves]—make sure they’re thinking it through.”

Parker is by no means constraining Greene within their relationship, she’s made it clear that he’s not bound by anything.

“When you’re both ready, when you both talk about it. It can’t just be like one person’s ready and one person’s iffy about it,” Rosser said. “Because then one person is still getting an advantage. [It] could be the first day, [it] could be in three years, but it just has to be when you’re ready.”

“[I’ve said to him] look, ‘If you don’t genuinely like me, you can just be honest about it’, but he’s been open about it, like ‘No, I actually like talking to you, it’s fine’,” Parker said.

Students understand that it isn’t their place to put an expiration date on the different stages in someone else’s situation.

So far, Parker and Greene have illustrated a dynamic that may very well work—something that doesn’t have to be manipulative or unhealthy.

Teachers also realize that sex isn’t a concrete concept. It is tentatively based on a number of factors. Biology teacher Ms. Amy Williams shared her thoughts.

Some students still expect otherwise because of the stigma surrounding a “friends with benefits” relationship.

“You have to be realistic about it and realize that some kids are having sex, so the biggest thing for them would be education,” Williams said.

“I don’t know if it’s healthy,” Rosser said. “I wouldn’t recommend it, but I wouldn’t stop anyone from doing it. You’re just using the person, and you’re not really friends because friends have an emotional connection. If you’re just physical, then it’s just not healthy.”

There’s no definitive way to determine the best time to have sex in a relationship. Varying opinions will always be the result of how people are raised and what they have experienced.

Theoretically, teens enter into these situations to gain sexual experience and to gain some “wisdom” on the matter. More often than not, this causes them to be dragged into situations they are not yet ready for. Zach Alas ‘17 recognized that sex varies for the people involved. “You know, everyone’s at different points in their life—they want different

A SURVEY WAS

CONDUCTED

AT SLHS HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

YES NO DEPENDS

IS PHYSICAL INTIMACY IMPORTANT?

So that slut walking down the hall? She’s probably in a really difficult situation, trying to figure out whether or not to move forward with that guy who barely pays attention to her, or if she wants to confront and build her self respect.

13% 64.2%

As for Ellie and Tom, they will move at their own pace, learning and living just like we all do. l

32.8%

| Nicole Heetland | Emily Leo | Kayla Pray | Sophia Stimpfl IS EMOTIONAL CONNECTION IMPORTANT?

HOW TO GET THROUGH THE FEELS HIGH SCHOOL IS HARD ENOUGH WITHOUT THE PRESSURE OF A RELATIONSHIP. HERE’S HOW TO NAVIGATE THOSE FEELINGS IN THE LEAST STRESSFUL WAY POSSSIBLE. HONESTY

INSIDE JOKES Having a good laugh to look back on together is always beneficial for a blossoming relationship.

HA

2.2%

HA HA CAN SEX MAKE A RELATIONSHIP STRONGER?

ACCEPT FEELINGS

This will let them see the real you and give them something to like about you. And if you can be honest with them, they’ll be honest with you.

COMMON INTERESTS Having a common ground gives you something to talk about. Share a bit about yourself and let them share with you—who knows, you might find a spark.

98.8%

They are normal! Don’t let them scare you away from people. Embrace your feelings for people and let them know, it might just work out perfectly.

16.7%

65.4%

17.2%

CAN A NO-STRINGS-ATTACHED RELATIONSHIP WORK?

QUALITY TIME Expanding your time together is good for a growing your relationship, but be sure to give each other space to breathe.

58.1%

30.1% 11.8%

23


planting the seeds of change senior returns from South Africa with strengthened spirituality

D

iepsloot, South Africa was a completely foreign world for Becca Moyer ‘16, who traveled halfway across the globe this summer to bring a gift—a special gift—to the locals living in the slum. But before she could dive into fulfilling her purpose for traveling there, Moyer had to adapt to the sharp contrast between the rich African culture and her life in suburbian Westminster, Colorado. She weaves in and out of the crowded streets, following her guide and taking in the sensory overload. She shields her eyes from the hot sun above and looks down at the ground. Light reflects off sharp shards of broken beer bottles littering the streets, blinding her from below. She raises her shirt to her nose, hoping to gasp a breath of clean air for a moment. Mounds of trash—as high as the shacks that locals call home—emit a never ending stench into the air. Her arms brush past what seems like a hundred people. The walkway is as busy as a New York City sidewalk, with the width of a small alleyway, no direction, or crosswalks.

