C I TY LIFE
ISSUE 2 | VOL. 26
HOMECOMING WEEK AND FIELD DAY THUNDERRIDGE 2019
HOMECOMING GAME | PG.4 TRIP AROUND THE UNITED STATES | PG. 7
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October 10, 2019
Inside this issue . . .
The Growl Staff 2019-2020
Letter from the Editors In this issue, we explored the iconic ThunderRidge event of Field Day, and the Homecoming week that surrounds it. Field Day is a pivotal experience within the ThunderRidge community, and gives the students memories like no other. It makes high school truly something special, and The Growl wanted to highlight all the beauty of it.
Contents 2 Letter From the Editors
3 Freshman and Senior Hopes 4 ThunderRidge HOCO Game 5 Homecoming Week Photo Collage 6 Behind the Scenes with Student Government 7 2019 Theme: Trip Around the United States 8 The Future of Field Day Cover photo by McKenna Frakes of the Bowlero bowling alley in Lone Tree. It was the location of the first TRHS Homecoming dance to be held outside of the school.
STAFF Editors-in-Chief Caitlin Estes Jordan Lear Sophia Romano Art Director Maddy Stadler Writers Lillian Moats Michael Reyes Jack Ryan Malory Travis Jasmine Vaughan Adviser Nikki Sameshima
Broadcasters Carter Brockbank Kaleo Comer Will Douglass Alex Downs Ryken Kucinski Emma Rygh Carson Shea Steven Taylor Photographers McKenna Frakes Xander Lees Sierra Martinez Caitlin Marty Ally Stadler
October 10, 2019
Freshmen and Senior Hopes Caitlin Estes and Lilly Moats
Freshmen excited for new Field Day experiences
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Caitlin Estes
Seniors Reflect on Near Loss
This year’s senior class won Field Day by a narrow margin, but that didn’t affect how amazing their four years of Field Days have been. Field Day is an essential annual Senior year was a “Trip Around the event in the TRHS community. For the U.S.A,” and every class got a popular freshmen, this is their first year to diUnited States city. Freshmen were New rectly participate in the action. What Orleans, sophomores were New York are the freshmens’ expectations and atCity, juniors were Los Angeles, and setitudes towards this year’s Homecomniors were Las Vegas. ing Week? This theme commemorated the end This year, the freshmen Home- The freshman have very different expecof the class of 2020’s Field Day run. Howtations of Field Day, and Homecoming coming Week theme is New Orleans; events than the seniors. ever, the seniors won by a narrow margin, the overall theme for all classes was as the score at the end of Field Day was United States Cities. New Orleans, tied. Dance was pulled as a tiebreaker, and the seniors won. also known as the “birthplace of jazz,” is a city in South“The kickoff was insane! The score was too close for ern Louisiana located on the Mississippi River. It is known comfort, but I’m glad we pulled off a win,” senior Mackenzie for its diverse French, African and American cultures. Correia said. “I believe it is super cool how they are doing differJunior year was unarguably one for the books. With ent places in the U.S., because we get to see different the theme of “Mythology,” each class got an exciting theme. traditions and cultures from around the country. I like Freshman were Polynesian, sophomores were Viking, juniors how these themes are all different, but because they are were Egyptian, and seniors were Greek. The excitement cities in the United States it symbolizes the unity becould barely be contained as they got to experience their tween the states in our country as well as the unity in first Field Day on the upperclassmen side, and a loss was our school,” said freshman Lilyia Tetreault. inevitable, but it was still an enthralling time. Are the freshman excited for this year’s Field Day, Sophomore year featured the theme of “The Grizzly filled with fun events including three legged races, an obGrammys,” where every class was a different music genre. stacle course, a tug-a-war and more? Freshmen were Jazz, sophomores were Pop, juniors were “I’m most excited to see who wins,” says freshman Disco, and seniors were Rock n’ Roll. The excitement was Sierra Martinez. up from the previous year, and the class of 2020 pulled off Other freshmen shared similar viewpoints to her, their very first win. and said the Homecoming dance is a fun way to hangout “I loved that we won this year! I knew what I was doing, with friends in a safe environment. Many freshmen are which made an incredible experience,” senior