oct 2011

The Changing Face of Bullying

FacebookMore than 81% of students at Rock

Canyon are members.

On average, each student knows two people who are victims

of cyber-bullying.

3Girls for every

1 boy has been cyber-bullied

Students at Rock Canyon perceive that boys are 74% less likely to be cyber- bullied than girls.

Over 18% of 142 students surveyed admitted to bullying online.

All 142 said they did it more than once.

Cyber-bullying

has doubled in recent

years.

cover design [laurenscheirman][chrissafran]

First Tournament of the Year

Mock Trial Update

Rock Canyon’s very own Katie Cook ‘11 won the Max-Prep National Fastpitch Player of the Week for the week of September 25. “When I got the award I was surprised but happy that I was recognized at a national level,” Cook said. “Cook went 4-0 on the mound last week, in-cluding an eight-inning effort in a big win over the sixth ranked (5A) Ponderosa Mustangs. The senior’s efforts on the week saw her overall ERA improve to 1.65. So far this season Cook has held opposing hitters to .223 on the year and has yielded only nine extra base hits in 76.1 innings pitched. With the wins last week, the Jaguars improve to 5-0 in conference, 10-3 overall,” according to the MaxPrep.com article. Over fall break, Cook led the Varsity soft-ball team in the state tournament, taking third.

MaxPrep’s National Fastpitch Player of

the Week

Field trip of a Lifetimethenews02

Zoology The sixth period zoology class prepared with essays, worksheets, and videos learning about the species of wolves they would be coming face to face with within the week. The morning of the trip, science teacher Jessica Muniz’s students arrived in hats, gloves, and snow coats despite the 75 degree weather at RC, prepared for the mountain weather they would face after a two hour bus ride beyond Colorado Springs. The class arrived at The Colorado Wolf and Wildlife Center to a surprise set up by Muniz and Darlene Kobobel, founder and coordinator. They waited in anticipation as Kobobel brought out a friendly grey wolf. Sara Rawson ‘13 even received a kiss from the wolf. “It was awesome because not many people get the chance to be kissed by a wolf, but I did,” she said. When all the students got a chance to pet the wolf, they proceeded to take a tour around to see the rest of the wolves at the center. After the tour, the class took part in an activity where they howled at the wolves, and the wolves howled back. “That was just the cherry on top, wasn’t it?” asked Muniz to three grinning students. “It was an eye-opening experience that I’ll never forget because it taught me that wolves are really gentle, and they deserve to be protected,” Laura Hermann ‘14 said.

Softball

Steve Jobs, who passed away on October 5 at the age of 56 from pancreatic cancer, left behind an enormous legacy: Apple. As the co-founder, Jobs layed down the foundation for Apple in the 70’s. In 1986, Jobs was fired from Apple and bought The Graphics Group, which was later renamed Pixar, originally intended to be a high-end graphics hardware developer. Pixar then teamed up with Disney to produce computer annimated movies. The first film produced by the partnership, “Toy Story”, brought fame and critical acclaim to the studio when it was released in 1995. With the purchase of the NeXT computer (made by Jobs) in 1996 he was back at Apple. The NeXT was later developed into the

Tuesday, Oct. 12 speech and debate went to their first tournament, an after school congress at Cherry Creek High School, taking 20 kids to the competiton. Sam Molotoriss ‘15 took first place in his house, and got a trophy for most outstanding speaker. T.J. Rayton, who had never debated before, took second place and got a Superior Speaker trophy in his house. Rayton has also been voted by RC staff to be our representative for the 2012 Hoby leadership conference in June.

Mac OS X. In August 2011, Jobs resigned as CEO of Apple, but remained at the company as chairman of the board Apple designers have become innovators of the century, providing us with products that are now part of our everyday society. Jobs’ creations have not only become incred-ibly popular in the U.S., but spread through-out the world. The future of the company seems up in the air after the passing of their leading man: Steve Jobs.

R.I.P. Steve JobsFebruary 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011

For many weeks now, Wall Street in New York City, has been lined with zombies. Clutching wads of money and limping down the street in blood soaked suits and ties, hun-dreds of “corperate zombies” marched down Wall Street to protest the current United States economic situation and rampant cooperate greed that places the United States in the top three most unfairly divided countries in the developed world. For 18 days, these protesters have crowded New York City streets, some faces splattered with fake blood, others wearing Guy Fawkes masks. Though their signs read: “Soon the poor will have nothing to eat but the rich,” these protesters have come in peace. Occupy Wall Street has brought more than 5,000 protesters to the streets; these are Ameri-cans without jobs, without food, Americans who are in general “doing without.” Its a colorful sea of people, with different backgrounds, careers, and political beliefs; people who all agree on one statistic. “We are the 99%”. New York City is just the hub of the buzz. Already a dozen cities have been experiencing their own Wall Street protests; from Washing-ton D.C. to L.A. thousands of protesters have been making their stand against what one protester calls, the “Wall Street gangsters.” The movement is quickly spreading-- Denver has already begun their own coperate zombie apocalypse, with rallies at the state capitol on October 1. With movements popping up across the nation at such a rapid rate, experts believe that no city will be left untouched. Violence has been minor, (all cities have been peaceful beyond the few uprisings in New York) but some believe if the voice is not heard

soon, America can expect toppling riots that will match the violence in Britain from this past August. In recent weeks, this protest has gained world wide attention. Inspired by Occupy Wall Street, British protesters organized an occupation on October 8 of the London Stock Exchange to bring attention to what they saw as unethical behavior on the part of banks. On October 15, tens of thousands of demonstrators staged rallies in 900 cities around the world, including Auckland, Sydney, Hong Kong, Taipei, Tokyo, São Paulo, Paris, Madrid, Berlin, Hamburg, Leipzig, and many other cities. “Occupy Denver”, known as the local protest based on the larger Occupy Wall Street protests, took place October 22 with an estimated 700 protesters, who marched through Denver. It was one of many similar events being held across the country. Denver Police say there were no issues with the protest in Denver, and no one was arrested.

Zombies Walk on Wall Street

‘Occupy Wall Street’ protests continue peacefully throughout the nation

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On October 21 and 22 Mock Trial competed in the Providence Cup. In the last round, the A team won, and and B team lost their final round. In the end, A team finished 3rd overall, for the third year in a row, while B team took 4th. “It was still a good competition for our students and we also won two scholarships for outstand-ing performances,” Mock Trial Sponsor Chris Page said. Eric Jung ‘13 and Dylan Zbylski ‘13 took home two of the three total awards for outstanding witness. “You just have to seize the golden apple,” Zbylski said.

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[kaylaneil]

Shivani Chauhan, Lauren Yehle, Jonathan Beirne, Zack Anderson (who also got elected to be the Parlimentary Officer in his house) all got top 5 in their house of 20 speakers. Mathivadhani Harikrishane, Navya Roy and Vismay Bachu also did a fund raiser for Speech and Debate. They did traditional Punjabi danc-ing for the Dances of India 2011 at Aurora High School. They raised $120 for Speech and Debate and $120 for St. Jude’s Medical Research Center. The event took place Oct. 8 at Aurora High School.

Speech and Debate

[alliecole]

compliments of stevejobs.org

[kaylaneil]

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[kaylaneil]

Sunday October 16 marked the day of the Key Club Pan-

cake Breakfast at Applebees. The breakfast was a fundraiser for Escuale Verde, and $10,500 was raised by the team. “Dedication was a major factor, we really tried to earn a lot of money,” Key Club member Nick Merrill ‘12 said. “We came up with a lot of good ideas.” Compared to their previous amount of $2,000 this was a major accomplishment. “I was shocked. I didn’t think we’d earn that much money considering that’s the lower end of our goal,” Merrill said, “That’s awesome.”

Escuela Verde BreakfastKey Club

[kaylaneil]

as a learning experience. The importance of wearing a seat belt and being careful behind the wheel is not something to take light.

thenews 03

To Kill a MockingBird

The Mormon Report

One year has almost passed and the memory of Joe Carvalho still fills the city of Highlands Ranch. The tragedy struck the night of November 2, 2010 when four boys from Thunder Ridge, Highlands Ranch, and Mountain Vista were involved in a fatal crash. The other three boys walked away, while Joe did not. To honor Joe after his death, several of his friends designed merchandise such as bumper stickers, tee-shirts, and bracelets that were sold to raise money for the scholarship being created in Carvalho’s name. This scholarship will start in 2013 and will be geared towards students who “may not have done well in school, but are looking to go on to higher education,” Joe’s mom, Lynn Carvalho said. “We have raised about $10,000 now.” As his friends and family have faced this year full of adjustment, many teenage drivers have used this

In Loving Memory

The 2011 Black & Gold yearbook achieved the All-Colorado status for High School journalism at the state competition Oct. 13 at CSU. “The All-Colorado Awards are designed to pro vide a cri tique of each year book, news pa-per or video media sub mit ted, along with hon-or ing those media that meet a high stan dard of excel lence,” according to CHSPAonline.org. “I think it’s awesome! All the hard work, stress, and time we put into the book helped create something we could be proud of and it’s cool to have someone other than ourselves acknowledge that,” Ashley Nguyen ‘12 said.

Top Honors for B&G

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”, the long-term policy in the military, which prohibited any gays or lesbians to serve openly in the military, was re-pealed on September 20, 2011. After a long time preparing for this moment, the Pentagon has now accepted applications from open gays and lesbians. The bill was signed by former president Bill Clinton in 1993 to protect open gays and lesbians. Under the bill, those who were open faced punishments. Now such punishments will not be tolerated, and soldiers will not have to worry about hiding their sexual orientation from their commanding officers. President Obama assured the public that repealing this bill would not affect the military’s readiness.

“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” is No More

In early October, our staff voted A.J. Cocetti ‘12 the RC nominee for Comcast’s Leaders and Achievers Scholarship. “All the teachers in the school voted on the most well-rounded student, so I have the opportunity to apply for the $1,000 through Comcast student scholarship,” Cocetti explains. He was nominated based on his grades, community service hours, and extracurricular activities. As a member of football, lacrosse, and several clubs and activities including RCTV and Mock Trial, Cocetti was chosen out of the senior class. “I have the opportunity to win a scholar-ship that can help me out a lot in college, which is expensive,” Cocetti said, “I’m excited about it, it’s pretty cool.”

