investigator
the
Vol. 29, Issue 5 May 2020
Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.
- Dr. Seuss
Senior Abigail Culpepper (left) looks on as confetti falls during the Welcome Back Assembly in Aug. 2019.
M ay 2020 Volu m e 29 Issu e 5
Edit or 's Not e
photo by Tyler Bonnette
Seni or i ssue. It i s the fi nal one of the school year and i t i s safe to say that i t di d not go as planned. For starters, w e never got to produce our fi fth i ssue due to the great pandem i c, and w hi le that w as upsetti ng, w e deci ded to try and gi ve the seni ors i n the school som ethi ng to sti ll be proud of. Everythi ng got taken aw ay from us i n a spli t second, so w e w ent to w ork onli ne usi ng a new desi gn program and Google Meet. Seni or i ssue, as guessed by i ts nam e, i s everythi ng and anythi ng about seni ors. We have stori es that focus on seni or year bei ng taken aw ay, stori es about w hat com es next after hi gh school, stori es on w hat to expect i n college and so m uch m ore. Thi s i ssue w as stressful to do. We had to use a new program , i ntervi ew s w ere di ffi cult, and i n all honesty, bei ng out of school w as depressi ng. As a staff, w e deci ded to push through i t and gi ve the seni ors the best effort w e had. We w on't get the chance i n person, so w e w ould li ke to thank our aw esom e staff thi s year. Everyone w as on the sam e page all year long and w e are leavi ng the m agazi ne i n good hands. We w i ll m i ss every si ngle one of you and cannot w ai t to see w hat you do next year. We love you all!
Liliana Burke
In side t h e Issu e News
05
Class of 2020 says goodbye in an unexpected way as the coronavirus ends their school year
Feature 11 Meet the dedicated team of three behind the InvestiGator
Sports
18
Spring athletes write letters to the pandemic which cost them their season
Opinion 26 Debate over the necessity of a college education continues
Photo Essay 29 Seniors pass the time during quarantine in unexpected ways
A&E
30
Seniors look at trends that shaped the last four years
Gator pride - Seniors Sarah Burge, Marin Houlihan and Chloe DiGiacomo perform during the Welcome Back Assembly on Friday, Aug. 16. The Cheer team performed in assemblies throughout the year in addition to cheering at sporting events. photo by Juliana Shephard
Em pty. There i s not any other w ay to descri be the w orld fam ous Las Vegas Stri p, w hi ch has all but turned i nto a ghost tow n. All the com m oti on from a place that hosts over 42 m i lli on vi si tors a year, now gone because of COVID-19. Thousands of em ployees have been lai d off and left seek i ng a w ay to m ake ends m eet. The governor's stay at hom e orders have currently been extended to the end of Apri l, w hi ch w i ll extend the unem ploym ent i n the Valley. Touri sm accounts for 40 percent of em ploym ent i n Las Vegas, w hi ch adds up to about 370,000 jobs. Nevada heavi ly depends on The Stri p and i f i t conti nues to be closed, then i t w i ll hi t the Nevada econom y hard. Hundreds of si gns along the stri p encourage people to stay hom e and practi ce soci al di stanci ng. As the vi rus conti nues to spread, the em pty w alk w ays and streets have been left w i th a sm atteri ng of sk ateboarders and m otorcycli sts w ho roam the vacant, neon playground.
photos & story by Sebastian Villamil
10 news
Seniors stripped of final memories Graduation delayed, Prom lost asCOVID-19 shutsdown nation By Brenna Kni ght Seni or year i s full of expectati ons. It i s supposed to be the year w here you m ake the m ost m em orable m em ori es. Unfortunately, due to the ongoi ng pandem i c and m andatory quaranti ne, thi s year's seni ors w i ll not be able to experi ence the w ell k now n acti vi ti es that are long aw ai ted by every graduati ng class. These events are i m portant for seni ors as they can si gni fy the closi ng of one chapter and the begi nni ng of a new chapter i n thei r li fe. Before progressi ng i nto the real w orld, seni ors have a chance to sti ll be a teenager and m ake m em ori es that w i ll last a li feti m e. When i t w as fi rst announced that all extracurri cular acti vi ti es w ere bei ng forced to end, the thought of upcom i ng seni or acti vi ti es w as up i n the ai r. Nobody k new w hether or not class of 2020 w ould get to experi ence the events they are supposed to rem em ber forever. "At fi rst i t di dn't really seem super si gni fi cant to m e because I don't play a spri ng sport or
anythi ng," seni or Oli vi a Lee sai d. "It w asn't ti ll Mr. Otter told us w e had to cancel Prom that everythi ng started to seem real." The class of 2020 not only lost thei r seni or prom but w i th the recent announcem ent of school closure for the rem ai nder of the 2019-20 school year they now w i ll lose events li ke seni or w eek , thei r last school assem bly and m any other GV tradi ti ons such as seni or dodgeball. Lee, w ho had older si bli ngs attend GV, says the last few m onths of hi gh school are som e she had been w ai ti ng for si nce she w as i n elem entary school. "I w as really look i ng forw ard to getti ng to em cee our last assem bly, bei ng able to get ready, take pi ctures and end the ni ght danci ng w i th m y fri ends one last ti m e at Prom , and parti ci pati ng in seni or dodgeball," Lee sai d. The school em pathi zes w i th seni ors as they k now that w ai ti ng three years for som ethi ng, only to have i t be canceled i s heartbreak i ng. ?I em pathi ze w i th them
com pletely. I can rem em ber how m uch I w as look i ng forw ard to m y seni or year i n hi gh school so m any years ago,? Pri nci pal Kent Roberts sai d. ?I encourage them to keep thi ngs i n perspecti ve as m uch as possi ble. Reali ze that although you have lost som ethi ng very i m portant to you, m any people have lost loved ones to thi s epi dem i c.? As of now , all graduati on cerem oni es for the class of 2020 have been postponed w i th thei r fate bei ng left up to i ndi vi dual hi gh schools throughout Clark County. "Graduati on i s probably one of the other bi ggest thi ngs I'm bum m ed to be m i ssi ng out on. I w ould've been si tti ng on stage w i th som e of m y best fri ends, m y fellow student body offi cers. I hope w e'll be able to do som e sort of cerem ony once thi ngs are safe," Lee sai d. Wi th these events bei ng canceled, i t m akes seni ors recogni ze that they should be grateful w i th w hat they di d get to experi ence. It m akes them cheri sh the m om ents that they had, even though thei r endi ng
cam e sooner than expected. Wi th seni ors not havi ng the chance to experi ence these events, i t m akes thi s year's juni ors w ant to m ake the best of next year. Roberts also em phasi zed the need for seni ors to fi nd posi ti ves from the si tuati on. ?I w ould just li ke to encourage everyone to cheri sh thi s extra ti m e you?ve been able to spend w i th your fam i ly ri ght now , because at som e poi nt you are goi ng to leave the house and these are the stori es you?re goi ng to tell years from now ,? Roberts sai d. ?The other thi ng I w ould to tell them i s that thi s i s the ti m e to practi ce look i ng for opportuni ty i n a bad si tuati on. Many of the m ost successful people on the planet are w here they are because w hen som ethi ng bad happened they w ere able to stay calm , set thei r em oti ons to the si de, thi nk logi cally and fi nd an opportuni ty to grow i ntellectually, experi enti ally or fi nanci ally. Bad thi ngs happen to us all. What m atters m ost i s how w e react to and overcom e those bad events.?
feature 11
Newlyfoundlove By Abi gai l Culpepper & Hannah Serqui na
Fi ndi ng a place to belong w as the start of seni or Vi ctori a Rodri guez's journey as a m em ber of the Investi Gator staff. Rodri guez noted that the reason she started journali sm w as to fi nd her group of people. ?It started i n ei ghth grade w hen I w as thi nk i ng about tak i ng journali sm at Greenspun, because I really w anted to fi nd fri ends and I had w anted to fi t in som ew here. I w as struggli ng a lot w i th that. I di dn't feel li ke I had anybody or li ke a fri end group,? Rodri guez sai d. ?I deci ded to try the journali sm class to fi gure out i f I li ked i t and I fell i n love w i th i t. So I ended up sti ck i ng w i th i t.? As Rodri guez conti nued her journey, she evolved i n her posi ti ons. She explai ned that each posi ti on has added to her i denti ty and happi ness. She has i m proved from her fi rst year and has been able to lead the staff at the peak of her hi gh school career. ?I've been i n journali sm for four years, but I've only been on staff for three. My fi rst year I w as just a reporter. My second year I w as a secti on edi tor for the opi ni on secti on and m y thi rd year I becam e Edi tor i n Chi ef,? Rodri guez sai d. ?It's just m ade m e w ho I am . It w as a great experi ence overall and I'm really happy I got to do i t.? Although Rodri guez does not plan on doi ng journali sm for her career, she says she w i ll alw ays use the i m portant sk i lls she learned, such as her people sk i lls, w ri ti ng sk i lls and so m any other li fe lessons. Not only have her posi ti ons changed, but so
have her i nteracti ons w i th others. Rodri guez noted that her personali ty has changed for the better and she has beli eved i n herself m ore. ?I've also evolved so m uch as a person. My people sk i lls especi ally have grow n so m uch. Thi s class has li fe sk i lls and has taught m e how to get to k now people better, get to connect w i th people, and stuff li ke that. Those sk i lls w ould not have happened w i thout thi s class. So m y personali ty and w ho I am and m y confi dence has evolved,? Rodri guez sai d. Balanci ng thi ngs such as school, journali sm , fam i ly responsi bi li ti es and a job can be qui te the task for any grow n adult, especi ally as a seni or in hi gh school. Rodri guez fi gured out early on she w as goi ng to have to overcom e these obstacles i n order to properly fulfi ll all her responsi bi li ti es. ?Once I found the balance of everythi ng i t all ended up w ork i ng really w ell," Rodri guez sai d. "It's all about ti m e m anagem ent and i t took m e aw hi le to get there, but I di d and i t w i ll end up helpi ng m e i n li fe.? Si nce the begi nni ng of hi gh school, Rodri guez has thought about how she w i ll leave her m ark . Becom i ng Edi tor i n Chi ef gave her the perfect opportuni ty. Despi te havi ng her year cut short, she i s happy about how thi ngs ended up. ?I'm so proud. We di d a great job of grow i ng the program . We have a great staff dynam i c, not just betw een us three, but am ong the w hole staff," Rodri guez sai d. "We m ade i t a posi ti ve place to com e and the li fe long fri endshi ps I m ade are really w hat's i m portant to m e."