Rylee Ehnes eager to attend this year’s dance, and part of that may said. be contributed to the fact that this year’s dance is being Freshman year’s theme was entitled “Battle of the held at Bowlero, a bowling alley and arcade in Lone Tree. Times,” which followed the order of freshman as the Wild It is known for being one of the biggest bowling corpoWest, sophomores as Medieval, juniors as Prehistoric, and rations in North America. Seniors as The Future.The freshman pulled off an upset win For most freshmen, this is their first high school in the dance category, and although losing overall, it was an danc, and they are not sure what to expect. When asked exciting first Field Day. about the Homecoming dance, TR freshman Hobbin ”It was a weird experience at a new school, but it was Ware’s eyes lit up with excitement as he said, “Yes, I am unforgettable. I still remember the cheer and the song we going… it’s a unique place to have it because there will did, and it made my high school experience much better be so many fun activities to do like bowling, lasertag, and than expected,” reminices senior Laney Kennedy. other fun things.” Many seniors had expectations of what they would love Like many other ThunderRidge students, the freshabout Field Day coming into ThunderRidge their freshman men were excited for this year’s Homecoming week. year, but the realities shifted within their four years here.
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October 10, 2019
2019 Thunderridge hoco game Jack Ryan
Michael Reyes
Left: Quarterback Brent Huber prepares to throw the ball towards the endzone as defensive lineman Hunter Hammerschmidt blocks another player from sacking his teammate. Right: No. 24, Lucas Fish, runs for a ThunderRidge first down midway during the 3rd quarter.
As the ThunderRidge versus Doherty Homecoming game ended with heightened excitement, the competitive nature of the players also soared. Last year, ThunderRidge lost by a single point due to a missed twopoint conversion, but this year they were determined to win in front of the faithful home crowd. This year, Doherty came in after three blowout losses to Mullen, Cherry Creek, and Pine Creek. They gaveup a combined 138 points, while only scoring 44 points. Although the Grizzlies were 1-2 before the Homecoming game, they had a runaway win against Rangeview 42-14 in their season
opener, but they would lose their next two games. The first loss was to Lakewood, and the second loss was to Fairview. In all three games, ThunderRidge hadn’t scored a point in the second half of the football game. This year, ThunderRidge beat Doherty 24-7. At first, the ThunderRidge offense started a little slow and only scored seven points in the first two quarters, which was a Brent Huber pass to Chris Franquemont. In the third and fourth quarter, the ThunderRidge offense got going, and ended the football game with 24 points. The defense was dominant with eight sacks, one interception, and a forced fumble.
“At the beginning of the year our energy was pretty lackluster, but that last game was very high energy. We got a couple of stops on defense and our offense stepped up. Another big part of energy was the amazing crowd turn out.We can only do so much to help how we are on the field and a big crowd watching and cheering always boosts the team to perform better,” commented Charlie Ryan, an inside linebacker. This year’s game was a big contrast to last year’s game. The Grizzlies’ high powered offense last year was not enough to secure a win. Former Quarterback, Ryan Gilmore, threw for 192 yards with 12 comple-
tions and one touchdown pass, while former star running back, Spencer Lambert, rushed for 161 yards on 27 carries and scored three touchdowns in the process. On the other side of the field, the former Doherty Quarterback Brody Gish threw for 100 yards on five completions with two touchdown passes and the former RB rushed for 121 yards on 10 carries. This year, the magnitude of the Homecoming game was full of exciting plays and high energy. The team is hoping that the Grizzlies’ fans will keep this energy up, so they have the support to win the tough competition later in the season.
October 10, 2019
HOMECOMING WEEK
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Ally Stadler and McKenna Frakes
Many students had a blast dressing up for Homecoming week and showing their school spirit. What Are You Wearing? Day was Wednesday. This student chose a chicken costume.