Comcast Leaders and Achievers Nominee

Drama

Joe Carvalho

Current Events

On October 5, the theatre department, under drama teacher/director Cindy Baker, took a field trip to the Denver Center of Performing Arts, where they saw a production of “To Kill a Mock-ingbird.” “I thought that [the show] was really good,” theatre VI student, Angelica DeFranco ‘13 said, “the actors really captured the emotions that I felt when reading the book, and everyone seemed like they were actually in the story.” The play itself was adapted for the stage by play-wright Christopher Sergel from the original 1960’s

[sydcharvat]

Most people choose to leave their religious studying to Sundays, but for seminary students, they wake up early every single morning and come to school to educate themselves about the Bible. They read scriptures, sing songs, and have deep discus-sions on the Latter Day Saint religion. Upon entering the classroom the feeling you get is warm and welcoming. This particular group of students’ goal is to learn and preach their faith to others. Alexis Mckenzie ’13 went to try it out and had a lot of fun. “It was cool to see the connection they have to each other and to their religion,” Mckenzie said, “Just the environment was really fun.” This year in seminary, they are studying The Old Testament. Anyone from any reli-gion is welcome to attend seminary any day of the week. If interested, stop by room 5700.

[kendallkoslosky]

[andrewbohren]

[ryleeportman]

For those of you who may miss the RCTV Broadcasts from Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays can now watch them online at chsaa.tv/

[kendallkoslosky] and [ryleeportman]

[kaylaneil]

novel by Harper Lee. “[The play] was very well staged,” drama club member Nathan Patrick Nelson ‘14 said, “it really stuck true to the story, even with narration-which is very rare that narration sticks in a novel adapted to a play- but I bet that Harper Lee would have really liked it.” To Kill a Mockingbird is currently being held at the Stage theatre-one of the seven theaters in the DCPA complex- is approximately 3 hours in length with one ten minute intermission. The show will run through October 30.

rockcanyon. They now have the functionality of stream-ing live activity and sporting events this year. “It puts RCTV in a public light. It’s going to be a tool we use a lot,” Cort Lawrence ‘12 said. Contact Mr. McClurg ([email protected]) in room 4104 if you are interested in film-ing an event for RC Web TV this year.

now streaming online

One of two bumper stickers reminding students to wear seatbelts.

AJ Cocetti ‘12 showing off his vibrant personality, well suited for leadership.

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[10/27/11]

thecalendar 04[10/27/11]

November MONDAY SUNDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Nove

mbe

r

31 1 2 3 4 6

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

“It’s definitely daunting seeing a whole weeks-worth of work ahead of

you.”Zach Anderson ‘12

Marching Band Concert Senior Meetings

Freshman Football @ Littleton Drama Improv showV arsity Football vs. Littleton

Boys Basketball Camp Girls Preseason Basketball Camp Girls Volleyball Banquet

NO SCHOOL

Swimming Swimlabs Stroke Clinic

Asking for a rec letter? don’t forget to send a thank you card , or a gift card as a thank you.

*If you would like an event or activity included in our next calendar please e-mail Lauren Scheirman at scheirmanlr @gmail.com

TUESDAY

Gymnastics vs. State Championships NCAA Cheer Competition

[laurenscheirman] [laurenscheirman]

1. Zayne Blumberg’14 warms up during before a game against Mountain Vista.2. Cheerleaders use there pom pons to protect themselves from the sun while watched the Dakota Ridgecheerleaders during the halftime, at the varseitygame against Dakota Ridge High School.3. Principal Andy Abner talks to a future jaguar during a foot-ball game football game. He has attended almost every game.

2014 15 16 17 18 19

21 22 23 24 25

“During fall break I had a meeting with surgeons about removing my rib.”

Abigail Fuselier, 12

26 27

Girls swim and dive par-ent meeting“I’m excited about extreme

bonding and getting to know new people

on the team.”Nicki Miller ‘14

NHS meeting

“NHS has allowed me to participate and be in the community

with volunteer work.”Jimmy Owsley ‘12

“We’re a close knight fam-ily and it’s nice to be able

to work together.”Lindsays Bodmann’12

who plays Geneva, the wedding planner

“The shows going to be absolutely amazing,

it’s a great cast and will be hilarious.”Max Pederson’14 who

plays Dub, the father of the bride

“It’s more folksy; we have done more hip plays but this one is

more old school.”Ashton Harrison ‘13 who plays Patsy, the mother of the groom

Girls Indoor soccer tournament

Boys Basketball camp

Thanksgiving Break

ACT prep Class by Elite Academics

“You should take practice tests and work

on your timing.”Cort Lawrence’12

“My favorite thing about Thanksgiving Break is not

having to worry about school and getting to be

with family you don’t usually see. “

Maddie Jackson ‘13

“Being with my whole family watching football and eating as much food

as possible possible.”Rema Malliki ‘12

“All I can think about on Thanksgiving is that it’s

time to feast.”Steven Theodore’12

Ballet Ariel Nutcracker Rehearsal ACT PREP Class by Elite Academics

To view your favorite writers past articles from The Rock or favorite past issues visit: rockmediaonline.org

Congratulations to march-ing band for taking 8th place at state Monday

October 24!“State was really great

because we raised our score from 59 to 61 and to do that

well at our first time at state is amazing!”

Maddy Ham’12

Winter Play Dearly Beloved

[virginiavaughan]

“After thanksgiving I am driving home from my grandma’s house in

Pueblo.”Michael Newman ‘13

At about 5:30 a.m. I woke up to my mom yelling my name repeatedly, but it didn’t seem to faze me while I was in my perfect slumber. I started to doze back to sleep until I heard the fire alarm go off. I opened my eyes and I saw the smoke start-ing to move its way in to my room. I sprang into action not knowing that was the last time I would ever see my room in its peaceful place. I ran down the stairs and into my dining room. First, I saw my drapes on fire. Second, I saw my mom frantically crying. And third, looked towards the kitchen, and ran that direction. I grabbed any containers I could find, and filled them up with water. I threw the water into the fire, but it didn’t do anything more than subside it for a couple of seconds. My family then decided it was time to get out, but for some reason my instinct was to run back upstairs. From there on it started to become more of a blur. I grabbed my laptop, my phone and my cheer bag, not knowing or caring what was going on around me, but then the smoke started to pour in. I couldn’t breathe, but adrenaline kicked in, and I kept going. I ran back downstairs to where I saw that my sister had fallen and my dog was on the floor. I scooped Angel (my dog) up, ran outside, and handed her to my dad. The next step was getting our cars out of the garage. By the time I got outside my family had already started to evacuated. They seemed to have forgotten that there were two sides of the garage, leaving my car trapped. Frantically, I tried to manually lift up my garage not knowing what I was doing. Determined to get my car, I found a police officer who just arrived and grab him. He lifted the garage door, I got my car out, and I proceeded across the street. As I turned around, all I saw is my house engulfed in flames. The firefighters finally arrived, and all we could do was watch. Watch everything my parents worked for shred to pieces and watch all our memories erase from the earth like they never happened. After about 2 hours of watching and praying, the fire subsided. All I could see was ash, and smoke. We were removed from the scene. Whether the attention was from the cops, para-medics, or our neighbors it was overwhelming. When daylight came I realized what had just happened. And the shock turned to realization, tears began to pour down my face. What wasn’t completely gone was barely recognizable. When my family was given the option to see the damage from inside we all knew it had to be done As I stepped inside, I saw where my staircase once was, and the framing of what used to be my family room. Every day I question what I could have done. I question if my house was even savable. But I have to look forward in order to see all the things that came out of this, and be grateful for what it is. I am grateful for the fact that my whole family is safe and healthy. We were lucky to get out alive, between the timing and the severity of the fire. I am also grateful for the support of my friends, cheer team, and family. Between the donations and even just the pure support I have received it has made me see the light at the end of the tunnel. I have learned that there is room for a brighter tomorrow, and I’m ready to start that journey.

thenews 05

Life can change in an instant. Time doesn’t speed up and doesn’t slow down--and it can’t go back. At 5:38 a.m. October 15, senior Alex Pedrin-ian’s home--located just off of Glennstone in Highlands ranch--was ravaged by a stage four electrical fire. “I woke up and I heard my mom yelling,” Pedrinian said, “ I didn’t really think anything of it and I started to go back to bed, but then the fire alarm went off...So I ran downstairs--thinking that it was probably just a small fire---and my drapes were on fire.” The fire originated in the back lower level of the Pedrinian home that morning, and quickly spread up the back side of the house. In a matter of minutes, a police officer arrived at the scene, and attempted to help the family get their cars out of the garage--a task that proved incredibly difficult, since the power had gone out several minutes after the fire began. However, although they ultimately managed to get the car out of the garage and into the street, things took an unexpected turn for the worst. “I live right on the corner of two streets, so they intersect like a V and we turned around in my car and, right then, the fire hit a propane tank and the fire just blew up- it was really fast...I felt like I turned around and the whole house was just in flames. Apparently it only took the firefighters ten minutes to get to my house, but it felt like two hours...the whole time, my mom kept screaming, “somebody help us!” About twenty minutes after the fire began, firefighters began to arrive at the scene. In total, three fire engines from the South Metro, Little-ton and Highlands Ranch Fire Departments were used to douse the flames.