photos courtesy of Victoria Rodriguez
The InvestiGator May 2020
12 feature
L EGACI ES N EVER DI E Sen ior Abigail Cu lpepper leaves h er m ar k af t er f ou r year s of h igh sch ool By Hannah Serqui na & Vi ctori a Rodri guez
After di scussi ng at length plans for the upcom i ng Hom ecom i ng Court electi on w i th student body offi cers, seni or Abi gai l Culpepper heads to room 827 to spend an hour photo-shoppi ng the background out of a pi cture she hopes to use on one of her pages i n The Investi Gator. From there, i t?s off to Engli sh to w ork on a group project that she i s the lead presenter for, and then back to the Student Counci l room for an hour of pai nti ng si gns and delegati ng assi gnm ents for the upcom i ng Hom ecom i ng Assem bly. For m any students, thi s w ould be a w eek 's w orth of w ork , but for Culpepper, i t?s not even lunchti m e. ?It started all the w ay back i n elem entary school. It really started as just bei ng the teacher's pet, honestly. I w ould w ork w i th m y teachers all the ti m e w hen I had the chance. I w ould help them w i th
photos courtesy of Abigail Culpepper
anythi ng they needed,? Culpepper sai d. ?Then I had eventually started GATE (Gi fted and Talented Educati on) i n thi rd grade and I di d GATE thi rd, fourth and fi fth. And then i n fi fth grade I di d Student Counci l and our school's new spaper.? The GATE program helped Culpepper reali ze how m uch she enjoyed thi ngs such as Student Counci l and journali sm . Another m ajor aspect of Culpepper?s li fe i s fam i ly, w hi ch has allow ed her to get ahead i n li fe. Culpepper?s si sters enabled her to see hi gh school before she w as i n i t. Culpepper noted that thi s allow ed her to be m ore confi dent i n the transi ti on. ?It?s super cool bei ng the youngest of m y si bli ngs, because I w as never as scared to go to hi gh school as any of m y other fri ends. I had already really seen w hat hi gh school w as about and especi ally w hat Green Valley w as about. So I had pretty good k now ledge of w hat to expect,? Culpepper sai d. Culpepper?s i nterest i n journali sm began because of her si sters. She sai d that they w ere the reason she w anted to joi n and how she had already k now n the advi ser si nce she w as young. ?Both m y si sters before m e w ere i n journali sm . I already k new that I w as goi ng to do i t. Because I had k now n Mr. Johnston for so long already, and i t just really seem ed li ke a fun class. I k now m y si sters both really loved i t, so I w anted to see w hat i t w as all about,? Culpepper sai d. Culpepper speci ali zes i n the desi gn aspect of journali sm . Her desi re to create pi cturesque, uni que layouts stem s from her creati vi ty and her experi ence look i ng at other peoples' pages throughout her ti m e on the Investi Gator staff. ?I started becom i ng i nterested i n desi gn back i n m y sophom ore year w hen I w as just a reporter. I w ould see a page and after i t w as pri nted I w ould be li ke, ?Oh, that w ould have been cool i f I could have done thi s desi gn or li ke thi s story could have been desi gned thi s w ay,? Culpepper sai d. Over the course of three years, Culpepper has been luck y enough to grow throughout the class. Her sophom ore year she started off as a reporter and then becam e co-staff m anager. Thi s m eant she got to plan all the potluck s, fundrai si ng and bi rthday events - si m i lar to
responsi bi li ti es i n Student Counci l. Headi ng i nto her juni or year, Culpepper got prom oted to Arts and Entertai nm ent edi tor. She w as i n charge of that secti on, edi ti ng drafts, desi gni ng pages and teachi ng the new people for next year. Fi nally, seni or year. Culpepper becam e the desi gn edi tor. Whi le i t sounds si m ple, she had a great deal of responsi bi li ti es. She w as assi gned all of the m ajor pages that needed to be desi gned and she w orked si de by si de w i th the Edi tor i n Chi efs to m ake sure the paper ran sm oothly. Other than the am ount of responsi bi li ti es that com e w i th the class and bei ng i n journali sm , i t also i s a lot of fun. The class has the opportuni ty to travel, there are a lot of potluck s, and you m ake som e li fe long fri endshi ps i n the process. ?I feel li ke w e have one of the best dynam i cs. We have been through hardshi ps together and I feel li ke w e have alw ays been there for each other all year," Culpepper sai d. "I don't thi nk w e w ould w e be w here w e are at w i thout each other." In the fall, Culpepper w i ll be attendi ng the Uni versi ty of Las Vegas. She i s tak i ng on a new challenge and follow i ng her passi on and love for chi ldren by m ajori ng i n early speci al educati on to hopefully becom e an elem entary speci al educati on teacher. After that she eventually w ants to m ove on to hi gh school and i s consi deri ng becom i ng a journali sm teacher. She i s ready to leave her new m ark on a new school. "Busy. That w as m y hi gh school experi ence i n one w ord," Culpepper sai d. "My favori te part i f of i t all w as just getti ng to m eet so m any new people".
feature 13
Queen of i t all By Abi gai l Culpepper & Vi ctori a Rodri guez From State cham pi on to edi tor-i n-chi ef, seni or Hannah Serqui na has done i t all and gi ven herself an unforgettable hi gh school experi ence. Serqui na i s sayi ng goodbye to her hi gh school career w hi le goi ng out w i th a bang. She has so m any accom pli shm ents throughout her li fe and can confi dently leave k now i ng she gave i t her best shot. As a sophom ore, she took up journali sm and started off as a reporter i n the class. She w as very shy at fi rst, but w as a good asset to the staff and had very strong w ri ti ng sk i lls. As she grew , her juni or year she becam e a secti on edi tor of the feature secti on, and fi nally her seni or year she becam e co edi tor-i n-chi ef. ?I w anted to
becom e EIC because I w anted to be able to learn how to be a leader, and I w anted to better understand how to get people to do w hat you w ant i n term s of reachi ng a collecti ve goal or deadli nes,? Serqui na sai d. Havi ng a new leadershi p posi ti on cam e w i th a lot of responsi bi li ti es. Work i ng hard over sum m er, Serqui na and her other edi tors w orked the best they could to plan for the fi rst i ssue and the fi rst w eek of school. Thi s w as the fi rst ti m e for any of them runni ng the class, and w i th that new challenges had to be faced. "It w as k i nd of w hat I had expected and k i nd of not. I k new the w ork load w as goi ng to be a lot and the dedi cati on w as goi ng to be a lot, but I feel that I had expected even m ore than w hat i t i s. I thought i t w as gonna be a lot scari er than it w as,? Serqui na sai d. ?I had a lot of help especi ally w i th m y advi ser, Abby and Vi ctori a.? There w as m ore to her hi gh school experi ence how ever than just journali sm . Hi gh school i tself i s a roller coaster, gi vi ng k i ds a chance to grow and becom e li ttle adults. Whether i t w as good or bad, no one ever forgets w hat i t
w as li ke to be i n hi gh school. ?It?s cli che but i t's the only w ord I could thi nk of. My hi gh school experi ence i n one w ord i s unforgettable. I?m som eone w ho really loves hi gh school, I love everythi ng about i t, the experi ences, the clubs, the sports and the di fferent atm osphere, li ke assem bli es and all that," Serqui na sai d. Unfortunately, li ke m any other seni ors around the w orld, Serqui na i s faci ng the loss of the rest of her seni or year, but that does not di sm i ss the rest of her hi gh school experi ence. Serqui na has a few deci si ons to m ake regardi ng her next step i n the gam e of li fe. Currently she is debati ng betw een a vari ety of colleges. tw o bei ng LSU and the Uni versi ty of Oregon. She does k now , how ever, that she i s plani ng on m ajori ng i n busi ness m arketi ng. She is very exci ted to m ove on and is ready to begi n the next chapter of her li fe. ?I'm never gonna forget about the m em ori es and the m om ents," Serqui na sai d. "It all k i nd of suck s ri ght now , not bei ng able to celebrate them , but I k now I'll never forget them .?