The sophomore and freshmen PowderPuff game is a very exciting Homecoming event to attend, and the stands were completely filled. Many students went to Shea Stadium to support their classmates. Heather Carnes’ senior seminar was ready for their last Field Day celebration. Top: Phillip Beluscak, Michal Freeman, Joshua Elston, Adam Brown, Andy Gardalen Middle: Heather Carnes, Emily Oliver, Maddy Goldberg, Nicole Hesse, McKenna Frakes, Tanner Mckeon, Jacob Egan Bottom: Avery Stites, Skylar Young, Ashlynn Lutz
The Bowlero arcade, above, has bright, colorful lights flashing and loud games screaming at visitors to come and play them. Many people enjoyed having Homecoming there.
The sophomore Ruff ‘N Tuff volleyball team spikes the ball down on the freshmen’s side of the court.
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October 10, 2019
Behind The Scenes WITH Stu Gov Sophia Romano and Jack Ryan
Sierra Martinez
In the ThunderRidge Student Government classroom, students worked hard organizing Homecoming events.
As Homecoming week rolls around each year, many wonder how Student Government is able to develop each element of the dance, Field Day, and various events in between. There has been a lot of talk about the Homecoming dance being held at Bowlero this year, because it is the first time it hasn’t been held at ThunderRidge. “We wanted to change it up a bit; one of the biggest things we hear is that kids want to do something other than dance, so Bowlero is a great place to dance and then have other fun activities to participate in,” said Student Government Representative Connor Ryan. “Our biggest motive was to get upperclassmen to go to the dance. At Bowlero
you can not only dance, but play unlimited arcade games, bowling, laser tag, and there is an ice cream bar. We want more entertainment so more people enjoy it,” added Senior Student Government Representative Jacy Wobido. The planning process behind the Homecoming dance and determining themes for Field Day is a big responsibility for members of Student Government, because their main goal is to get students involved in activities throughout the week. “It gets harder to choose a theme every year, because every year is one more idea that’s already been done. We want the theme to be original and unique for Field Day, but Field Day has been a thing for a long time and they have already chosen all
of the basic themes of four, like elements (earth, wind, fire, air),” Senior Class Vice President Max Whalen said. Senior Stu Gov members feel an added sense of pressure, because it is their last year planning for Field Day and Homecoming. They want to ensure that their graduating class feels like they went out with a bang and set a positive example for the incoming classes. The reputation of the members of Student Government is at stake, so these circumstances can either produce a year to remember or an absolute fail. “I wanted it to be the best theme yet, but also make the other classes feel special. I think that everyone feels included and happy with their theme this year,” Wobido said.
Members of Student Government don’t just choose a theme that they think their classmates will enjoy, but one in which they are able to incorporate what they have enjoyed from past years. This ensures everyone will enjoy the theme. “My favorite theme so far for my grade has been Pop, my sophomore year, but my personal favorite overall theme was the Battle of Time, not counting this year,” says Senior Student Body President Eddie Stassi. From organizing Homecoming committees to deciding on the overall theme for Field Day, Student Government works day in and day out to make those important decisions in order to create a strong foundation for Homecoming week.