“In the movies it looks like it takes them two seconds[ to put out the fire], but it took them a while because it’s a process. I mean, they already thought that it was hopeless, so we just sat there; watching--but the fire pretty much died down from there.” According to the police report published after the damage was evaluated, the fire itself was caused by an issue with the electrical wiring beneath the house, most likely caused by the fact that land in Colorado shifts intermittently throughout the year. However, this instigator is not uncommon amongst Richmond homes--a common style of home in the Highlands Ranch and Castle Pines area and the type of home the Pedrinian family owned. In fact, in the past year alone, there have been approximately four fires amongst Richmond homes in the area. Unfortunately, although only the back side of the house appears to be damaged, the fire and water damage was so pervasive, that the house is currently uninhabitable and will have to be torn down in the future. “The framework of the house is still there, but the actual guts of the house are gone.The thing about house fires is that you think if your house has fire damage, that it’ll be fine; but the smoke damage and the water damage are another story. It’s almost better to have fire damage because you don’t have to think, ‘well my stuff is still actually there, but it’s so consumed in water and so ashen’...like my mom and dad; their room is completely gone; whereas my room was kind of stuck in the middle of it all, so they have no clue what’s in my room--but they’re pretty sure that it’s gone.” However, despite the estimated aesthetic and

financial toll taken on the house, the Pedrin-ian’s home insurance provider--State Farm--has a specific branch of insurance specializ-ing solely relating to fire damage. The policy states that State Farm will pay for everything that was lost or damaged in the fire, that they will fully compensate the family for their home and that they will provide whatever the family needs until they can move into a new house; such as food, lodging and other necessities. They refurnished our rental house and they’re paying for the rent on our rental house too--they’ll pretty much pay for the rental house until the house is built again...but my parents get to rebuild my actual house however they want and they get to have everything that they want in it; like my mom’s going to get to have granite in the kitchen.” In spite of everything that has happened and the damage that has been caused, the Pedrinian family remains optimistic. “I think this whole experience has made me realize the reason for it and has made me feel more in touch with God. He did it to bring my family closer, to make other people realize their importance to me, and even little things like with my boyfriend- our relationship has grown and I realize that the material things in life are really not the most important things. They’ve told us a million times that the home is not the physical being, it’s the people who live in it, which is completely true because I can still have those memories and replace all of my clothes, but I can’t replace my family.”

On the morning of October 15, a stage four fire devastated the home of Alex Pedrinian ’12; leaving her family to rebuild not only their home, but also their lives from the ground up

Finding Faith Through the Flames

[10/27/11]

[alexpedrinan]

Alex Pedrinan sits on her neighbors fence and looks at the damage that the fire had on her house Oct. 22 at 5:30 p.m. She wasn’t allowed to be on the property because the structure of the house isn’t stable. “ When I went back it was like I was reliving the fire all over again. When I smelled the ash, it brought me back to that nigh all over again,” Pedrinan said. She and her family are living in a hotel right now but hope to be in a rental house soon.

Home is Where the Heart is...

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indepth06[10/27/11] indepth 07 [10/27/11]

According to Breastcancer.org, approxi-mately 1 in every 8 women in the United States (12% of the female population) will develop breast cancer in her lifetime. “That’s what’s so scary about this, we have 800 females in this high school,” Stevens said, “that means that there are 100 girls that could be diagnosed with breast cancer sometime in their lifetime.” By definition, breast cancer is a disease that occurs when the cells in the breast grow and divide without any type of bodily control; this abnormality most frequently occurs in the ducts or lobules of the breast and slowly develop over a period of years into a tumor. However, breast cancer can be divided into two different forms, Invasive and Ductile Carcinoma (non-invasive breast cancer). Invasive breast cancer is a form in which the cancer cells break into surrounding breast tissue, this enables the cancer cells to spread to other parts of the body including the lymph nodes, bones and liver. Ductile Carcinoma is a second form of this cancer where, although it has the potential to develop into invasive breast cancer, the abnormal/cancer cells remain confined within the ducts and do not spread to other regions of the body.

Changing the you with the nausea--so that I didn’t have issues--they also gave me a shot the day that I went in and the day after, to circumvent the nausea...but then that would cause bone pain. So then they’d give me something to keep the bone pain down.” Chemotherapy is clinically defined as the usage of anti-cancer drugs as a means of treating cancer and is often employed as a means of preventing the spread of cancer throughout the body, prevent the recur-rence of cancer (if the patient has been declared as “clean” and their body is void of any abnormal cells) and to shrink the size of tumors. This treatment can be taken orally, by injection into bodily tissue or injection into the veins. However, although this form of treat-ment has been shown to produce positive results, common side effects include fatigue, memory loss and hair loss (alopecia). “I lost my hair right after school was out and that was upsetting,” Stevens said, “I mean; I had long hair, I’ve always had long hair, but they tell you that 14 days after your first treatment you’ll start to lose your hair...and they were right.” Unfortunately, although the positive results yielded by these treatments have had an incredible impact on the lives of those suffering from cancer, in many cases, patients cannot often afford to pay the fees necessary to purchase the treatments. Even if the patient has health insurance- many insurance providers will not agree to pay for all additional aspects of the treatment. This may include devices that are intended to make the treatments more painless and safe for the patient. “Treatments aren’t cheap,” Stevens said, “I’m glad I had insurance, but some people don’t...One of the women that I sat across from when I was having a chemo treatment had insurance where they didn’t cover the cost of a port [a deivce placed under the skin through which the chemicals would be fed] ...She had to have 28 chemo treatments through her veins, and it destroyed her veins in her left arm...There are cancer patients who have had experiences more difficult than mine.”

Despite the form the cancer may take, almost all patients are prescribed by their physicians to undergo treatments such as radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and --most commonly--chemotherapy. “I had four Chemotherapy treatments--I had great nurses that really did a great job in pre-paring me and telling me what to expect,” Ste-vens said.“They gave me a medication to help

What is breast cancer?

How is it treated?

Life after breast cancer

Statistics “It’s like a storm,that cuts a path, it breaks your will, it feels like that, you think you’re lost, but you’re not lost, on your own, you’re not alone.”

I you listen to the song, “Seasons of Love” from the Rent soundtrack, it will tell you that you have 525,600 minutes to live your life. If you change the channel on your radio to an alternative station and “100 years” by Five For Fighting is playing, it will tell you-instead- that you have 100 years to live. But, in reality, life and the circumstances and situations that define us and the paths we will or will not choose to take can change in an instant. This is a reality that library technician, Sharon Stevens has come to know all too well. “It all started in February when I went to my doctor and he

“I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight, and I won’t let go.”

• www.chemotherapy.com• http://women.webmd.

com• www.komen.org• www.breastcancer.org• www.komendenver.org

“It hurts my heart, to see you cry, I know it’s dark, this part of life.”

Another aspect of breast cancer that is not often taken into account is the fact that- if the patient goes into a state of remission (a state in which the cancer has been com-pletely eliminated from the body)- they must wait for a period of time (up to ten years) to see if the cancer will or will not reappear. If the cancer does return, the patient will go into a relapse- meaning that the cancer has returned and the individual will have to undergo treatments and combat the disease a second time. Although it is possible to survive a recur-rence, some patients do not . This is a fact that sophomore, Noah Parker, has come to identify with all too well. “My mom was sick for a year then went into remission,” Parker said, “Then she had a relapse and died within a year.” When he was just six years old, Parker’s

mother, Laura, passed away in a victim of Lobular breast cancer. “I remember I came home from school and saw her before they took her to the morgue, I remember her looking peaceful, like she was sleeping,” Parker said, “but I did understand [what was going on] because my dad spend a lot of time preparing me with books and talking to me about what was happening.” Breast cancer, unfortunately, most com-monly affects women over the age of 30. As a result, a significant amount of those who suffer from this disease are mothers; and, as a result, their children are often victims of the effects of the disease as well. However, despite whatever statistics, graphs, medical charts and surveys may serve to reveal about the nature of the disease as a whole, people- especially women- seem to have found a sense of sisterhood within their situation. “There’s something unique about women I think,” Stevens said, “ It’s that--as mothers and since we just have a nurturing aspect about us--I think there are a lot of women that share their stories so that no one else has to experience the same pain or frustra-tions they did. They want to make the next person’s experience more bearable amd perhaps keep them from going through the diagnosis and treatment.” As a result, numerous support and com-munity groups have been formed throughout the United States. Currently, Colorado is home to the Denver Metropolitan Affili-ate Susan G. Komen for the Cure- a group formed in 1993 that serves to help raise money and promote and provide educa-tion on breast cancer and awareness. The group is currently functioning under Board President John DellaSalle and extends its programs and functions across 19 counties within the state. Combined with the efforts from local groups and from the support and encourage-ment from family and friends, the thought of combating this disease doesn’t seem quite as daunting, and it can often be just enough to keep the fight alive. And oftentimes, it can be just enough to keep your spirits high. “You live each day to the fullest and you don’t sweat the small things,” Stevens said. “I think that some people think that they have to make a bucket list and get every-thing done, but for me it’s the little things, it’s the relationships with my family and friends. I want to take care of those relation-sips a lot better say thank you and I love you a lot more...We all know we’re going to die and we’re all grateful for the quality of our life. When you are diagnosed with cancer, it’s a wake-up call.” But, even when things seem bleak, life has an uncanny knack for shining a light in the right direction. “Something unique is that I was diag-nosed on March 3, and I was listening to the radio the next morning coming to school and a little boy called in with a joke and said, ‘did you know that today is the only day that gives you instructions for your life?’ and it’s March fourth...So that was telling for me--that I just have to keep marching forward.”

RadiationTherapy:TheusageofhighenergyX-raystokillcancercells.Chemotherapy:Theusageofanti-cancerdrugstotreatcancer.

HormoneTherapy:Theusageofhormonestopreventthespreadingofcancer.

AbnormalCells:Possiblyinfectedcells.

InvasiveBreastCancer:abnor-malcellsbreakintosurround-ingtissueandcanaffectotherpartsofthebody.

Sources:scheduled an ultra sound,” Stevens said. “So, throughout the month of March I had ultrasounds and several biopsies, I also had MRI’s and a PET scan to determine how invasive the cancer was.” Stevens-- although she had always gotten yearly mammograms and had assumed that she wasn’t at risk- soon realized upon self-ex-amination that she was one of the estimated 208,000 women in the United States to have been diagnosed with breast cancer this year. “It’s really hard to describe what my initial reaction was because the whole month that I was going through all of these tests was a roller coaster,” Stevens said. “I mean, you hear the word cancer and

Cancer Glossary:

[sydcharvat]

• When life takes a drastic turn for the worst, it’s easy to try to run and hide; especially when the future seems bleak. But in the eyes of library technician, Sharon Stevens, it was simply a battle that she was determined to win

What do I do now?