24 October 2015 | Issue 1

“You see pictures on the internet of these places, and you don’t really realize it, but experiencing it first hand, it just hurts your heart,” Moyer said. “It is physically painful to witness. One day when we got back to the place we were staying, I layed in bed for two hours or more. I was just hurting because of these people, seeing what [they] live like.” All of that on top of jet lag. Moyer was disheartened, but not discouraged. She had gone there with a purpose, and she was going to fulfill that to the best of her ability. She went with her youth group from Victory Church, and had been looking forward to the trip for months. To put it simply, she was there to introduce the locals to Jesus during her week-long mission trip. She was there to give them hope. Bringing people to Christ was the group’s goal, but Moyer was quick to point out that their point was not to shove their religion down others’ throats. Rather, they were there, she said, to “plant seeds”, to inform and hopefully change some hearts by spreading the word of God. Many of the members in the neighborhood where


25


“when i need to hear him, that’s when he speaks to me so clearly” -becca moyer ‘16 26 October 2015 | Issue 1


they were ministering were involved in a cult called Zion Christian Church. The cult called itself Christian, but unlike true Christian churches, did not preach against alcoholism, abuse, and violence—all of which runs wild in the slums. Moyer and her group went into this community hoping that by encouraging people to build a relationship with Jesus and change their ways, they could bring not only Christ into the community, but also peace. Changing hearts is a recurring theme in Moyer’s mission, from her goal while in South Africa, to her commitment to prayer at home. “When someone’s heart starts to change, their actions change, their words change, their thoughts change, and it can impact so many people,” she said. This ripple effect—one changed heart changing those around them— is an overarching goal for people of all faiths, and one that Moyer hoped to spark deep within the dangerous Diepsloot slums. But like any ripple, her mission started from the center, with her own spirituality. “One thing I pray for every morning is ‘Give me the motivation, give me the desire to get up in the morning and seek out God,’” she said. Difficult to explain, and difficult to grasp, Moyer can only express her gratitude for this relationship she works towards—and how God always has and will come through for her.

yOUR·gUIDE·TO·ZULU WORD IN ZULU

MEANING IN ENGLISH

HOW TO PRONOUCE

SAWUBONA

HELLO

SI+YA+WU+BONA

UNJANI

HOW ARE YOU?

OO+N+JANI

NGIYABONGA

THANK YOU

GEE+YA+BONGA

SALA KAHLE

GOODBYE

SA+ALA KA+LAY

NOMLUNGU

WHITE PERSON

NA+UM+LUNGO

“When I need to hear him, that’s when he speaks to me so clearly,” Moyer said. “He doesn’t want me to feel like that because I’m his child, and no good father wants their child to feel like they aren’t worth anything.” Moyer believes God loves and watches over his children, but also simultaneously allows his love to shine through the actions of children. While in Diepsloot, Moyer and her group spent some time with some schoolchildren in the community, singing worship songs and playing on a small playground with them. They were there to teach them about Jesus, but Moyer was inspired by them in the process; particularly by their openness and optimism. “They have no reason to be happy, but they are so happy all the time,” Moyer said. “When we were there, they would come up to us and just hug us and [say] ‘hold me, hold me, hold me!’” “One day it just hit me so hard, like this is how we should be with God,” she said. “We should be so desperate to get his love and just be held in his arms...like [those kids] had the fire and desire to be held by us, we should have the desire to be held by God, and that really impacted me a lot.” Moyer doesn’t deny that she’s had troubles along her faith journey, but she knows the importance of continuing to work towards a stronger bond with “the man upstairs”. Moyer’s pastor had some words of wisdom that Moyer holds to her heart. “[He said] when you get a call on your phone and you don’t look at it, you just answer it, they say hello, and you know who it is, like it’s your mom because you hear her voice all the time—that’s how we should be with God,” she said. “We should talk to him so often that we don’t even have to question who it is.” A quick phone call up to God, a daily chat, is what Moyer needs, and wants in her life. Just as Moyer was heavily impacted by her experiences in the South African slums, she hopes to have impacted some along the way as well. “Just the small impact we had, of planting seeds and talking to people...you never know how even just greeting someone can change their life,” Moyer said. It’s the little things; a prayer, a conversation, a child’s embrace, that Moyer believes point towards God and his all encompassing love. Back in her Coloradan comfort zone, the sun shines down on Moyer—the same sun that shines down on those whose lives she touched in Diepsloot. The streets might not be as crowded and the smell not as poignant, but Moyer’s mission remains the same: to be a Christian voice in this world, and maybe change a heart in the process. l | Olivia Koontz | Meg Metzger-Seymour | Christina Rudolph