photos courtesy of Hannah Serquina
The InvestiGator May 2020
14 feature
The future is here High sch ool sen ior s h ave m or e opt ion s t h an ever w h en decidin g w h at com es af t er gr adu at ion By Vi olet LaMela Si nce preschool parents and teachers ali ke have encouraged thei r students to graduate hi gh school and attend college. How ever, not everyone w ho graduates hi gh school ends up seek i ng further educati on. As a m atter of fact, accordi ng to the U.S Bureau Of Labor Stati sti cs, i n 2016 only 69.7% of hi gh school graduates enrolled i n college. So w hat do the other 30.3% end up doi ng? Many of the people w ho are not goi ng to college tend to seek a career servi ng i n a branch of the Uni ted States Mi li tary. Som e branches even offer pai d schooli ng, such as for those w ho w ant to go i nto such fi elds as electri cal, as long as these i ndi vi duals can m ai ntai n good grades w hi le m anagi ng to fulfi ll thei r gi ven role i n the servi ce. ?I plan on joi ni ng the reserves for the Ai r Force. I w anted to joi n to get electri cal trai ni ng at one of thei r tech
schools, I w ant to be an electri ci an and eventually an electri cal engi neer,? seni or Alan Ri os sai d. ?They also provi de a thi ng called tui ti on assi stance for college. Whi ch basi cally m eans they w i ll pay for your classes as long as you pass them .? Whi le the benefi ts m ay vary, thi s i s not a guaranteed opti on. Not everyone i s able to w i thstand the i ntensi ve trai ni ng and physi cal condi ti oni ng that i s requi red to reserve them selves a spot i n the arm ed forces. Obvi ously the Mi li tary i s not the go-to opti on for everyone, thi s i s because not all teens are as open to the ri sk s that the job m ay present. For that reason alone m ost teens exclude the i dea of joi ni ng branches of the Uni ted States Mi li tary all together. There are a generous am ount of fam i li es that struggle fi nanci ally, w hi ch m akes m any teens feel obli gated to begi n
w ork i ng as soon as they possi bly can. By the age of 16 m any teens have already found a source of i ncom e through retai l and/ or fast food restaurants. Tow ards the end of hi gh school som e feel that they have already com e so far i n bui ldi ng thei r w ay up through posi ti ons and rai ses, that the i dea of leavi ng just seem s li ke the w rong choi ce overall. Instead of addi ng to the fi nanci al struggle by goi ng to uni versi ty, som e choose to conti nue w ork i ng i n order to help out thei r fam i ly and/ or them selves. Ali ke to the teens w ho conti nue thei r jobs after hi gh school, m any don?t attend college, not ri ght aw ay at least. By the ti m e they graduate som e teens sti ll have no i dea w hat they w ant to do w i th thei r li ves. Pi ck i ng a m ajor that determ i nes w hat you do for the rest of your li fe i s som ethi ng that cannot be done just overni ght. A soli d opti on for
those w ho are unsure of w hat they w ant or just aren?t com pletely ready to go to college i s tak i ng a year long break , also referred to as a gap year. Duri ng the break m any choose to spend ti m e traveli ng, volunteeri ng and/ or w ork i ng. The ti m e aw ay from the stress school m ay bri ng i ncludes m any opportuni ti es to gi ve back to the com m uni ty as w ell. Goi ng out and gi vi ng back can help students fi nd w hat they feel they have been m i ssi ng and possi bly help them fi nd w hat they w ant to do i f they deci de to go back to school. Although stati sti cs show that a m ajori ty of Hi gh School graduates attend ei ther com m uni ty college or a uni versi ty, not everyone does and i t should not be frow ned upon. There i s no one correct path to go dow n after hi gh school, as each person i s di fferent and they have thei r ow n personal goals and expectati ons in li fe.
feature 15
What happens now ? Things to do once you are at college By Neyta Flores Seni ors w ho are planni ng on goi ng to college are at a poi nt w here they just w ant to graduate and m ove forw ard w i th thei r li fe. How ever, there i s a w hole di fferent aspect of li fe w hen i t?s on a college cam pus. As a freshm an i n college, there are both so m any responsi bi li ti es and m any opportuni ti es to try new thi ng to expand from there com fort zones. In college, there are sports, Greek li fe, honors college program s and new clubs. Before that though, there are a lot of organi zati onal sk i lls and pri ori ti es a freshm an i n college has to consi der. ?I?m planni ng on doi ng student governm ent, Greek li fe and i ntram ural sports for cross country or di ve,? seni or and Student Body Presi dent Jack i e Mason sai d. College i s m ore than just a place to get the next step i n one's educati on. It i s also a w ay to branch out and joi n new acti vi ti es. College
i s full of hardw ork i ng people, as w ell as people w ho are w i lli ng to try new thi ngs and explore new i nterests. Most uni versi ti es have m ore than enough clubs, program s and acti vi ti es to i nclude the di versi ty of the school and allow everyone a chance to fi nd som ethi ng that they enjoy bei ng a part of. ? I am m ost defi ni tely planni ng on getti ng back i nto break -danci ng and joi ni ng a break -danci ng club or team ,? seni or Oli vi a Watson sai d. Whi le even though certai n thi ngs are not accessi ble to som e people, such as sorori ti es due to thei r cost, there are alw ays other opti ons. Other opti ons i nclude clubs, organi zati ons, student governm ent, sports, and program s, along w i th w ork i ng as a student i n college. The seni ors on cam pus are fi lled w i th exci tem ent at the thought of starti ng the next chapter of thei r li ves. Most of thei r li ves have been controlled by others. How ever, i n college they are granted
1
the abi li ty to m ake thei r ow n choi ces. Students are faced w i th a new ball gam e; m ore space, i ndependence, people and opportuni ti es. ?I?m really exci ted to branch out and m eet new people. I?m ready to start thi s journey i nto m y career. It's a huge change, after k now i ng a large percentage of the student body to getti ng the chance to m ake new fri ends i n San Di ego,? Mason sai d. There i s an enti re new aspect to li fe w hen i t com es to college and becom i ng a full i ndependent adult. "I'm i nsanely exci ted to be able to explore and di scover m ore about m yself i n a new li festyle. Hi gh school i s truly so di fferent from li fe i tself and starti ng a new job and m eeti ng new people w i ll be good," Watson sai d. Whether i t i s joi ni ng a sorori ty or fraterni ty, getti ng a new job, goi ng to parti es, clubs, football gam es and m ore, there i s plenty to do for everyone goi ng off to college.
Dear Corona, photo courtesy of GVHS Yearbook
photo courtesy of GVHS Yearbook
photo courtesy of Sarah Arendt
Dear Corona ,
Dear Corona,
Wi th thi s 2020 golf season canceled i t has gi ven m e lots of ti m e to thi nk . As the youngest of 3 k i ds w ho have all played golf for coach Murphy, i t w as a sad experi ence not to fi ni sh m y seni or season. Thi s team i s li ke a fam i ly to m e, and no m atter the teasi ng or the si lly argum ents that w e go through w e w i ll alw ays be there for each other. We m ay not be the bi ggest team i n the school, but i w ouldn?t trade these guys for anythi ng. I can say one thi ng that not m any k i ds w ho parti ci pate i n sports can say, I never dreaded goi ng to golf practi ce. No m atter rai n or shi ne I alw ays looked forw ard to hangi ng out w i th the boys on the golf team .
I can?t really hate the player, I can only hate the gam e, so li ke...there ai n?t m uch to say to you. It suck s pretty bad that I get to m i ss out on m y season. It suck s that everyone gets to m i ss out on thei r seasons. I w as feeli ng really good thi s year (god-li ke, i f I say so m yself) and I di dn?t get the opportuni ty to show w hat I w as m ade of. I di dn?t get to challenge m y best dude Rom an i n di ve, even though I for sure w ould have lost, I w as gonna try to gi ve hi m a run for hi s m oney. I w anted to go under 50 seconds on the 100 freestyle, but I di dn?t get to accom pli sh ei ther of those goals because of you. It suck s that I or anyone di dn?t get to com pete thi s season. I w ant to be m ad or angry or w hatever else, but I thi nk you have m ade everyone show thei r true colors. You m ade i t clear to see w ho trai ns and practi ces to just w i n and w ho trai ns and practi ces for the gri nd, to get better, to becom e stronger, to get an edge on others. Many people aren?t doi ng anythi ng ri ght now , they aren?t trai ni ng, they aren?t practi ci ng and that?s not your fault. It?s really not. You just brought that si de out of them . So thank s Corona, even though I di dn?t get a chance to show w ho I w as to everyone, to accom pli sh m y goals, you show ed m e that i t i sn't just about those thi ngs. It's about gri ndi ng to be better, w hether people are w atchi ng or not, w hether you get a m edal or not. Even though you can?t do anythi ng about the si tuati on you caused, I w ant you to tell everyone that you com e across and everyone that you don?t, that no m atter the si tuati on, no m atter the state of the w orld, or w here I am , that I am sti ll trai ni ng, I am sti ll gri ndi ng, and I w i ll sti ll get better.