“It was really strange, all through my treatments, driving to a doctor’s office, invariably the car in front of me would have a breast cancer license plate and the Rascal Flats song, ‘I Won’t Let Go’ would come on...you know you’re not alone and you’re not the only person who has been diagnosed with cancer.” --Sharon Stevens

RockyMountainCancerCenters(variousindividu-alizedgroups)

[photobyceciliacastro]

you think that you could die...You think a lot about how unfair it is, and it’s sort of like the stages of death, I think; you’re angry, you’re in disbelief, you say that it’s not fair, and then, finally, once I knew what the plan was, I just had to make up my mind that, I just have to get through this...I just have to take it one step at a time.”

continued from page 6

Additional reporting by[ryleeportman]

YoucanjointheRCHSgriefgroupunderSusanYoung

Ifyouorsomeoneyouknowissufferingfromanyformofcancer,thefollowingresourcescanhelpyoufindsupportgroupsinyourarea:

YoucanalsovolunteertohelpchildrensufferingfromcancerthroughTheChildren’sCancerAssocia-tionatwww.joyrx.orgorthroughwww.national-childrenscancersociety.com

•

•

thegame08

Monthly Stats:

Game Date Score Outcome

Pueblo West 9/30 41-6 Win

Valor Christian

10/7 13-58 Loss

Ponderosa 10/14 48-51 Loss

Castle View 10/21 39-54 Loss

Football 4-4 as of Monday 10/24


Legend 10/6 1-2 Loss

Castle View 10/11 2-2 Tie

Rejis Jesuit 10/13 0-1 Loss

Littleton 10/15 1-0 Win

Boys Soccer 10-3-2 as of Monday 10/24


Castle View 9/20 2-5 Loss

Ponderosa 9/22 4-3 Win

Mountain Vista

1/19 2-5 Loss

Regionals 10/22 ---- 4th Place

Boys Tennis 3-9 as of Tuesday 10/11


Prarie View 10/15 15-0 Win

Columbine 10/15 5-3 Win

Mountain Vista

10/21 8-7 Win

Legacy (final four game)

10/22 1-5 Loss

Softball 18-7, scores below are at State Tournament

Our academics are more than proficient, our athletics are top notch as well


Legend 10/13 0-3 Loss

Heritage 10/18 2-3 Loss

Thomas Jefferson

10/19 3-1 Win

Highlands Ranch

10/20 0-3 Loss

Girls Volleyball 6-13 as of Monday 10/24

1. Marching band performs at the halftime show during thefootball game against Pueblo West ,9/30. 2. Ty Weist ‘13 attempts to block a Pueblo West player, helping the Jags move to victory during the game on 9/30. 3. School Mascot introduces the mini-jag camp participants at Shea Stadium dur-ing half time of the football game on 9/30.

4. Amy Taylor ‘13 and the Rock Canyon Poms Squad perform during halftime of the game against the Pueblo West Cyclones on 9/30. 5. Jaguars and Cyclones collide during a play in Week 5 of the regular season during their game against each other on 9/30..

3.

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[10/27/11]

“I think we had a really successful season, and people were expecting a lot from from us since we finished second in state last year,” Alexa Vareldzis ‘12.

“This program has taken many steps to improve the team as a whole. I thor-oughly look foward to watching these guys in the future.” Connor Draper ‘12

“This year has truly been an improvement from last year, and over these next few years we will continue to improve”, said Kyle Rimer ‘14.

Photos by: Mae Rohrbach

Jaguars Trounce Pueblo West Cyclones

“The team really improved throughout the season, it was a fun year,” Will Walker ‘14.

thegame 09

When roaming the halls at Rock Canyon, Joe Bove ‘15, doesn’t look as though he is a cut above the rest. He talks to his friends in the halls, studies for his umpoming tests, and waits in line to get his subway sandwhich. But when Bove steps outside the halls of school and takes the climb up to the tennis courts, he does in fact become a cut above the rest. He becomes a tennis superstar. This year Bove has come onto the Varsity squad as a freshman and is the number three ranked player in the school playing number three singles. “He has great skills. I don’t think many people at this school or even in this community have seen talent like this before,” first year varsity coach Manuel Gonzalez said. While talent will certainly help any athlete, talent alone won’t make him/her a star. The ability to strive to be the best and constantly improve is what makes a talented athlete become a superstar. Bove certainly understands this. “I practice four days a week for an hour and a half at a time throughout the entire year,” Bove says. Sophomore Matt Matsuyama certainly un-derstands the immense pressure that Joe is under. Last year, Mattsuyama played first-string doubles on varsity as a freshman.

“Being a freshman on varsity can bring a lot of pressure, but Joe can overcome the pressure and play really well this year,” Matsuyama said. Based on Bove’s consistent performance, he definitely has been able to handle the pressure. At regionals, facing the number one seed Grand Junction High School, Bove was able to take the match into a second set tiebreaker. He played a dominant oppenet, yet his mental toughness shined through. He fought to the end and made every point tough on the #3 player form Grand Junction, who went on to make the State championships in Pueblo. This shows Bove’s maturity and poise, even though he is just a freshman. When one combines Joe Bove’s talent with his great temperament and astonishing work ethic, it is obvious that he is a force to be reck-oned with throughout the state.

[lmichaelshapiro]

“Being a freshman on varsity can bring a lot of pressure, but Joe can overcome the pressure and play really well this year,” Matsuyama ‘14 said.

It’s uncommon for an athlete to sign with a division 1 college team prior to his senior year in high school. Even more uncommon, Wilkins Dismuke’13, signed with Johns Hopkins for lacrosse this summer, two weeks before he started his junior year. The state’s best attackman led the league with 61 goals and 104 points last season, and was recognized by Hopkins recruiters at a tournament called King of the Hill in Baltimore a few weeks before he flew up for the visit. He was contacted by the team through the club team he plays for, called 3d Select. “I chose Johns Hopkins because I liked their coaching staff the best, the campus was amazing, I have a good chance to play as a freshman, and they have the best shot at a national champion-ship,” Dismuke said. All of this success came as no surprise to Dismuke, because has been playing lacrosse since he was four, and has played for numerous teams in countless tournaments. His most recent was an honor, as Dismuke was invited to the Warrior 40, the most prestigious high school lacrosse team in the nation. “I was only one of three kids from the entire west coast and the kids out there were all the top 40 recruits in the nation so I was a little worried how I would stack up against them. We had the

game a couple days after I flew in and I just played my own game and ended up getting four goals and offensive MVP.” Dismuke was thrilled about the trip saying, “They paid for everything including flights and rooms and they gave us a bunch of free gear from helmets, bags, sticks and gloves, to shirts and shoes. The only thing I paid for all week was a $7 burrito at the airport on my way home.” Recently, more people have taken notice of the Rock Canyon program, which points at a pros-perous reputation for teams of the future. “Wilkins’ recent success will for sure benefit and affect the program,” RC Lacrosse coach Louis Goldin said. “What has changed is that more people outside the high school lacrosse com-munity have taken notice of the Rock Canyon program. People notice that we are doing the right things, we develop young men, and people want to be part of this program.” To prepare for his future, over this summer and for the next two years Dismuke plans on playing for a national team put together by the University of Pennsylvania Coach, Mike Murphy, every year for the top 25 kids in the nation. “I am most looking forward to building the school’s lacrosse program up for the next couple of years and just seeing where it can go from there.” said Dismuke, “As well as really putting the school on the map.”

“I am most looking forward to building the school’s lacrosse program up for the next couple of years and just seeing where it can go from there,” Dismuke ‘13 said.

Becoming a Jaguar“It’s my favorite school, and I’m really enjoying the people and getting a fresh start,” said Gardner ‘12.

A new face in the halls, and on the field, Marcus Gardner ‘12, is finding a fresh start. A previous student of Fredrick High School, in Longmont, and then Ponderosa High School in Parker, Gardner has moved around a lot. Gardner and his family have moved many times, ending up in Parker and attending Pon-derosa Hgh School. But Ponderosa wasn’t right for Gardner; he wanted to come to Rock Canyon. “I wanted a fresh start away from Ponderosa,” Gardner said. However, he did want one thing to stay the same, and that is football. “My dad signed my up when I was in sixth grade,” said Gardner. He started his football career with the Niwot Cougars and then continued to play. He played for Fredrick High School for his freshman and sophomore years, lettering in his sophomore year.Gardner then made the move to Ponderosa High

School, where his football career . Gardner again shined on the field at nose tackle, and lettered again as a junior at Ponderosa.Gardner then made the move to Rock Canyon, where he is completing his senior year andshow-ing his dominance on the field by being on the first string defensive line still playing . “I really enjoy playing football here,” said Gardner. Even though Gardner and the Jaguars had a tough game against Valor Friday night, losing 13-58, Marcus still stayed positive. “We played a good game, but Valor proved to be the better team.”For their next game, that was ironically against Ponderosa, Gardner kept a hopeful and encour-aging outlook. “Now we move on to play Pondo and forget about the tough loss,” Gardner said prior to the game. The jags lost the game in a heartbreaker, 48-51.