27


OPINIONS

gossamers No one knows what you are, and it’s a tragedy. Therefore I will use this space to introduce you to everyone. Everyone, these are gossamers: the little delicate webs spun over the tops of the grass and between the leaves on flowers that you see in the morning. I love you, gossamers, for collecting beads of dew that look like microscopic snow globes filled with the reflection of the sunrise. For being my favorite word because you are poetic and euphonic and ornate. When I see you, I am reminded of all the tiny life forms that make our world into the beautiful mess it is. Thank you for being one of those little things that make life better.

A COLLECTION OF MINI-EDITORIALS

| Nicole Heetland

social media We stole this whole “@” concept from you. Thanks for giving us all that Twitter beef, whether it was Drake slaying Meek Mill or Taylor Swift and Nicki Minaj’s pointless feud. Thanks for letting ordinary people post extraordinary pictures on Instagram, letting them share what they’ve seen with the world. But at the same time, why do you feel the need to make our lives so public? Maybe I don’t want to share my location with everyone or have random people all over the world see what I posted twelve weeks ago. At least you have a privacy setting, so we can make sure at least some of our space is protected. As unprotected as you are, people still use you and want to share stuff with you. They update their profiles with pointless things and follow each other to see if they can out do one another. So thanks for letting everyone become just a little bit more creepy and helping us discover unnecessary information about each other. | Hannah Jensen

2016 candidates What are you doing here already? You’re not happening for more than a year from now, and yet you’re all people are talking about. Every four years, you come and piss everyone off. And then, America ends up with a president that people complain about no matter what, with our minds set on who will campaign next time. I understand Americans wanting change in their government and being excited about a new president, but like it or not, we have Obama right now, and he still has more than a year left in office. Let’s talk about our current government, and the problems it has to solve; let’s talk about what we can do about the millions of Syrian refugees relocating around the world, and leave the presidential election until next year when it will actually matter. | Gordy Saur

28 October 2015 | Issue 1

mah plant babies taylor swift haters

Thank you for helping me breathe.

We can’t say that to most things in this world (that aren’t plants). You guys are some special people— and I do believe it’s fair to say that y’all are just as unique and varying as people. Your personalities are so vast! I mean, half of you are sharp little rascals that are part of the Cactaceae family. But you ALL have a gentle side, fragile in your maintenance and upkeep. I just wish you didn’t die so easily. Because despite your minimal need for water, it’s hard to tell when you are satisfied. Thank you for keeping me humble. Thank you for keeping me aware of the smaller things in life to care for and appreciate. | Emily Leo

Taylor Swift might not be my favorite musician, but for the sake of journalistic integrity, I’ll admit I’m a fan. So if you’re one of the active, vocal haters I’m referring to here, please hear me out. I don’t care if you like a single one of her songs and I definitely don’t expect you to magically become a Swiftie, but I do think you should reevaluate your position on Taylor Swift as a whole. She’s known for visiting kids with cancer in hospitals and sending personalized gifts to fans, and she was named 2014’s most charitable celebrity. Is that really the person you want to target? Taylor Swift seems like a good example because her haters are so brash, but really this applies to all celebrities. We get it, you don’t like (insert name here) because they’re so annoying, so untalented, and so overrated. Just remember that while you’re complaining about them, they’re busy making millions of dollars and being worshiped by their fans. So instead of focussing incessantly on people you don’t like, try spreading the word on people you do like. I know haters gonna hate (hate, hate), but come on guys. | Christina Rudolph