Karter Kares
page design by Cherie Franklin & Hannah Serquina
Dear Corona ,
Gages Curry
In just a short am ount of ti m e, you?ve changed our li ves so m uch, for better and for w orse. When I heard the new s i n 6th peri od that day that you caused everythi ng to be canceled I w as i n di sbeli ef, i t seem ed as i f all that m y team had w orked for had been taken from us. Thi s w as our year, a team full of seni ors w ho had w orked and put thei r everythi ng i nto thi s year k now i ng w e had a shot at w i nni ng i t all. Goi ng from a team that placed last i n our openi ng tournam ent last year to placi ng 3rd thi s year agai nst com peti ti on from Ari zona and Cali forni a, w e k new thi s w as our year. Bei ng placed 31st i n the enti re nati on only fueled us to conti nue to reach our potenti al and stri ve to leave a true legacy w i th hopes of putti ng a banner up i n our gym . Then you rolled i n and changed everythi ng. Fi rst i t w as our Cali forni a tri p, then our sport, and fi nally a total closure and sent us all hom e w onderi ng w hat i f and w hat w e could?ve been. These last few w eek s how ever have allow ed m e to reflect and be thank ful for the ti m e our team di d have together. After thi s i s all over I k now w e w i ll look back and see how m uch w e learned and grew from thi s and for all you?ve taken from us student athletes, you have taught us one thi ng, to alw ays be grateful for the ti m e you have w i th your team because you never k now i f you?ll ever step on the court w i th them agai n.
Chase Allen
sports 19
photo courtesy of Christina De Los Angeles
photo courtesy of Rian Anderson
photo courtesy of Melissa Faber
Dear Corona ,
Dear Corona,
Dear Corona,
When I w as 8 years old, I stepped on a softball fi eld for the fi rst ti m e. It w as love at fi rst si ght. At that m om ent, I k new I w ould do w hatever i t took to play varsi ty softball. I spent years and years w ai ti ng for the day I could put m y hi gh school jersey on. Now here I am 9 years later, putti ng on m y jersey for the last ti m e m onths earli er than I should because of you. I w ai ted pati ently for four years to feel the rush of m y nam e bei ng announced on seni or ni ght. In just a couple m onths you took that aw ay from not just m e, but a countless am ount of seni ors around the w orld. You carelessly stole the m ost preci ous m om ents of an athlete's li fe. You m ay thi nk you w on thi s w ar, but thi s fi ght i sn?t over. You can't k i ll the love I have for the gam e, no m atter how hard you try.
I w ent hom e after 5th peri od and took m y usual pre-practi ce nap. I w oke up at 2:00 to get ready and then I read a text m essage sayi ng ?i s i t true that everythi ng i s cancelled? Track i ncluded?? I felt tears i n m y eyes and di dn?t even k now w hat to thi nk consi deri ng w e had a m eet the next day. I drove to the track w here there w ere m any other athletes gathered together i n pure confusi on and frustrati on. We all started ask i ng adm i n a few questi ons regardi ng the vi rus and they k new just as m uch as w e di d, w hi ch w as nothi ng. We all stood i n front of the track talk i ng, that w ay w e di dn?t have to go hom e and face the truth about our season endi ng. I had a rough cross country season deali ng w i th an i njury and tow ards the end i t w as fi nally healed, thank s to physi cal therapy. Thi s w as m y chance to redeem m yself and gi ve m y legs the last go that they deserved. There w ere m any goals I had goi ng i nto the track season. Our 4x800 relay team had the hope of m ak i ng i t to State because w e w ere 4 seconds off the year before, and thi s w as our ti m e for redem pti on. The w eek before w e ran a great race and w e talked about how thi s w as our chance. I even had personal goals i n getti ng better ti m es i n m y i ndi vi dual events than the year before. Even though you cam e out of now here and took aw ay m y fi nal season, you can never take aw ay the fri endshi ps I've gai ned, the lessons I've learned and the love I have for track . I am forever grateful for everythi ng that thi s sport has gi ven m e. Runni ng i s a pai nful sport, but not as pai nful as the m om ents you?ve taken aw ay from us.
What can I say? I di dn?t even k now w ho you w ere? Then, just li ke that, you cam e i n li ke a w reck i ng ball and si deli ned our softball season. The negati ves to your appearance are m onum ental. We have seni ors that w ai ted the enti re school year to show case thei r sk i ll and hard w ork for one fi nal season. Juni ors that had som ethi ng to prove, a chi p on thei r shoulders and posi ti ons to w i n. Our sophom ores w ere bui ldi ng on thei r successes from last season w i th huge steps bei ng taken. Fi nally, our freshm en. These freshm en w ere poi sed to take the softball w orld by storm . BUT, Corona, you had di fferent i deas. We w ere si deli ned. Now w e search for the posi ti ves. Softball sti ll goes on. These young ladi es are cham pi ons that never stop getti ng better. Whi le soci al di stanci ng, our program i s pulli ng together, check i ng i n on one another, studyi ng fi lm , w ork i ng on i ndi vi dual sk i lls and condi ti oni ng. One thi ng you need to k now Corona i s that you can never take aw ay our love for the gam e and the love for our team m ates. We are a fam i ly and ulti m ately w e w i ll defeat you.
Christina De Los Angeles
Gator Softball
Rian Anderson The InvestiGator May 2020
20 sports
photo courtesy of Maxwell Luega
Dear Corona, To be fai rly honest w i th you, I don?t k now w here to start. Corona, I don?t k now you and you don?t k now m e. But w hat I do k now i s that thi s w as m uch bi gger than just a loss of a baseball season. It w as a w ay of li fe. Bei ng a part of thi s program and steppi ng foot on Fai rless Fi eld w asn?t a pri vi lege that w as just gi ven to you, you had to earn i t. Each and every day the student athletes of the 2019-2020 Gator Baseball program outw orked every si ngle schools' baseball program i n Nevada duri ng the fall and preseason, and that?s a fact. For too m any of the k i ds on thi s team , the baseball program w as m ore than just a sport, i t w as li ke a fam i ly. Everythi ng thi s program has to offer w as to push us to be m ore successful on and off the fi eld. Whether that w as throw i ng m ore stri kes, hi tti ng the ball the other w ay, getti ng to class on ti m e, doi ng your hom ew ork or just bei ng a better person at hom e. Baseball provi ded that. It?s hard to descri be how the loss of thi s season w ould i m pact everyone. For som e of the seni ors thi s season w as the last opportuni ty to show case and platform thei r talents i n order to land an opportuni ty to further thei r dream s and aspi rati ons of bei ng a ball player i n college. How ever, the loss of thi s season leads to som e never steppi ng foot or playi ng on another
page design by Cherie Franklin & Hannah Serquina
baseball fi eld ever agai n. The fact that w e w i ll never get to put on that kelly green or royal blue jersey before a gam e, li sten to clubhouse pregam e tunes, or run out onto the fi eld w i th your best fri ends by your si de i s som ethi ng that w i ll truly be m i ssed and forever cheri shed. I rem em ber leavi ng the clubhouse and runni ng dow n to the fi eld that day to help set up for our season hom e opener after days of bei ng rai ned out, before that all changed w i thi n seconds, and just li ke that heari ng that all sports and club acti vi ti es w ere canceled over the school speaker as 6th peri od w as just about to get out. The feeli ng of frustrati on, uncertai nty, anger and sadness w i thi n everyone as w e huddled up i n a ci rcle as a team for possi bly the last ti m e. I rem em ber the last w ords Coach Harri son told us, w hi ch w as to take a good look at the group of people huddled i n thi s ci rcle and cheri sh these last few m om ents together as w e don?t k now w hat w i ll happen next or i f thi s group of k i ds w i ll ever be together i n thi s space agai n. I?m truly honored and thank ful to be a part of the Gator Baseball fam i ly these last three years. It has provi ded li fe long fri endshi ps, m any li fe lessons and m em ori es that w i ll never be forgotten .