Super Joe

Now Gardner is looking forward to improve-ment on the team level as well as individually. Improvment through hard work is vital when a player has aspirations to play at the collegiate level. “I’m also looking to getting some offers to play at the next level,” said Gardner. There aren’t any colleges in particular that Gardner would prefer to play for, but he wants to pursue his his passion into college. For Marcus Gardner, coming to Rock Canyon has been a great experience, both socially and athletically. “It’s my favorite school, and I’m really enjoy-ing the people and getting a fresh start.” [jeremypurchase]

Hopkins Bound

[seanmcgavin]

[10/27/11]

thegame10

RC Athletics Not Looking Back With the graduation of every senior class, there’s always the thought: what could’ve been? Where will the sport team go from here? Each year, coaches are confronted with the daunting task of rebuilding not only a team, but a winning one - after the inevitable loss of key upperclass-man. This year, Rock Canyon not only faced this challenge, but also transitioned into the 5A division in nearly all its athletic programs, making the future all the more bleak. In the month of August, despite all odds, these teams had taken the transition in stride, and halfway through the fall athletic season found themselves exceeding all expectations. There’s no doubt about it, making a jump to 5A means nothing gets easier - but nobody tell the Varsity Softball girls that. They made a statement quickly by downing top class giants ThunderRidge, Douglas County, and Regis Jesuit. Things were not perfect though, as the Lady Jags opened the season with a disappointing 0-3 start, all three losses coming on the same day. Some

would mistake a rocky start as a realization of inferiority, but such pessimists were quickly si-lenced as the Jaguars went on an early-fall terror, winning 10 straight and launching their program to the top. The win streak had Rock Canyon outscoring its opponents 67-18; out-hitting them with a team batting AVG of over .400. Although it’s a team sport, Jaguars Softball had become nearly synonymous with the name Katie Cook (‘12). Wearing the #2 on her back, Cook was nothing shy of #1 as she was awarded with the MaxPreps High School Player of the Week by the National Fastpitch Coaches Asso-ciation for games played through September 24, 2011, in which she had gone 4-0 on the mound with a 1.65 ERA. In 76 innings pitched, she’s allowed only 9 extra base hits by the opposi-tion. The team cooled off from their September dominance, and entered October with an 8-2 league record (13-6 Overall) and #12 National Ranking, their eyes on riding this victory wave into the state championship.

Futbol players, Field-Fairies, Wogballers (I had to Google that one): Call them what you like - but the Boys Soccer team means business. They were the first outdoor sport to hoist a State Championship trophy for Rock Canyon, and this year’s squad is determined to turn those old memories of victory into new realities. The Varsity team began the season 1-1, both games nonconference matchups. From the looks of the team’s practice the day after the loss to Wheat-Ridge, 3rd-year Coach Sean Hanning and the 22-man team seemed to abide by a single theory: the Jaguars may not always be the most talented team on the field, but they most definitely will be the best conditioned. Laps turned into miles, miles turned into marathons; perhaps it was fear alone of another loss that drove these agile attackers to not lose another game in their next 9 contests. Blake Foley ‘13 does the work between the posts for the Jaguars, recording 5 shut outs and only 13 goals allowed on the season - a substantial defense to accompany the offensive

leadership of Sophomore Kyle Rollins (10 goals) and Junior David Boldt (2 goals, 6 assists). A pair of disappointing setback losses to Legend and Re-gis left the Jags at 10-3-2, 4th in the 5A division heading into the State tournament. Continue the aggressive play and mental toughness, and this team could find itself “Bernie’ing” underneath Championship gold. The only sport yet to move up to 5A, Boys Football was far from off the hook this year. Tough tests against currently unbeaten aggres-sors Montrose and Valor (nationally ranked 8th) had poked small holes in Rock Canyon’s steadily cruising vessel during late August/early October, but the Jaguars have shown their offense can dynamically maneuver around even the most prepared defenses. Eric Williams ‘13 is picking up right where he left off from last season. By October 8th he had racked up 13 touchdowns on the season and averaged just under 10.5 yards/carry, stats that have earned him a spot amongst the top 25 running backs in the state. Add on 5 tackles a game and 3 interceptions on the season and the Jaguars opponents had a matchup night-mare. The Jaguars have outscored opponents 117-52 in games they’ve won, and looked to prove themselves in the final four games. With senior experience on both sides of the ball from QB Chris Sauer and dual-threat Brady McNeily, Rock Canyon looks to make their playoff push in 2011 under the Friday night lights one to remem-ber. Since mid-October, these teams are clos-ing out their seasons in strong fashion. Softball advanced to the Final Four where they lost to Legacy 5-1 who would go on to win the title. Soc-cer won their way to a first round home playoff game against Ralston Valley. Football lost two key games to rival Castle View and Ponderosa, but can still reach the playoffs if they can win their last two games. Go. Fight. Win.

The RCHS boys soccer team has now improved their record to 10-3-2 on the season. Their only two losses of the year have been to Wheat Ridge High School and Legend High School, and their two ties being to Douglas County High School and Castle View High School. Sophomore Kyle Rollins leads the team in goals with 7 and junior David Boldt is close behind with 6 goals. All together the team has scored 24 goals on the season. The team’s most dominate victory came against Chapar-ral with a 5-0 victory. The Jags nearly escaped

with a tie against Castle View on October 11th, when they were down 2-0 in the final six minutes. Thanks to late heroics, the Jags scored two goals in the final six minutes to get the tie. Next up for the Jags is the last game of the season against Littleton High School, and then playoffs after fall break. The team has big aspirations for the playoffs. Midfielder Preston Migaki 14’ said, “I feel like we have one of the top five technically skilled teams in the state, and I feel like if we dont make it to quarters, it will be a disap-pointment.”

The word for the RC Spirit program this year was change going into the preparation of the 2011-2012 Mini Jag Camp. “I loved working with the little girls because I love seeing how excited they get while learning their dances, playing games, and having fun with all of us,” Amy Taylor ’13 said. “What stood out to me was how the cheers and poms had fun while teaching the girls.” The junior varsity and varsity teams came to-gether to teach the girls a dance, cheer, and give a workshop on tumbling and stunting. The “mini jags” were invited to cheer the football game verses Pueblo West High School, and perform the

Cheers and Poms come together to teach the bright future of the Rock Canyon spirit squads

Boys Soccer is going to the playoffs with just three losses

Chee

rs/Po

mshalf time routine.

“I think the mini jag camp helped teach the girls the basics of cheer and dance, and if they were to do high school cheer they got to meet the coaches and get a head start,” said Caleigh Newberry ’15. The girls in the camp varied from kindergar-ten to eighth grade. The purpose of the camp was to introduce the basics of dancing and cheerlead-ing to the younger generation, and to observe in-coming middle school kids in advance of tryouts. “There were over a hundred girls who partici-pated which were great! Also there were more middle school age girls who showed the little

girls that these clinics are fun for all ages,” Kate Reisng ’12 said. When Friday night approached all of the kids gathered at Shea Stadium ready to give jaguar fans a show. “A lot of girls would run up and ask if they could take pictures with us, which made me realize how much they really did look up to us,” Rachel Branson said. “I gave one of the girls my poms and she couldn’t even believe it, she was so excited! She cheered with them for a while and passed them on to her friends. I loved seeing their faces light up.”

Boys

Socce

r [kaylaneil] [virginiavaughan] [kaylaneil]

[10/27/11]

[jeremypurchase]

[maerohrbach]

[jeremypurchase]

Kyle Huebsch ‘14, settles the ball during a game against Littleton Oct. 10.

The cheer squad does their routine during half time of the homecoming game against Falcon HS Sept. 24.

Cameron Gill clears the ball during the JV soccer game versus Littleton Oct. 10.

The junior cheerleaders preform a cheer routine at half time of varsity football game Sept. 30.

Alli McCloskey ‘13 is up to bat against Mountain Vista on Oct. 21 during a playoff game.

Eric Williams ‘13 carries the ball during the game against Falcon Sept. 24.

In a 5A world, Rock Canyon athletics aren’t wasting any time to make themselves known, leaving some of Colorado’s best teams in the dust

[alexpedrinan]

[chrissafran] [jeremypurchase]

Baby Steps build strong programs

Aiming High:

thegame 11A New Kind of Addiction It’s Sunday. That means one thing for you: Fantasy Football. You turn the TV to the Weather Channel, just to see if Adrian Peterson is going to be running in bad conditions. You make yourself breakfast as you get ready for your date with ESPN’s Adam Schefter, while at the same time holding your fantasy roster. Then you have to take two Advil because you just heard that Michael Vick will be a game-time decision. Four hours later you break the Advil back out because Josh Brown missed a 35 yard kick in the first quarter. If any of these situations apply to you, then you are very much a fantasy football addict. “It’s really addicting. I’ve been spending at least a solid hour alone on fantasy every Sunday. But it’s so much fun.” Preston Migaki 14’ said. Ever since the beginning of Fantasy Football, people were only worried about watching their team play. Today, it has completely changed. Over 27 million people watched the season opener last year, and according to the Wall Street Journal, it is estimated that over 100 million people watch at least six minutes of football every Sunday, which accounts for close to a third of the entire nation’s population. Last year, Sunday Night Football on NBC was the number one rated program on television for all eighteen weeks it was on the air. NBC was not the only network to see its football ratings boost either. The FOX post game show The OT, aver-ages 18.9 million viewers according to tvbythenu-mbers.com, and is the highest watched program

on Sundays until Sunday Night Football kicks off. “I probably spend about four hours every Sun-day watching football.” Said Riley Fuhrman 13’. Much of this increased football watching is due to the higher enrollment of Fantasy Football players. After all, the year 2011 has the highest enrollment in Fantasy Football in the past three years. But what is the big deal about fantasy foot-ball anyway? Is there something at stake? For Kyle Rimer 14’ and Preston Migaki 14’, there is. They decided to team up and take down the defending champ, Rimer’s dad. For the past two years, the two friends listened to Rimer’s dad brag about how he was the de-fending champ two years in a row. This year, they plan to change that. “We were sick of my dad’s bragging, so we decided to team up and beat him in our family league.” Said Rimer. “Our quarterback is Tom Brady and so far we are doing really well. It’ s really addicting though.” Said Migaki. Both Rimer and Migaki payed the $120 entry fee into the league and the winner of the league receives a large sum of money. It’s not just these two guys that are experienc-ing the fantasy addiction either. “I am in four different leagues.” Says Riley Fuhrnam 13’, “There is a lot of trash talking that goes on.” It is pretty common for students here to have more than just one fantasy team. “I have three teams,” says Matt Matsuyama

Fantasy football has become more than just a game, but a lifestyle. The addicting challenge has the majority of the male population stuck in statistical world that is truly a fantasy.