WAKE UP CALL

THE NEWS IS A’H APPENING , LISTEN UP We all live in a bubble of our own. You don’t have to be completely self-absorbed, or even introverted, to live in a bubble. Anyone can be naive to the news. But that doesn’t mean we should be. Last spring, I took a leap of faith and applied and was accepted to be the Colorado representative to attend the Al Neuharth Free Spirit and Journalism Conference. I never considered myself to be a “free spirit” prior to this, and certainly didn’t think I’d actually win an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, D.C. for the conference and a $1000 scholarship. But going for it was the first step to my major wakeup call. In June, I flew 1,655 miles from my suburban security blanket into the unknown. I flew into the company of 50 other passionate high school journalists (one from each state and D.C.). I flew into a whirlwind of five days hearing from some of the most recognizable names in journalism today (Chuck Todd anyone?). And I flew in going at least a mile a minute. But beyond the incredible friendships I made with those high school extraordinaires, I was exposed to more of the world in those five days than I have been in my whole life. It was there that I began to realize how little I knew about the world. It was there that I made the conscious decision to change that naivete about myself. Let me put that week in June into context for you. The week before I left for D.C., Emmanuel Church in Charleston, SC became a crime scene. Throughout the week, the Confederate flag debate began to boil. And the day after we all returned to our home states, the Supreme Court legalized gay marriage in America. Needless to say, it was a big week in the news, and a big week for America. And I was fortunate enough to be

right in the midst of it there in the Capitol. Before that week, I was embarrassingly uninformed about the news, especially at the national and international levels. News, besides happening all around the world at every second of every day, is also available to right at our fingertips. One link, one click, and there’s a story or broadcast in your hands. Our generation may not be inclined to sit down and watch the six o’clock news, but we can still be informed. If the entire nation can know within hours about the color of one stupid dress, then we ought to also know, equally as readily, about the refugee crisis in Europe. My eyes were opened as I watched the news, in live-action, play out in Washington D.C., and I hope everyone can receive a similar wake up call to look beyond their comfort zones.

ANYONE CAN BE NAIVE TO THE NEWS. BUT THAT DOESN’T MEAN WE SHOULD BE.

Some of us will be legal adults, voters, full fledged members of society in less than a year. If we don’t even know what’s happening on this cool place called Earth, in our country, in our state, in our backyard, what are we supposed to do to change it? Turn your radio station to NPR for ten minutes while you wait in traffic. Click on that 9News link in your Twitter feed. Get a news app on your phone and check out the headlines every once in awhile. Take a peek around the corner into the world--our world-- that’s out there. Breaking news happens everyday. Break out of your bubble and be informed about it. | Olivia Koontz

29


OPINIONS

CALL ME O LD-FASHIONED W H Y ISN ’ T DATIN G A THIN G ? Why doesn’t our generation actually “date” anymore? It’s a question I’ve had in the back of my mind for years.

watch this stupid movie we didn’t really care about in the first place” date.

Let’s go back to the old days back when our grandparents or even our parents were our age. There was this thing called a “date”—people actually went out and had adventures, embracing the moments they had together. They didn’t just sit around at someone’s house asking “what do you want to do?” with “I don’t care, whatever you want” as the response until they finally decide on a crappy movie on Netflix because it’s a go-to idea for a “date.”

Because that doesn’t count as an actual date.

OPEN UP TO EACH OTHER, GAIN THAT EMOTIONAL CONNECTION BECAUSE IT WILL BENEFIT YOU BOTH IN THE LONG RUN.

Nowadays, a “here” text is sent when you’re going to “hang out” with someone (that’s right, you’re not even calling it a date, you’re just “hanging out”). No one comes to the door or rings the doorbell or meets the parents. Call me old-fashioned, but it makes someone 1000x more attractive if they are willing to actually pick me up at the door and have small-talk with my father while I finish getting ready.