Maxwell Luega
photo courtesy of Zaida Ascencion
Dear Covi d-19, When I fi rst heard you w ould be arri vi ng to our country, I put off your i m portance, thi nk i ng you w ere just a dum b rum or, refusi ng to beli eve any of the stati sti cs w ere even true. Slow ly, the puzzle pi eces cam e together and I reali zed how fri ghteni ng your take over really w as. The i ni ti al m om ent that fi nally brought you to m y full attenti on w as the canceli ng of spri ng sports. As a seni or, thi s w ould be m y last year to partake i n the sw i m season. The last ti m e I w ould ever get to trai n w i th Coach Bob, the person w ho gui ded m e ever si nce m y fi rst jum p i n the pool, back i n early 2009. Over the course of the years, there have been obvi ous ups and dow ns concerni ng our associ ati on, but I felt that thi s year w ould be the one to m ake everythi ng ri ght I w ould help lead m y team to regi onals and State, and leave the posi ti ve m ark that I have alw ays w anted to leave, not only on m y coach, but on m y team m ates as w ell. Covi d-19, you have taught m e to appreci ate m y opportuni ti es m ore w i sely, value the sport, concerni ng the m em ori es i t has left m e as w ell, and how i t has shaped m e, along w i th becom i ng closer w i th m y fam i ly. I?ll deeply m i ss the last tri p to Walnut, Cali forni a, w hi ch I w as at least luck y to experi ence the last three previ ous years. Addi ti onally, the adrenali ne that i s unm atched w hi ch I experi enced w i th each race. Unforgettably as w ell, the tradi ti onal, pai nful 500 yard butterfly challenge that w ould test m e to m y li m i ts. The sw i m m i ng season i s som ethi ng I w i ll undoubtedly m i ss? and never forget.
Zaida Ascencion
sports 21
photo courtesy of Ryan Anderson
photo courtesy of Juliana Shephard
Dear Covi d-19,
Dear Covi d-19,
Honestly I don?t even k now w here to start. You started out as a li ttle vi rus w e heard about on the new s every once i n a w hi le. But then you got m ore attenti on and ulti m ately cam e to the Uni ted States. How ever, you m ade a bad deci si on, not only di d you attack the w hole w orld, you cam e and attacked our hom e, Nevada. In the end you even attacked m y love, the thi ng that helped m e get through the school day. Track and fi eld. I can?t even explai n all the em oti ons that you m ade and are m ak i ng m e go through. They are sad, angry, frustrated, and even grateful. Wi th m y season bei ng canceled I w as look i ng forw ard to spendi ng one last year w i th m y track and fi eld fam i ly. I can probably speak for all seni ors that are student athletes w hen I say that you truly took an am azi ng season aw ay from us. I w as look i ng forw ard to gi vi ng i t one last shot to m ake i t to State. But In the begi nni ng I reali zed that I just w anted to soak up m y last year and w ell, I can?t do that anym ore. Covi d-19, you also taught m e pati ence and how to handle all the m ental shots you fi red at m e. You m ade m e learn to fully appreci ate and love m y fam i ly and all the people i n m y li fe. In the end of thi s long letter to you Covi d-19, I w anted to say one last ti m e you m essed w i th the w rong school and state and w e w i ll beat you and com e out even stronger.
We?ve heard so m uch from you the past several w eek s, w e thought you?d li ke a chance to get to k now our team now. The Gators are a team m ade up of i ndi vi duals from varyi ng backgrounds and i nterests, varyi ng levels of volleyball k now ledge and experi ence, but our com m onali ty i s our love for the gam e of volleyball. We play, just li ke i n any sport, for som ethi ng to do, com peti ti veness, second chances, and the opportuni ty to w i n BIG, but i n the end, our love for volleyball and to be the best i s w hat dri ves us to com e together as a team . Thi s i s w hat m akes volleyball great, the ulti m ate team sport that propels us to w ork hard, to push each other to be our best, because each player i s so dependent on one another. We began our year early by parti ci pati ng i n a pre-season spri ng league, strength trai ni ng and condi ti oni ng, and m ulti ple i ntram ural opportuni ti es. We w ere prepared for our season, i n all facets of the gam e. We could see as thi ngs conti nued to develop, that our season could be cut short. Fi rst our tri p to Cali forni a w as canceled, then the enti re season w as put on hold. We k new i t w as a long shot that w e w ould be able to conti nue, but w e conti nued to be opti m i sti c. We consi der ourselves fortunate to have played 9 m atches. Ni ne preci ous m atches w here w e conti nued to em erge as a team , develop our sk i lls, and speed up our gam e. We w ere on the path to success. MaxPreps has us ranked #1 i n Nevada, and #31 i n the nati on. Of course w e?ll never k now w hat could have happened, but for the fi rst part of the season, thi s i s w here w e fi ni sh. We have learned as a team that hard w ork does pay off i n m any w ays. Maybe w e w on?t have the chance to hang a banner i n the gym , but w e k now that team w ork , pri de and determ i nati on have helped us develop a cam araderi e that m akes us uni que, novel i n m any w ays just li ke you! We have set the standard for the younger players to em ulate, and w e look forw ard to thei r developm ent next season and beyond. Our love for the gam e of volleyball w i ll never change. The team w ork and honest deli ght i n goi ng to practi ce every day to i m prove w i ll never change. The character that w e have revealed throughout thi s ti m e i s a testam ent to the great TEAM w e truly are w ho w i ll ?fi ght on and never qui t? and no vi rus w i ll ever change that!
Vincent Thompson
Gator Volleyball
Sincerely, Gators The InvestiGator May 2020
SwimmingtowardsMount St. Mary's Athlete commits to playing water polo at Division I level
Dry Pass- Senior Madison Szczublewski practices a dry pass as she warms up for the Utah Summer Games on Sunday April 27. 2019 at Southern Utah University.
By Hannah Serqui na 10 years i n the w ater. Seni or Madi son Szczublew sk i has dedi cated a decades w orth of blood, sw eat and tears tow ards defeati ng opponents in the pool. Szczublew sk i ?s w ater polo days are now com i ng to an end i n Las Vegas. Wi th that bei ng sai d, her journey i n the w ater i s now here near fi ni shed. Szczublew sk i w i ll be conti nui ng her w ater polo career playi ng for Mount St. Mary?s i n Em m i tsburg, Maryland at the Di vi si on I level. Although the transi ti on w i ll be a challenge, Szczublew sk i i s ready. ?I've been playi ng w ater polo close to 10 years now , and the sport i s really sm all but i t's been som ethi ng that I've done year after year. I'm really glad that I can conti nue to do that. Havi ng the opportuni ty to go out of state and bei ng i n a brand new place you've never been gi ves you a really scary feeli ng but also gi ves that feeli ng of pri de,? Szczublew sk i sai d. Szczublew sk i explai ned that her connecti on w i th Mount St. Mary?s i s one that rem i nds her of her roots and w here she cam e from . Not only does she w ant to be a part of som ethi ng that she i s fam i li ar w i th, she stri ves to be a part of som ethi ng bi gger than herself. Speci fi cally som ethi ng that can allow her to be the best versi on of herself. ?I feel li ke the w ater polo program i s m ost appeali ng because of how new i t i s. Com i ng from a very sm all w ater polo com m uni ty here i n
Vegas I k now w hat i t's li ke to bui ld from the bottom , and to really not have a great foundati on underneath m e, but I w ant to be part of that story,? Szczublew sk i sai d. ?I w ant to be part of a foundati on. I w ant to be part of som ethi ng bi gger. When I w as look i ng at schools, I thi nk that thi s w as one of the best opportuni ti es for m e because i t w i ll help m e grow , not only as a player but also i n a com m uni ty that I'm not used to.? The w orld of w ater polo at Mount St. Mary?s di ffers from the w orld Szczublew sk i k now s at hom e. Szczublew sk i w i ll have m ore opportuni ti es to com pete and i s w i ll be i n a m uch larger pool both fi gurati vely and li terally. In addi ti on, all her efforts w i ll not be w asted, but rather put i nto the gam e she loves the m ost. ?I am really exci ted to really just get back i nto the gam e i n that com peti ti ve style. Here i n Vegas w e don't have a ton of tournam ents and a lot of com peti ti on. Mai nly because w e are the only team here i n Nevada. So bei ng able to com pete on a w eek ly basi s i s som ethi ng that I'm really exci ted about,? Szczublew sk i sai d. ?I?ll have all of m y hard w ork throughout the w eek and all of m y hard trai ni ng and everythi ng goes i nto playi ng.? Although Szczublew sk i feels exci ted for thi s new chapter i n her li fe i t does not m ean she lack s any fears. Speci fi cally the one thi ng she fears the m ost is ti m e. Szczublew sk i em phasi zes the i m portance of havi ng ti m e for
everyone and everythi ng i n order to feel accom pli shed. ?I'm m ost nervous about bei ng able to balance all of i t. Mak i ng sure that I'm not just a good athlete, but also a good student, a good fri end and m ak i ng sure that I can fi t everythi ng that I w ant to do i n m y schedule. I feel li ke i t i s i m portant for m y success as a person,? Szczublew sk i sai d. Even though she w i ll experi ence hi ghs and low s, she k now s for certai n that she w i ll evolve as a person and as a player. Szczublew sk i explai ned that her grow th as a person i s a parallel to w ater polo as a sport. She has m ade i t a goal of hers not to becom e com placent. ?There, the w orld of w ater polo i s changi ng and i t's grow i ng. I thi nk that that's the best for m e to be a part of som ethi ng that i s grow i ng. I don't w ant to be stagnant and I thi nk that w ater polo ensures that I'm never goi ng to be i n the sam e place all the ti m e.? Not only has Szczublew sk i been i m pacted by the sport but by the people that cam e along w i th i t. The m ost m em orable tradi ti ons are the glue to her team m ates that she w i ll never forget. ?We have thi s tradi ti on every ti m e w e go to a tournam ent. We all lay i n the hallw ay on our back s w i th our feet up agai nst the w all, and w e just k i nd of si t there and talk . And w e do thi s before our last gam e of the last day of the tournam ent. We just si t there and bond, w e hang out and w e laugh. It's
am azi ng to see how m any people have m y back , not only i n the pool but also outsi de of the pool,? Szczublew sk i sai d. The transi ti on of college can only be eased w i th the feeli ng of hom e. Szczublew sk i explai ns the i m portance that one?s sport has i n thei r hearts and how that fam i li ari ty i s w hat w i ll help athletes once they get to college. ?It doesn't m atter i f you're w alk i ng onto the deck or i f you're w alk i ng onto the fi eld or the court. It's that sense of bei ng som ew here that you recogni ze, that you're com fortable w i th. Because yeah, college i s scary,? Szczublew sk i sai d. ?It's new and a lot of us are goi ng to be leavi ng for college and not bei ng able to be around people that w e're fam i li ar w i th. Whi ch i s w hy havi ng som ethi ng li ke a sport to gui de you i s one of the m ost am azi ng opportuni ti es for anyone. It really gi ves you that sense of hom e.? A new chapter i s on the w ay for Szczublew sk i just li ke m any other athletes. Although stress i s i n the future, so i s the opportuni ty to show the w orld w ho they are. ?College sports are m eant to be there for you to have fun and for you to release som e of those stressors that you have i n college,? Szczublew sk i sai d. "It?s an opportuni ty and an outlet to express yourself i n a form that only athletes k now how to do. I thi nk that i s am azi ng, and I'm really exci ted about the next chapter i n all of our li ves.?