14’,” but I only really check one because it is re-ally hard to keep track of all three.” Matsuyama went on to say that the key to his recent success was starting Tom Brady at quarterback. Quentin Boose 14’, is not only a fantasy foot-ball player, but also a league commissioner. “I wanted to get a group of my friends together to play.” Said Boose. “I just went to espn.com and created a league and then emailed my friends to join.” As addicting as fantasy football may be, it is nearly impossible to play here at RCHS. That’s because every fantasy football website is blocked by the school. On the flip side however there are apps for the CBS, ESPN, NFL, FOX, and Yahoo websites, where you can update your rosters on the go. Fantasy football is also a way to show your cre-ative side. Naming your team can be half the fun. Last year’s top ranked team names were “Taste Dwayne Bowe”, “Watcha Talkin’ About Hillis”, and “Do Us a Favre and Retire.” There is a new addiction on the rise in the United States. An addiction that 20 million Americans have. Its side-effects include stress, paranoia, and extreme outbursts of anger. It’s the addiction of fantasy football. [andrewbohren]

In most cases, sports teams have fans. They hear the roar of a spirited crowd, they see a sea of school colors, and they become motivated. For the Cross Country and Gymnastics team, that is not the case. Gymnast Lindi Riley ‘13 would like to see more fans. “I think that since we aren’t able to compete at home and practice at school, it makes gym-nastics really distant from the rest of the sports.” It isn’t just the distance, it’s also the support of the staff. “Considering our coaches are outsiders too, I don’t even think the staff is that supportive of the

Our Lady Jags have certainly been working hard this season. They practice every day for about three hours. They push through all of the drills and conditioning to make their game the best it can be. The girls fight for every point and never give up. Right now, they stand at 79th in the state and have won six games and lost thirteen. Over the break, the girls played Thomas Jefferson, Highlands Ranch, and Heritage. All in all, they beat Thomas Jefferson with a score of 3-1, lost to Highlands Ranch with a score of 3-0. The game was close against Heritage but in the end they lost with a score of 3-2. “I love to watch her play volleyball. I played in high school and it is nice to see her play also!” said Stacie Rich, mother of JV Ellie Rich ’15. So far this season, the varsity team has won six games and lost thirteen. Throughout

Cross country/ Gymnastics

Gymnastics and Cross Country are two very competitive sports, and both are missing the fan base they deserve

sport,” Said Riley.Gymnastics coach Emily Darte is also ready for more support. “We have had four competitions, we have won one, came in second in another and we just placed ninth out of sixteenth at the Cherry Creek invitationals.” Darte said. “We just need more publicity. We tried to get a spot in the assembly but we need mats,” Riley said. “At our last meet, one teacher and the film crew from RCTV came, but most of the time no one really shows up. I would be surprised if any-one even knew what or when cross country meets

are.” But Allen isn’t bitter. “I personally wouldn’t want a lot of people watching us finish. The course isn’t just on a track, it’s spread out pretty far for every race, they would only be able to see the beginning and end, or one part in between.” Dan Davies disagrees, “I definitely want tons more fans, but it’s difficult, we aren’t in a gym or a stadium. So far we’ve had seven meets and the boys have won one, the girls none. With more publicity, I think we would do better.”

[lizzymarthouse]

Girls V

olley

ball

Though it’s been a tough season, the lady jags still show a deep love for the gamethis season, the girls have played Littleton, Grand Park, and Regis just to name a few. “I love to play volleyball because it is such a fun game to be play and it’s fun to be involved with a school sport.” –said Kirsten Greenlaw ’15. Greenlaw is on the sophomore team with Sue Young as the coach. “You should come watch us because first, we’re just awesome and we wear spandex so that’s reason enough to come. We are also really good and it helps us when people show up to cheer us on,” said Karli Benson ’13. The girls have practiced very hard this whole season to earn all of their wins. Volleyball is an intense sport and we are all proud of what they have accomplished this season. [ryleeportman]

[10/27/11]

[ryleeportman]

[lizzymarthouse]

Attitude is everything

In need of support

Rock Canyon field hockey players, Jenelle Mur-phy, Brooke Stormo, Maddie Landis, and Abby Szlachta are members of a combined team with Mountain Vista. The girls are the defending state champions from last year. Their record is 12-3-1 for the season and are con-tinuing to play hard, hoping to secure a second state championship. [jeremypurchase]

DefendingState Champions

The #’s Percentage of fantasy football players that are male.

Number of states that are con-sidered the biggest contribut-ers to the league starting with North Dakota, and follwed by Deleware and Indiana

The average amount of dol-lars a fantasy football player spends a year.

The year that Fantasy Football was founded

Million people who play Fantasy Football every year.

The amount of passing yards that QB Tom Brady of the Patriots had in 2007. Giving him the number one spot for the all-time best single-season performance.

In 2010 the number one chosen name for the season was Mean Machine.

source: http://visual.ly/fantasy-football-fun-facts-and-statistics

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Rock : What is cyber bullying? What’s the difference between male cyber-bullies and females?

McMechen: Cyber-bullying is physiological, emotional, verbal abuse. I think guys do it because they think they’re being funny. With girls, they can get really vicious about it.

Behind the Screen:21st Century Bullies

>>

We treat it like it is invisible. Without physical proof, there’s no reminder that scars are there. The “it’ll never happen to me” factor has turned the newest American epidemic into nothing more than another issue pushed under the rug. However, the number of victims is growing

and even RCHS students have witnessed the worst of the Internet

On January 14, 2010 South Hadley, Massachusetts paid the ultimate price. What was once home to fifteen-year-old freshman Phoebe Prince now marks the crime scene of yet another life lost to the brutality of bullying. Prince emigrated from Ireland to South Hadley, Massachusetts in late fall of 2009. She was new to the country, the culture, and the unspoken rules of American high schools, and somehow found herself on the wrong side of a group of seniors who were eager to make Prince wish she had never left Ireland. What started as threats and name calling followed Prince home through mediums such as Facebook and texting; it had been no longer than a month and the nine attackers had made it clear that Prince was not welcome. In early 2010, days before the school dance, Prince was attacked while walking home. Three girls in a vehicle drove by and whipped a drink at her, smacking her in the head and soaking her with energy drink. From there, Phoebe walked home and ended her life in her family’s second story apartment. “Accomplished.” That was the message that appeared on Prince’s Facebook wall, sent by one her many tormentors. There was no remorse, no sense of loss. The school even carried on with their dance. Charges were pressed varying from assault to statutory rape and the school implemented a stronger, more comprehensive bullying policy. But it was too late for Prince.

A coward’s war Phoebe Prince’s story isn’t an isolated incident. Cyber-bullying, or the act of harassment through social media, phone, or the Internet, affects 1 in every 3 teenagers. According to the I-Safe foundation 25% of teenagers record that they’ve experienced repeated bullying and 8% of these victims consider ending their own life. Kiesow said that the number of reported bullying incidents at Rock Canyon does not outnumber or fall short of those of other schools across the nation.

“Not everything we investigate is a crime,” said resource officer, Rick Kiesow. “The only incidences recorded are those that are pursued as crimes. It skews the numbers greatly.” With so many cases left untold—cases that have been forgotten, coined as “not criminal”—the number of American teenagers who are harassed online is alarming. Some of these victims are teenagers like Phoebe Prince, who may decide to end their lives today. “Ever since I was little, I was always picked on and pushed around by little girls,” said Emily*, a current student at Rock Canyon who planned to go to Highlands Ranch High School, but was eventually driven away by harassment. “Girls started to make up rumors about me, rather than just telling me I was ugly and that no one liked me,” she said. “They made up rumors that were just ridiculous. For example, [one of the rumors was] that I had a boyfriend who was seventeen years old and that we did drugs and had sex and that this happened every weekend. Yes, I the little twelve year old girl who didn’t even know how to do long division, was doing drugs and having sex with a seventeen year old.” Girls who started out as playground bullies, according to Emily, turned to cyber-bullying once social outlets such as Facebook became available. The girls utilized texting and Facebook in order to threaten and call Emily vulgar names as well as spread their rumors to their friends, making certain Emily was an considered an awful person before she’d even stepped foot in her new school. “When boys bully each other, they use their fists. Their wounds will go away,” said Emily. “But girls are different. Girls attack your heart and your mind. They break all your self-confidence and they love to make you feel worthless, to make other girls feel inferior to them. And that’s what they did to me.The rumors started faster than she could clear them and before she knew it she was drowning. “I never even had a chance to clear my slate,” said Emily.

Q&AWith CounselorMarlaine McMechen

Rock : What should students do if they are be-ing cyber-bullied?

McMechan: Students need to tell an adult; whether it is their parents or a counselor they need to get help. We have a cyber-bullying page on the home page of Naviance.

>>

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***Headline***w

“I remember thinking on numerous occasions how much better I would feel if I could just make me go away, because I was worthless, I was ugly and no one liked me. I remember sitting in the bathroom every night, looking at my wrists then at the scissors my mom cut her hair with. I remember thinking how easy it would be to make all of it stop.” For Emily, her attackers had their names and faces attached to every comment they sent. But with anonymous cyber-bullying on the rise, some people aren’t so fortunate.

The power of invisibility Infamous for its anonymity feature, Formspring.com, the social networking website for asking and receiving questions, promotes and protects the button. By clicking this option, a person can say whatever he or she has on their mind; the good, the bad, and completely demoralizing is no longer censored by fear and social boundaries. In this new game of bullying, there are no names, no witnesses. It’s a coward’s war, one that takes place behind computer screens, with names and information veiled by the protections of social networking websites. “Cyber-bullies are the most pathetic kind of people,” Ginny Stouse, ‘12, said. “[Cyber-bullying] is the perfect way for kids to talk crap without consequence. I’ve seen the things people say on Formspring and it is pretty messed up. ” This anonymity brings out the worst in people; it also hurts the worst. Without someone to combat, these victims are fighting a futile battle. There’s no face to blame, no name to curse, just sour messages that haunt computer screens and gnaw at their readers until eventually they decide that they’ve had enough. And being defenseless on their own without legal help, the anonymous source may never be unveiled. Only a judge can force the site into revealing specific identities. To find an anonymous bully there needs to be a court warrant to investigate; by locating the harasser’s IP address—the unique number that labels every computer connected to the internet—the authorities can then identify the source of the harassment. The messages must be tracked, documented, and considered a crime before any action is taken against the harasser.