Everyone is just “hanging out” or “talking.” Which is completely ludicrous. That shouldn’t be a term to describe a relationship. If you like someone and the feeling is mutual (or even if it’s not), ASK THEM ON A FREAKING DATE. Not over text, either. Actually walk up to them (in person!) and ask them on a date. Not a “hey let’s hang out at one of our houses and possibly end up making out while we

30 October 2015 | Issue 1

Have something planned. Go bowling, grab a hot dog from the vender on the street and walk around the park, look at the stars and have a competition as to who can name the most constellations. Talk about the universe and why you think your favorite book is the best book in the world of literature. Open up to each other, gain that emotional connection because it will benefit you both in the long run. Walk them to the door after your date and give them a kiss goodnight on the cheek. Don’t feel the need to rush things because the best things in life take time. Let’s bring back dating. Get rid of the idea that a “good morning” text is the only way to show your affection to someone. Stop thinking that a “like” and a heart-eyesemoji means the world. Make an actual effort to show someone you care about that you care about them. It’s not as hard as it looks. Call them up on the phone to talk, don’t make everything about texting and DM-ing. Open the door for them. Walk them to class every once in awhile. A little goes a long way, my friends. So let the feelings show. Embrace the butterflies. Let your heart sink to the pits of your stomach, but in a good way. And ask them out on a date already. | Kayla Pray


THE SHOOTING EPIDEMIC matter, is not a zombie video game. These are real people, and there are real victims on both sides of the equation.

Chattanooga, Sandy Hook Elementary School, Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal church, Century Aurora, the Washington Navy Yard all tore up the nation. On those days, our hearts broke. These tragedies seem so spontaneous and unpredictable, like some once-in-a-while disaster. Except they aren’t every once-in-awhile. They aren’t infrequent. In fact, they happen over once a day in this country. A mass shooting is a shooting in which more than 3 people are killed, and there have been 293 shootings in 2015 so far. This is an epidemic. This is scary. Something needs to be done. Sitting idle behind television screens isn’t cutting it. Are we just going to accept that sometimes people decide to kill numerous others and that this can’t be stopped? How many more reasons do we need? Where’s the breaking point between someone’s right to own a gun and someone’s right to feel safe walking down the street? It is a nasty problem, and there’s no easy solution, but we can’t just accept that and continue with the policies that have allowed these things to happen for years. Do we ban guns completely? Of course not. Do we limit the amount of ammunition that can be sold? It’s unclear if that

Some may be the victims of an internal conflict from a dark place that we may never understand. would make a difference. How about we pay more attention to mental health, instead of stigmatizing psychological issues? That’s at least a start. Yes, this may be a political issue. But politics aside, this is a life-or-death issue. And when we think “life-or-death”, we think immediate help, an immediate solution, an immediate action. So much for that. We understand this is complicated, but we can’t just accept that and let it draw out forever. How about we focus to the root of the problem, which may not be the actual weapon, but rather the deeply rooted emotions and psychological issues of the shooters? How about we talk about mental health, straight up, instead of dancing around the issue and bringing it back to ourselves and ‘our rights’? This issue extends beyond personal opinion. It’s about saving our nation from this plague of gun violence. Our nation, and our world, for that

Some may be the victims simply by being in the wrong place in the wrong time. We’re not defending criminals here. But if we can’t treat the mental issues that are wreaking havoc on the population, we’re missing a crucial piece to the puzzle. Before the gun purchase, before the shots were fired, before the funerals, came the young man who was depressed, or schizophrenic, or angry. We can’t take this anymore. We live with our blinders on, our eyes downcast, our ears plugged to the daily acts of violence that happen every day in the United States. We have one, we mourn, we hold prayer vigils, and we ask, “How can this be happening?” Questions require answers. And with the grey area of mental illness that clouds our ability to fully grasp why individuals make the choice to kill innocent people, answers are hard to formulate. But it’s time to buckle down and figure this out. The time is past due. It’s time to take this seriously. 31


until next time.


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