sports 23
I w ant to be part of a foundati on. I w ant to be part of som ethi ng bi gger."
"
Madi son Szczublew sk i
Future Mountaineer- Senior Madison Szczublewski poses in her Team Vegas uniform one last time before she embarks on a new water polo journey on the East Coast.
photo courtesy of Madison Szczublewski
24 sports
Flag football says farew ell Senior laden team dominates all season, wins second straight State title By Vi vi en Li ebhardt It w as February 27, 2020, 6:00 i n the eveni ng, i n the Sw am p. Green Valley?s flag football team w as on the fi eld agai nst the Las Vegas Wi ldcats. After thei r tw o-poi nt w i n last year agai nst Bonanza, i t w as ti m e to show everyone w hat they w ere m ade
"The seni ors have i nspi red m e to play every gam e li ke i t?s m y last. I w i ll m ost defi ni tely m i ss the energy and leadershi p that the seni ors brought upon everybody. " juni or Lei la Casi llan of once agai n. Thi s year's seni or class cam e in as defendi ng state cham pi ons so they k new how to com pete and w hat i t took to
prepare to be cham pi ons agai n. They had a ton of experi ence and m ade sure the juni ors k new the expectati on and brought them along to get to the level needed to succeed,? varsi ty head coach Torrez sai d. In previ ous years and som e gam es thi s year, the gi rls have had som e close gam es, leadi ng m any other schools, coaches, and som e students on cam pus to beli eve the varsi ty team w as w i nni ng based on luck . How ever, thi s only fueled the team 's m oti vati on to prove others w rong. They w ere not only strong i ndi vi dually but they w ere an unstoppable force together. ?Wi nni ng state back to back w as the best feeli ng ever because all of our hard w ork pai d off and w e could offi ci ally say w e w ere the best team ; not just thi nk w e w ere,? juni or Holly Leavi tt sai d. Majori ty of the players have been a part of the team si nce thei r freshm an year. Som e have
even been playi ng si nce m i ddle school allow i ng them to becom e m ore com peti ti ve and seri ous w i th the sport. Sophom ore Lei la Casi llan has been playi ng si nce m i ddle school and now has pursued i t i nto hi gh school. Casi llan hi ghli ghts the fact that the seni ors have had a bi g i nfluence on the program and w i ll for sure be m i ssed. ?The seni ors have i nspi red m e to play every gam e li ke i t?s m y last. I w i ll m ost defi ni tely m i ss the energy and leadershi p that the seni ors brought upon everybody," Casi llan sai d. "They show ed us w hat i t?s li ke to be a fam i ly. Not just a team . They had so m uch love and passi on for the sport. The energy w as alw ays w i ld w henever I w atched them play." A m ajori ty of the varsi ty team consi sted of seni ors, leavi ng m uch room for a new w ave of athletes to prosper and better thei r sk i lls on the varsi ty team . Wi th that bei ng sai d, the
class of 2020 has enabled the players of future years to understand how to be a team . ?All the seni ors leavi ng w i ll leave an i m pact on the team , as they w ere and alw ays have been a bi g part of the team . I don't doubt that w e?ll have a lot of talent next year too look i ng at the low er levels from thi s year. Next year w e?ll just have to rebui ld the team chem i stry and I k now w e?ll sti ll fi nd success next year despi te how di fferent i t m ay be,? juni or Alexa Mansur sai d. The seni ors have left thei r m ark at Green Valley, and w i th that an expectati on of constant hard w ork and dedi cati on. There w i ll be bi g shoes needed to be fi lled next year but Caslli an and other JV athletes are hopeful to fi nd them selves on varsi ty next year and fi nd i t exci ti ng rather than nerve-rack i ng. The next w ave of players i ntends to m ai ntai n the flag football cham pi onshi p legacy.
Back to back - Seniors smile as they receive the State championship trophy on Thursday, Feb. 27. The team repeated as State champs, winning 21-0 against Las Vegas. photo courtesy of Chris Zinke
opinion 25
OUR CLOUDED FUTURE By Mali a Deram us The spread of the Coronavi rus (COVID-19) has been affecti ng everyone nati onw i de. Not only has COVID-19 affected our soci ety and grocery stores, but the vi rus has m ade an i m pact on all schools. Over half of the schools i n the Uni ted States have closed dow n for safety reasons. Many others have m oved the m ajori ty, i f not all, of thei r i nstructi on onli ne. Governor Si solak ?s deci si on to close all schools i n the state of Nevada at the begi nni ng of fourth quarter w as a safe choi ce to protect students and staff from contact w i th the vi rus. Students have not learned m uch because schools closed so early i n the fourth quarter. By the ti m e students head back to school, they w i ll have m i ssed a lot of schoolw ork and learni ng lessons. As they start to head i nto thei r next year of hi gh school, there are concerns about the lack of educati on from the fi nal quarter and how that m i ght affect students headi ng i nto thei r next year of hi gh school. Whi le students are not requi red to do or look over the onli ne school w ork teachers have been posti ng through Google Classroom , these onli ne assi gnm ents or revi ew s can benefi t students to be prepared for w hen schools reopen. COVID-19 brought aw areness to personal hygi ene i ncludi ng
w ashi ng your hands, usi ng hand sani ti ze and w ashi ng thi ngs others have touched li ke grocery carts or i n-store i tem s. That leaves no excepti on tow ards schools. Accordi ng to Publi c School Revi ew , Nevada has an average of 719 students i n each school. There are schools i n CCSD that have a large num ber of students, such as Green Valley's 3000+ student body. Thi s rai ses concern for students and staff si nce germ s can be spread i n m any w ays. Schools all around could also be starti ng later than usual and that also i ncludes
colleges. The vi rus has m ade m any colleges extend college adm i ssi ons from seni ors to ensure the health and safety of students. Along w i th extendi ng the adm i ssi on dates, colleges have also di rected students li vi ng on cam pus to m ove out tem porari ly to ensure thei r safety. Many seni ors are also consi deri ng colleges closer and less-expensi ve due to a possi ble recessi on. Accordi ng to the Pri nceton Revi ew , the m ajori ty of students stay 180 m i les or around three hours from thei r fam i ly?s hom e to
1
attend college. COVID-19 only m akes students m ore li kely to choose a college close to thei r fam i li es due to fear from the vi rus and a possi ble recessi on. So w here w e all go from here i s a m ystery. We w i ll return to school at som e poi nt. We w i ll be able to see our fri ends and gi ve hi gh fi ves to our teachers. Sports w i ll return. Musi ci ans w i ll blast thei r m usi c. And The Stri p w i ll fi ll w i th touri sts. It's not a m atter of i f, i t's just a m atter of w hen. And I thi nk w e w i ll all appreci ate those aspects of li fe a li ttle m ore w hen i t happens.