“It’s hard to track if it’s an anonymous source,” Kiesow said. “But just to put it out there, anything can be tracked. We’d have to have a warrant and Formspring would try to fight law enforcement because the whole point is to be anonymous. But it can be tracked.”

New beginnings Kiesow said, “Anything you write down is there forever. Universities can see it, jobs can see it, high cooperate CEOs can see it—they will all be able to see the ugly person someone is on the weekend.” While the harasser’s reputation is marred, the emotional scars the victim bares are immortal. Victims such as Emily, who found herself at the crossroads of middle school and high school faced with a decision. “After eighth grade, my dad gave me a choice,” Emily said. “Do I want to go to high school with these girls and everyone else who didn’t like me? Or do I want to go to a school where I know no one? I would yet again start out a school year with no friends.” Emily decided she needed a fresh start, where her name and reputation was clean from rumors and lies. She chose to attend Rock Canyon. “I was able to actually make friends who liked me for me. Ones who are willing to defend me from people who want to say something,” she said. Laws haven’t caught up with the changing face of bullying and awareness often falls under myths and clichés that are pushed under the rug. But students like Emily prove that there’s hope. “One night while in the bathroom, I saw the scissors that I used to stare at,” said Emily. “I picked them up and sat on the floor with them. Staring at them again I realized how far I had come by just not caring what the girls said. Just by ignoring them and being with other people who cared just as little of their opinions as I did made me feel better, accepted, wanted and worth something. I didn’t let the girls get the best of me, and I took my own fate into my own hands. It was as simple as that. I just had to tell myself ‘You are worth something.’”

*name has been changed

QuotedFormspring: where one can anonymously ask, answer, and catch up on gossip. Is it a slice of the celebrity life or a cyber snare for bullying?

“No, I don’t have a Formspring because I don’t care what anonymous people have to say. If they can’t say it to my face I don’t want to hear it.”

-Krista Barry ‘13

“Formspring is an amazing way to interact with people and get to answer questions about yourself and read what other people have to say.”

-Brittany Krickbaum ‘14

“I don’t have a Formspring because it’s a terrible thing. It’s dangerous because it’s anonymous. I don’t like the fact that people can write whatever they want to whoever they want and you never have to know who it is. It’s a good way for people to attack each other.”

--Zack Anderson ‘12

“I like Formspring because it’s fun to see how people react to questions. I don’t answer half of mine because they’re mean and not even questions. I never bully anyone but there are a lot of rude comments that people put on there and I like to read them because they’re funny. People definitely abuse the site and don’t even ask questions which is what it’s intended for”

-Marstin Tweed ‘15

Compiled by Megan Boyles

More than 4 in 10 teens (43%) have been

cyber-bullied.

1 in 4 of these victims has been threatened

more than once.

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

>>

53% of kids admit to cyber-bullying.

Colorado has no official anti-cyber-

bullying laws.

[maddiewhitten][danielleburrage]

The Rocky Mountain region has the highest

suicide rates in the nation.

Douglas County has the highest suicide

rates in Colorado at 18.6. The rest of the

state is 11.8. [source: CSU and i-Safe foundation]

If you are experiencing text bullies, contact your provider to seek help. T-Mobile - 845 412 5000 Virgin Mobile - 845 6000 070 Verizon Wireless - 888-553-1555

If you are experiencing threats and need advice or just a friend, contact: Anti Cyber-bullying Hotline -617-534-5050

www.cyberbullying.us csriu.org/cyberbully cyberbully411.org

Resources

[10/27/11]

indepth14

Scream Scene

Despite the rumors you may have heard, the 13th Floor isn’t a haunted house that could stop an entire Broncos team from reaching the end. There is no waiver that allows the workers to grab you, and they definitely don’t throw any spiders or snakes. Actually, it’s not even 13 floors high. Even though the 13th Floor might not live up to the stories you have heard, it’s definitely not a haunted house for the weak at heart or the squeamish. After driving the forty-five minutes it takes to get to Brighton, you got to wait in a long line to wait your turn to enter the haunted house. The nervous energy throughout the lines was enough to scare the weakest, leaving some people shaking. “Even though it took a while to actually get inside the haunted house, it was definitely worth it at the end!” Adrienne Gullia ‘13 said. Though the lines are long, the haunting begins before you even enter the house. “There were these freaky guys outside that would mess with the people in line,” said Ty Wiest ‘13, “It was funny because some people would already be so scared.” Once you finally entered the 13th Floor, there was a kind of pathway that lead you through multiple different rooms filled with all kinds of creepy things. “There were a few rooms that were really scary. There was one that had all these dead babies in it- I still can’t get it out of my head,” said Maddie Landis ‘13. Overall, the 13th Floor is definitely a terrifying experience, but it’s one that pretty much anyone could make it through. “It actually wasn’t even close to as bad as I thought it would be,” said Kaylyn Riggs ‘13. “I guess I just had really high expectations for it.” So if you are interested in a night full of horror and terror, it’s worth it to take the long trip up to the 13th Floor Haunted House.

The Rock reviews the haunted house, “The Thirteenth Floor,” in Parker which is infamous for being the creepiest way to spend your Halloween in Denver.

The Thirteenth Floor

Anderson Farms is a family owned corporation up in Eerie that provides fun fall events for all ages. At the farms, you can decide if you want to pick pumpkins, go into a scary corn maze, pet the animals, or go on a fun fall-themed ride. There is also a large selection of food ranging from chicken sandwiches to pumpkin pie. The cost to get in is $12.00 for adults. “I actually loved going to Anderson Farms,” said Savannah Slifer ‘13, “Even though you would think it’s more for little kids, there was a lot of cool stuff for us to do too.” Lindsey Givin’s, ’13, favorite part of the farms was going out to pick pumpkins. “You take this cart through some fields to get to the pumpkin patch and these huge oxen come up to the cart. You can even feed them.” The pumpkin selection is one of the best in Colorado. Gourds, white pumpkins,

red pumpkins, striped pumpkins, baby pumpkins; they have it all. They even have pumpkins that are over 100 pounds! “I was looking for a pumpkin for so long that the cart left without me,” said Givin. “I wanted the perfect white pumpkin and it took me awhile to find it.” Anderson Farms is located at 6728 County Road Overall, Anderson Farms is a great way to experience the beautiful Colorado fall this year. There are things to do for people all ages, so bring your entire family.

As home to the world’s largest cornucopia, Denver’s longest running corn maze, pumpkin launching, and fall festivals, Anderson Farms is the perfect place to find your next best jack-o-lantern

[virginiavaughn]

[virginiavaughn]

Best Place for Pumpkins 6728 County Road 3 1/4-Erie Colorado 80516303-828-52103 and under: free 15-59: $12

-Haunted Laser TagA fusion of laser tag and haunted houses, where one can have a laser tag shoot out in the dark corridors of an ancient Egyptian tomb. October 8-October 31 Thursdays from 7-10pm, Friday, Saturday, Sunday 7-12pm $12Loveland Laser Tag Fun Center, 401 Denver Avenue, Loveleand, 80537970-663-9999-Ellitch’s Fright Fest Elich Garden’s fright fest has four haunted houses, six live shows, kids face everything from spiders to monsters. Saturday October 22, 1-2:30p.m. $10 entry fee.-The Asylum Haunted HouseVoted one of the top haunted houses in Denver, general admission is $20. Visit asylumdenver.com for further information.6100 E. 39th Ave. Denver Colorado-13th Manor and Primitive Fear Haunted Housesvisit 303haunts.com for a look into this haunted house combo. Pricing is $17 for Primitive Fear and 13th St Manor, and $30 Combos.5155 E. 64th Avenue Commerce City, CO 80022-Haunted Field of Screams and Dead Man’s Nigh MazeAs the biggest haunted attraction in Colorado, is a visual interactive haunt located in the corn field on a designated pathway. Dead Man’s Night Maze is a 30 minute haunted maze, where you must find the correct pathways in order to get away from the terror. Admission to both is $27, Haunted Field of Screams is $16, and Dead Man’s Night Time Maze $14104th Ave and Riverdale Road in Thornton, CO 80233-Terror in the CornThis haunted hayride and ghost town costs $19 and is a unique twist to the typical haunted house. To learn more visit www.andersonfarms.com/TerrorintheCorn.6728 County Road 3 Erie, CO 80516

Things to do this Halloween

[10/27/11]

Halloween 2011

compiled by[kaylaneil]

rchsgottalent 15 [10/27/11]

Imagine standing on the America’s Got Talent stage, with 12.4 million people across the nation anxiously waiting to see your performance. Tiffany Theodore ‘15 was lucky enough to have this exhilarating experience. About a year ago Theodore joined the Rocky Mountain School of Dance in Arvada. When their dance team heard that America’s Got Talent was coming to Denver last Septem-ber, they were immediately interested. They call their group The Silhouettes. “We create shapes behind a screen that portrays a story” Theodore said, “I enjoy doing Silhouettes because it is interesting, unique, and fun to do”. Their dance was a success and they moved on to the next round after presenting the judges with an audition tape. “We received a callback from them, and they wanted us to come to Minneapolis to audition. It was very cool because we got to

present our act in front of a live audience, as well as Howie Mandel, Sharon Osborne and Piers Morgan. They passed us through onto Las Vegas for the Top 48 acts” , Theodore said. “It was an amazing experience that I will never forget. It was exhilarating being on a beautiful, professional stage” Theodore said. After getting through many rounds of the reality show that leaves Americans waiting, Theodore says “Currently we are in the finals waiting to see if we move forward or not! Stay

tuned!”