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2019 THEME: Trip around the u.s. Maddy Stadler
Caitlin Estes and Sophia Romano
This year’s Field Day is centered around major cities in the United States, but what makes these cities the epitome of American culture? New Orleans New Orleans is a city filled with old-school French charm, and home to the popular festival known as Mardi Gras. It is located along the Mississippi River, in the southern state of Louisiana. This southern city has been given the nickname of the “Big Easy,” and is known for its vibrant nightlife and reflects the mixture of cultures, the most prominent being African, French, and American. It is home to several popular sports teams, such as the Saints in the National Football League, and the Pelicans in the National Basketball Association.The French Quarter is a well-known, well-loved hub in New Orleans. Visitors love exploring the antique feel, with colonial style houses and gas lamps illuminating the streets. New York City New York City is known as the city that never sleeps. NYC is full of famous attractions, such as the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, Central Park, Broadway, and so much more. There are also many famous celebrations that take place in The Big Apple, such as New York Fashion Week, the Met Gala, and the Radio City Christmas Spectacular. NYC has an amazing nightlife, but what makes the city a one of a kind destination is that it is just as exciting during the day. NYC is the home of the New York Mets, Yankees, Knicks, Jets, and Globetrotters. Los Angeles Los Angeles is home to some of the world’s best surf spots and beaches that settle along its 75-mile coastline. LA is also famous for its world-class shopping spots such as Rodeo Drive, the Fashion District, The Grove, and many more. Los Angeles also serves as a home for dazzling stars, and attractions such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame, Santa Monica Pier, and Venice Beach. The easy-going Californian lifestyle plays into the common activities that are famous in LA, such as surfing and hiking. Las Vegas Las Vegas is the paradigm of nightlife in the United States. Known as Sin City, the wild parties and vibrant casinos dominate the atmosphere, but the reason it attracts so many visitors is because of its carefree and fun atmosphere. The City of Lights was founded by ranchers and railroad workers for its desert springs, but quickly gained popularity for its casinos. From there, it was transformed into the metropolis it is today. Some of the most popular things to do in Vegas are to see a show, go shopping in Planet Hollywood,
Freshmen
Sophomores
New Orleans
New York
Juniors
Seniors
Los Angeles
Las Vegas
SHOW!
SHOW!
The 2019 Field Day theme featured four popular cities in the United States — New Orleans, New York, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas — and each class was given one as their theme.
watch the light show on Fremont Street, or start your day with brunch! This year’s Field Day themes provided the opportunity to learn about new places in our country, and many ThunderRidge students have visited these cities! According to a poll given on ThunderRidge’s Student Media Twitter, 12 percent have visited New Orleans, 44 percent have visited New York City, 75% have visited Los Angeles, and 70 percent have visited Las Vegas.
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Future of Field Day Jordan Lear
McKenna Frakes and Caitlin Marty
Caden Dwyer, Jordan Lear, Maddie Rae, McKenna Frakes, and Jayden Schneider at the Homecoming football game in their U.S.A. Day apparel.
Sophomore Scott Green spikes the ball.
Field Day has always been the most important tradition at ThunderRidge High School. Every year, students and teachers alike get together to celebrate this day, which started with Jim Wallendorf. He was the school’s first principal , and he brought this tradition from his former school in Michigan. “I remember him showing the first staff of TRHS a TV news feature about his former high school going through Field Day,” said Wilbur Sameshima, a teacher who was there for the first Field Day. “Our jaws just dropped. It was incredible, but also scary. We tried it, and it was great and still is.” From that first day, everyone fell in love with Field Day and decided to make it an annual tradition. The events from the very first one are still a big part of today’s.These include: song, cheer, and tug-a-war. But others have evolved into bigger and better events. New ones are always being added. The
Jacob Egan, Emily Oliver, Avery Stites, Maddy Goldberg, Skylar Young, and McKenna Frakes having fun in their senior seminar minutes before Field Day.
The juniors receive a serve from the seniors.
most recent one being spikeball.The very heart of Field Day revolves around unity that is achieved on that day — even as the day’s events evolve. “It is a day to celebrate through friendly competition all the unique parts of our Grizzly community. There’s something for everyone — artistic and linguistic creativity, dance, athletics, design, video-gaming, charity. It just doesn’t get any better than watching students celebrate one another,” said TR Principal Nikki Ballow. Everyone agrees that this unity is special to ThunderRidge. “There is nothing like Field Day at ThunderRidge,” Ballow said. “There are many schools that try to replicate what we are doing, because it is just so great!” We all take pride in that! It is amazing to be apart of such an amazing thing and the future of this incredible day is bright.