The InvestiGator May 2020
Students debate Col l ege i s n ot th e on ly r oad to su ccess By Li li ana Burke Whi le college i s the soci ally dem anded path, i s i t really necessary for one's success? After all, a college degree does not m ean certai n success i n li fe. Instead, w hat determ i nes success is the person's deci si ons, dri ve and acti ons to achi eve thei r goals. Mark Zuckerberg, Steve Jobs, Bi ll Gates, Si m on Cow ell and Elon Musk . Som e of the bi ggest entrepreneurs and successful people i n the w orld today and w hat do they all have i n com m on? They are all dropouts. These people k now n all around the w orld have net w orths rangi ng from $600 m i lli on to alm ost $100 bi lli on. Thi s show s that w hi le college can be hi ghly
recom m ended and helpful, i t i s not necessary for everyone to go through i n order to succeed or have a good li fe. Along w i th that, w hat about the cost? More people only go to college to recei ve a bachelor's degree than a m asters or doctorate, yet 40%-50% of students w ho start that bachelor's degree never attai n i t, and are left w i th the average student loan debt of $30,000. The ti m e needed and the am ount people have to pay to attend college i s unappeali ng for som e people. College does not autom ati cally m ean success. So expandi ng on the last thought that the cost of college i s unappeali ng to people, thi s fact can be a large factor i n m ak i ng
the bi g deci si on to attend college. Those w ho don?t go to college can save tens of thousands of dollars and keep m ost of the m oney they w i ll m ake to pay for bi lls and taxes rather than student loans and debt. Another i m portant factor i s the career path one chooses to take. For the m edi cal or sci enti fi c fi eld som e form s of degrees are requi red, but not for people look i ng to start a sm all busi ness w hi ch after getti ng up and runni ng can range anyw here from $30,000 to $182,000 annually. Thi s i s decent and substanti al consi deri ng the fact that around $100,000 i s consi dered a hi gh salary and i n m any rural parts of the U.S. $50,000 per year i s consi dered good. Now the opposi ng si de could try to argue that college i s better for a m ajori ty of people si nce not everyone i s as successful as Jeff Bezos or Elon Musk , w ho both succeeded w i thout college si nce they already had certai n sk i lls w hi ch led to thei r success. Sure thi s m uch i s true, but that doesn?t m ean college is necessari ly the only opti on som eone could take to becom e successful. What m any people do not reali ze i s that there can be so m any other opti ons than spendi ng thei r m oney on college. In fact, 53% of college graduates are unem ployed or w ork i ng i n a job that doesn?t requi re a bachelor?s degree, renderi ng the m oney spent tryi ng to attai n i t useless. How ever, there i s another opti on that not as m any people k now about w hi ch i s trade school. What i s trade school? Trade
school i s also k now n as vocati onal school and i s an educati onal i nsti tuti on that i s m eant to teach sk i lls related to speci fi c jobs. Thi s i s a m ore narrow approach teachi ng only speci fi c sk i ll sets needed for the job som eone i s tryi ng to achi eve rather than goi ng to college and havi ng to take an Engli sh class w hen one m i ght be goi ng for a degree i n m ari ne bi ology. The average salary after trade school i s about $42,000 a year, w hereas college graduates average salary i s around $51,000. Thi s salary i s not that bi g of a di fference, but the cost to attend i s. The average trade school degree costs about $33,000 and can be com pared to the si gni fi cantly greater $127,000 bachelor?s degree, so i n the long run i n term s of m oney, w hi ch i s m ore w orth i t? Trade school takes tw o years to com plete, but can take as li ttle as four m onths rather than the four year program at colleges. What m akes the opti on of trade school even better i s that i t takes three to si x m onths on average for a college graduate to secure em ploym ent i n the w ork force after graduati ng, w hi le a trade school graduate can fi nd w ork ri ght out of com pleti ng thei r educati on si nce they already have the sk i lls and hands on trai ni ng needed. Even though college i s com m only thought to be the best path for everyone, i t m ay not be for each i ndi vi dual. There are m any other opti ons that can cost less m oney, less ti m , and can be m ore for w hat one i s look i ng for i n li fe. College i s not really necessary, and does not m ean autom ati c success.
pro/ con 27
next step Stati sti cs back u p ar gu m en t th at stu d en ts m u st con ti n u e to l ear n By Kri stel Alfaro Borbon College i s a place w here people can start all over agai n, a place w here they can fi nally gai n freedom and i ndependence. People that go to college earn m ore m oney, have better opportuni ti es and are m ore i ndependent than those w ho do not. Thi s i s w hy everyone should go to college. Accordi ng to Sm artAsset the average person w i th a hi gh school di plom a earns $35,256 a year, w hi le the average person w i th a bachelor's degree earns $59,124 a year. Furtherm ore, graduati ng w i th a bachelor's degree from college can earn a person up to $900,000 m ore i n a li feti m e than som eone w i th just a hi gh school di plom a. The di fference i n paym ent betw een these di plom as w i ll only conti nue to ri se si nce i t i s at the hi ghest i t has ever been. To add to that, 75% of hom e ow ners are college graduates. That m eans that a college graduate i s three ti m es m ore li kely to buy a house than som eone w i th just a hi gh school di plom a. Goi ng to college can open a door to so m any m ore opportuni ti es i n som eone's li fe. People w i th a college degree have a lot m ore opportuni ti es fi ndi ng a job i n som ethi ng they li ke than those w i thout a degree. Accordi ng to Georgetow n Uni versi ty, 24% of jobs i n the next decade w i ll requi re only a hi gh school di plom a. Jobs w i thout post secondary educati on
requi rem ents w i ll be m ore com peti ti ve to obtai n and people tryi ng to get the jobs w i ll
have to have som ethi ng that separates them from the rest. College graduates are less
li kely to be unem ployed. 2.2% of people w i th a bachelor's degree are unem ployed. That num ber i s alm ost tw i ce as bi g for hi gh school graduates at 4.1%. The num ber of unem ployed hi gh school graduates i s so bi g due to those people not bei ng speci ali zed i n a certai n subject. A person's job resum e reaches another level w hen they are a college graduate. Accordi ng to studi es people w i th post secondary educati on are m ore acti ve i n thei r com m uni ty w i th thi ngs such as volunteeri ng, voti ng and donati ng m oney. 40% of people w i th a bachelor's degree volunteer i n thei r com m uni ty. On the other end, only a sm all percentage, 17%, of people w i th just a hi gh school di plom a do so. College graduates also donated three ti m es m ore m oney to chari ti es than people w i thout a college di plom a. To add to that, people that have a degree are 1.5 ti m es m ore li kely to vote than those w i thout one. People w ho go to college are m ore li kely to be happy and sati sfi ed w i th thei r li fe. Accordi ng to the Southern New Ham pshi re Uni versi ty 94% of college graduates clai m to be happy w i th thei r li fe, com pared to 89% of people w i th just a hi gh school di plom a. In conclusi on everyone should go to college because they w i ll earn m ore m oney, w i ll be a better ci ti zen and w i ll be happi er w i th thei r li fe. College can open up a lot m ore opportuni ti es for everyone.
The InvestiGator May 2020
28 a&e
Cor on avir u s pr edict ed? Many believe Hollywood had premonitions about disease By Zachery Schauer Whi le on thi s pandem i c lock -dow n lots of people try to pass the ti m e by w atchi ng m ovi es or show s they have not seen before. Movi es and televi si on show s have recently show n si m i lari ti es to w hat i s goi ng on i n thi s pandem i c. These m ovi es have been out for aw hi le and w ere m ade based off of fi cti on, how ever the fi cti on behi nd them soon becam e a reali ty. Duri ng thi s ti m e w hi le the w orld i s on lock -dow n and i n quaranti ne, m any have turned to stream i ng servi ces and have ended up fi ndi ng fi lm s, that have eeri e coi nci dences that m i ght shock m ost vi ew ers and gi ve them som ethi ng to relate to. Recently, the i nfam ous m ovi e ?Contagi on? that w as released i n 2011 sparked m ajor attenti on because i t i s about w hat i s goi ng on ri ght now. In the m ovi e, the vi rus i tself i s not
the sam e, but i t i s si m i lar and i t leaves everyone i n the m ovi e i n a w orldw i de lock -dow n, li ke us. In addi ti on, another m ovi e that i s si m i lar to thi s vi rus i s ?Outbreak .? It w as released i n 1995 and i t i s si m i lar by the w ay the vi rus affects people's i m m une system s and w hat i t does to the hum an body. In real li fe and the m ovi e the vi rus i nfects the blood and i t i s ai rborne. Ci ti es have been put i nto quaranti ne, but som e people do not li sten and go out anyw ays. Thi s resem bles our reali ty, w here people do not li sten and proceed to go out thi nk i ng the vi rus i s not that seri ous and them goi ng outsi de can lead them to catchi ng the vi rus. Another one, w hi le not an enti re m ovi e i tself, i s an i m age from the fam ous Di sney producti on ?Cars 2?. The m ovi e i s k now n for a m ajor race from cars all around the w orld that represent di fferent countri es. The i m age i s of one of the races
goi ng on just as the cars are about to cross the fi ni sh li ne. They are all li ned up i n order. Fi rst place is Li ghtni ng McQueen, i n second place i s Francesco Bernoulli and i n thi rd place i s Shu Todorok i . Thi s i m age and the order of the racers i s si m i lar to the race of the country?s goi ng from m ost confi rm ed COVID-19 cases to least confi rm ed cases. Just li ke i n the i m age, Am eri ca i s tak i ng the lead of the race and i n the num ber of cases confi rm ed. In second place i s Italy and follow i ng them i s Chi na. Many people have heard of the long loved ani m ated televi si on show called the ?The Si m pson?s?. Whi le the w hole show i tself i s not connected to the global pandem i c, there i s one character w ho true fans can connect the dots on how thi s relates to the coronavi rus. That one character i s the new s anchor. The new s anchor i s fam ous and m ost k now n for bei ng a
reporter w ho does not leave hi s house. Thi s i s w here he w ork s everyday, w here thi s is typi cally a job done i n the offi ce. Hi s i nfam ous li ne i n the show takes place before he starts and i s told to say ?Thi s i s Kent Brock m an reporti ng from m y ow n hom e.? Currently the w orld can relate to thi s sati re fi lled show because new s anchors have used the sam e li ne to gi ve out i nform ati on to thei r vi ew ers, just usi ng thei r ow n nam e. Many people have com e up w i th conspi racy theori es, sayi ng that the w ri ters of the show predi cted that the outbreak w as goi ng to occur. The "Si m psons? w ri ters have com e out and sai d that they di d not predi ct the COVID-19 vi rus's effects on busi nesses. As the m ovi es and televi si on show s have di splayed som e si m i lari ti es, they are sti ll fi cti on and should not be taken as w hat to expect i n the future regardi ng the outcom e of the vi rus.
photo essay 29
M ak in g t h e m ost ou t of qu ar an t in e Seniors find unique ways to pass time while following state's stay at home order
By Halle Scoles Now that all of Nevada i s under quaranti ne, how do you pass the ti m e? There are m any thi ngs that people have taken up to keep them selves busy unti l the state m andated self-quaranti ne i s over. There
are puzzles, tak i ng up a new hobby, cleani ng your house or redecorati ng your bedroom or spendi ng som e quali ty ti m e w i th a pet. For all of the extroverts w ho are m i ssi ng thei r fri ends, there is FaceTi m e and text
m essagi ng. Call your fri ends and talk to them , ask i f they?re ok ay and m ake sure they are doi ng w ell. Whi le vi deo chat or phone calls m ay not be the sam e as bei ng together i n person, i t i s a soluti on for loneli ness duri ng thi s ti m e of
i solati on. Others are cook i ng m ore at hom e and tak i ng w alk s around thei r nei ghborhoods or exerci si ng i ndoors. Hom e w ork out regi m ens are great m ethods of exerci se that do not i nvolve goi ng outsi de.
30 a&e
2020t r en ds
class of By Alexi s Lane The Roari ng 20?s. So far, i t has been a com bi nati on of crazy Ti k tok trends, m om jeans, and new album releases. 2020 has been hyped to be the year for posi ti ve changes and grow th. From the end of 2019, everyone had hi gh expectati ons to m ake the start of the new decade to be ?thei r year? and w ould call i t thei r ow n roari ng tw enti es. As far as fashi on goes, goi ng old school has been on the ri se over the past few years starti ng i n the late 2010?s w i th m om jeans, scrunchi es and sk i rts from the 90?s. Along w i th that, ?streetw ear? i s a new style that i ncorporates w eari ng hi gh end clothi ng brands such as Suprem e, Thrasher, Gucci , and Loui s Vui tton. The m eani ng behi nd w eari ng all of the flashy atti re i s to show off w ealth and
look styli sh at the sam e ti m e. The new term ?athlei sure? has com e about due to the ri se of people usi ng athleti c atti re as casual clothi ng. It i s com m on am ong younger people w ho are busy, but also athleti c. A college student can w ear athleti c atti re to thei r classes then go to the gym afterw ards w i thout changi ng i n betw een. Popular brands for athlei sure atti re are Gym shark and Lululem on. In the m ake-up w orld, there are a vari ety of look s that are i nfluenced by soci al platform s such as Instagram and Ti k Tok . For the new decade, i t i s all about the long, dram ati c eyelashes, li ned li ps, w i nged eyeli ner, bi g hoops and full, natural-look i ng eyebrow s. Popular look s i nclude the e-gi rl, soft gi rl, Instagram baddi e, and the natural look . Si nce the late 2010?s, people have practi ced a m ore
exaggerated m ake-up look , som eti m es consi dered a ?cakeface? because of all the m ake-up that i s layered w hen putti ng on m akeup. From a m usi cal standpoi nt, m any arti sts have w ai ted for the new year to drop thei r new m usi c. Si ngers such as Li l Uzi Vert, The Week nd, Halsey, and Selena Gom ez have all celebrated the new year by releasi ng new m usi c. Uzi has not released new m usi c i n three years, but he has released teasers over the three years to later drop tw o album s. Selena Gom ez released her new album ?Rare? earli er thi s year, but she has not produced any new m usi c i ndi vi dually si nce 2016 w i th her last album ?Revi val?. R&B si nger The Weekend has w ai ted fi ve years to release new m usi c w i th hi s album ?After Hours? si nce hi s last album i n 2015. Other arti sts are sti ll
leak i ng thei r m usi c that i s expected to be released thi s year along w i th all of the other hi t m usi c that has already been released early i n the year. On soci al m edi a, Ti k tok has dom i nated all soci al m edi a platform s w i th the short vi deos appeari ng on Tw i tter, Instagram , Snapchat and Facebook . Multi ple soci al m edi a trends w ere started on Ti k tok such as dances, challenges and sm all prank s. Wi th over 8 m i lli on users, everyone can be fam ous on the ?For You Page? w here anyone?s vi deo can go vi ral. The year 2020 has been hyped up si nce the begi nni ng of 2019, expecti ng the new year to be som ethi ng unli ke anythi ng else. A lot has happened despi te the year bei ng not even halfw ay through, leavi ng hi gh hopes for the rest of the year and decade.
t h e per f ect m ak e u p look f or 2020
editorial 31
*In ser t cl ich ĂŠ h er e By Eri c Johnston, Advi ser Open up any soci al m edi a app, and you are bound to fi nd som e encouragi ng w ords expertly crafted i n order to attem pt to help us get through our current cri si s. We are all i n thi s together. These are challengi ng ti m es. The di stance betw een us has grow n, but w e are sti ll connected. I understand the need for encouragem ent and the desi re to stay posi ti ve w hen w e are faced w i th such a frustrati ng, uncontrollable si tuati on. They have becom e necessi ti es i n our li ves i n order to help get us through w hat i s a crazy m are's nest that w e have found ourselves i n. How ever, som ebody has to tell you som ethi ng else. It's ok ay to be sad, and i t's ok ay to be angry. For over a decade I have been luck y enough to advi se the new spaper (now new s m agazi ne) at Green Valley. Whi le I w ouldn't say I have ever had a bad class, the students that w ound up together thi s year w ere speci al. We had edi tors that dem anded to be
able to w ork Saturdays and Sundays. A group of am azi ng fi rst year reporters w ho begged for m ore responsi bi li ti es. And a photographer that becam e so attached to a certai n cam era that w e alw ays k new w here i t w as w hen i t w ent m i ssi ng. It really w as (i s) an aw esom e group. Our last si x to seven w eek s are supposed to be w here w e have som e fun and enjoy the rew ards of our hard w ork . We teach the younger k i ds how to desi gn pages, have a couple of potluck s, enjoy an end of the year banquet at Pecos-Legacy Park and travel to the annual Las Vegas Revi ew Journal Aw ards to have students recogni zed for thei r aw ard w i nni ng w ork . Throw i n the fact that I had to prepare to say goodbye to fi ve dedi cated seni ors, three of w hom had si sters w ho w ere on the staff at one poi nt over the past decade. A lot of these students becom e fam i ly, not only to m e, but to the rest of the staff, so I k new sayi ng goodbye w ould not be easy thi s year. But to have to say i t on Google Classroom ? That m akes m e pretty sad, and very angry.
I k now there are m any of you that m i ssed out on so m any thi ngs that you w ere look i ng forw ard to. Runni ng one fi nal race. Playi ng your i nstrum ent at one m ore concert. Getti ng up on stage for one last perform ance. The li st i s endless, and w e had all of that taken aw ay from us. So I'm telli ng you, i t's ok ay to be m ad. It's ok ay to cry a li ttle bi t. And i t's ok ay to adm i t that you actually do m i ss the place that you have spent over 30% of your li fe at over the past four years. Hi gh school w i ll not defi ne your li fe, but w hen you are i n the m om ent i t defi ni tely feels li ke i t does. So to Class of 2020, and especi ally Abby, Hannah, Vi ctori a, Alexi s and Pai ge, I'm so sorry that thi s happened and I truly do feel your anger, your frustrati on and your di sappoi ntm ent. One day thi s all w i ll be over and w e w i ll go back to our dai ly li ves and about our routi nes. So try to sneak i n a sm i le or a laugh over the next few w eek s. It helps deal w i th the frustrati on, trust m e. And i f that's not w ork i ng, w ell...just rem em ber...w e are all i n thi s together.
photos courtesy of Dorian Studios
The InvestiGator May 2020
Results of random survey taken by the Class of 2020