Lights, Camera...Milk?! This is all Ian Fra-zier ’13 could think about for the nine weeks he was in Los Angeles, California filming the Carnation Milk Instant Breakfast commercial. Besides going big time for his commercial, Frazier has been involved in the Rock Canyon drama department. “I do at least one school play a year and have started to do the one acts” Frazier said, “The best part of my acting career was making the commercial for Carnation Instant Break-fast, which I did during spring of my freshman year”. After Frazier auditioned for the opportu-nity to be in a national commercial, he had to go to Los Angeles where they would spend hours to make a successful advertisement. “The worst part about my acting is that it’s a lot of hard work and I can’t be out in California doing my acting because of school. But It’s a lot of fun and you meet a lot of really cool people!” Frazier said. The commercial wasn’t all fun and games though, “The drum I had to carry was eight or nine feet wide and weighed about 300 pounds. They put some wire on it which took some of the weight off but I ended up with a lot of bruises. I also had to drink 14 of the drinks they were selling, and one is supposed to fill you up until lunch”, Frazier said. With his acting career already taking off, we’ll have to wait and see where Ian ends up next.

Maddie Krawiec is a sophomore here at Rock Canyon. She is an avid swimmer and loves to hang out with her friends. If you saw her in the hallway, you would see that Maddie is such a sweet and modest young girl who has many friends. You would never know she just recorded her first single titled “Being Me”. Krawiec started to get serious about singing when she was ten. “I love singing because music gives me and anyone else an outlet to say what they are scared to say out loud. I feel so comfortable singing and I get a surge of energy flow through me when the music starts. It’s like nothing I have ever felt before,” Kraweic said. She has spent countless hours competing in competitions and in the studio. All of her hard work paid off when she trav-eled to LA earlier this year to record her first single. Krawiec was initially nervous but then she was just eager to get in the studio! “After I heard the song, I was like ‘Wow, they took my whole personality and put it with music!’ I was to the point of almost crying.” Krawiec said. The song is about not being afraid to be who you are and encourages listeners to em-brace their uniqueness. “I just love the song so much. Just being where I was, being with the people I was with, doing what I was doing was so breathtaking. It is a real dream come true.” Kraweic said.

Mythreyi Ramesh has talent. By dancing over the years, she has been able to master the salsa, the semi-classical, multiple versions of the traditional Indian dance, Barantyam and a few others. Barantyam is difficult but rewarding. It requires the dancers to bend and jump without making any noise while telling an Indian fable. Ramesh started dancing at three years old, but got serious when she hit the age 6. She has performed at multiple occasions at musicals, wedding ceremonies, and different associa-tions. She takes classes at the Abhinaya School of Dance which meets once a week for up to three hours. Ramesh loves dancing solo and in a group. “Solo dancing is awesome because all the attention is focused on me,” said Ramesh, “ I am able to bring her own style out.” In a group it’s more about the movements as a whole that create pictures using bodies that depict snakes or lakes, common themes in Indian folklore. Ramesh wears many costumes which vary in styles. Her favorite costume is an embel-lished blouse and harem pants that come in lots of colors and patterns. Ramesh loves dancing because it challenges her, it’s good exercise, and she loves the facial expressions and hand gestures you must master to create the dances.The key to her success is her determination and enjoyment.

First Hit Single Dedicated DancerGot Milk?The Silhouettes

[meganboyles] [ryleeportman] [meganboyles] [maerohrbach]

Tiffany Theodore ‘15 and her dance group, the Silhouettes, performed for America’s Got Talent in front of millions of viewers

Acting fanatic Ian Frazier ‘13 scores a role in a national advertisement for the Carnation Milk Instant Breakfast

Maddie Krawiec ‘14 records his first single “Be-ing Me” earlier this year, and plans to continue recording songs in the future

Mythreyi Ramesh ‘14 performs traditional Indian dances at various events, an activity she has enjoyed for over a decade

thecommunity16[10/27/11]

BTO SUPPORTS ROCK CANYON HIGH SCHOOL!Show your student ID & receive a 10% discount!In the King Soopers Shopping Center

9567 South University Blvd., Unit D-1, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126

303.471.1560Open daily 11 am to 10 pm

16 Flavors Daily & Over 50 Toppingswww.btohighlandsranch.com

Locally Owned & Operated

Not valid with any other offers. Expires December 31, 2011

thefun 17

1. Squares, triangles, cubes and other straight-lined, geometric shapes, show that you are most likely a nit-picky, intelligent, organized person.

2. Random squiggles and other abstract lines or shapes tend to mean that you can be spacey, absent-minded, or inconsistent.

3. Pretty, happy, good-looking faces mean you’re a people person! This also means you’re usually a happy, friendly person.

4. Ugly, weird faces show that you can be standoffish, rebellious, or suspi-cious.

5. Arrows indicate that you are destined to do something big. You’re ambi-tious and goal-oriented.

6. Patterns or repetitive doodles mean that you are patient, strong-willed, and have a good attention span.

7. Cars, planes, boats, trains, and other modes of transportation are usually drawn by those with strong ambitions for sports or other competitions.

8. Flowers, curvy lines, and peace signs mean you are happy, laid-back and talkative.

9. Hearts indicate...love!

10. Food obviously means that you’re hungry or that you just really like food.

Courtesy of www.channelone.comCompiled by Lauren Posey

While doodling can seem distracting, studies have shown it can actually increase how well a student does in school. AP Psychology teacher Suzanne McKay explains...

At first glance, a student sitting at the back of the classroom scribbling abstract shapes into her notebook may not ap-pear to be paying proper attention to the teacher’s lecture. However, it’s likely that the student is retaining more information than her peers that are focusing solely on what the teacher is saying. Our minds constantly take in an unimaginable amount of sensory informa-tion at the same time. This phenomenon is called parallel processing. “We employ parallel processing all the time, so sometimes we need to focus in,” said Ms. McKay, RCHS psychology teacher. For example, during school it’s necessary that we focus our thoughts on the class rather than on extraneous information pertaining to our lives outside of school. Luckily, we can use a process called selective attention to focus on something important. Selective attention is less effec-tive when focusing on subjects which aren’t exciting to the listener. “If the material doesn’t happen to mo-tivate us or get us excited, we tend to day-dream, and our consciousness is unleashed. We’re all over the place cognitively,” said McKay. Doodling counteracts this negativereaction. When we doodle, we narrow what we pay attention to in order to reign in

our surplus thoughts. In effect, doodling suppresses the cognitive overload associated with daydreaming. The result? Better retention of informa-tion. Studies have shown that the increased ability to focus evoked by doodling can cause up to 30% more information retained. “Doodling helps me focus, so I am occu-pied while listening,” said Jill Kellogg, ‘15. However, some students are less optimis-tic about the effects of doodling. “Doodling hinders learning, because it’s distracting and takes effort,” said Tanner Van-es, ‘13. Before starting on the next art mas-terpiece of our time during a lesson on derivatives in Calculus class, keep in mind that there’s a difference between doodling and drawing. The effects of doodling are more powerful when the brain is mindlessly scribbling rather than when it’s focusing on a more polished drawing. “When you’re drawing, you’ve got that flow and that focus. You’re completely and totally focused on the art. That’s different than when you’re doodling nonsensically,” said McKay. If doodling isn’t your thing, you can instead try any activity that requires littlecognitive focus. Listening to music while studying or fidgeting with a pen in class

both have the same effect. They reign in daydreams and free up your mind to pay attention to what should be the primary task at hand.

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“I doodle because it helps me not fall asleep in class and also helps me express

myself in small, cute ways.”

If you’ve doodled any of the following things, it could say something about you

The in’s and out’s of the edukation system18elsatyr

El Satyr

• Do you speak Parseltongue? • Do you have an affinity for elf culture? • Do you have two different colored eyes? • Have you had the swine flu? • Do you have an excess number of moles on your

upper calf? • Are you allergic to chlorine? • Are you a werewolf? • Have you recently resided in Lesotho? • Are you a Marxist?• Do you own a deaf Guinea pig?• Do you have a silent “k” in your name? (i.e.

Kkyle, Kbryan, Klisa,)

Are you a member of: a. The Butter of the Month Club b. The National Jedi Association c. The National Butler’s League of America d. The Federal Alliance of Under-appreciated Botanists e. People for the Ethical Treatment of Sea Urchins

Do you play: a. The didgeridoo b. Classical Kazoo c. The semi neo-gothic Brazilian pan flute

• Socky (A hybrid game involving hockey with a soccer ball)

• Croquet• Archery • Competitive wheelbarrow racing • Lithuanian river dancing (otherwise known as

Snorking bing de bjork)• World of Warcraft Interactive gaming• Hacky-sacking• Cup-stacking• Extreme underwater basket-weaving

Satyrically Yours

Personal Attributes:

Athletics:• Do you have an ancestor that arrived on the Mayflower?• Do you have over ninety seven cousins? • Do you have anyone in your family named Barack? • Has your home recently been ravaged by : a. squirrels b. hedgehogs c. The elusive Russian- backed turtle • Do you own over fifteen filing cabinets in your primary

residence? • Has anyone in your family recently been in the goat herd-

ing profession?

Name:Grade:

Going into their Junior year many students believe that they have what it takes to get into college. Such was the case for Othello Johnson, a senior from the High-lands Ranch area. “The thought of getting into college didn’t seem like a big deal to me, “ said Johnson, “I have a 3.5 GPA, I play soccer, I’m in art club and I single-handedly operate a shelter for feral cats.” So when Johnson received a total of fourteen rejection letters he fell to victim to a syndrome called post-application trauma syndrome-otherwise known as PATS. “I we first noticed that something was wrong with Othello after we received the first rejection letter, “said Martina Johnson, Othello’s mother, “he asked me what was for dinner in the form of a multiple choice question.” The symptoms only got worse from

Family Situation:

1. Ramen Noodles: Who needs a meal card? A 72 pack of Ramen has a half-life of four years and can feed you for a month. (For those special occasions, like Christmas and anniversaries, try the Picante Beef flavor.)

College Essentials:

2. 5 Hour Energy: For all of your late night study sessions (cough cough, pro-crastinating) you’ll need a few of these to get you through midterms.

there. Johnson began constantly defining words others used, twitching excessively at the improper use of the word ‘whom’, and crouching in corners wielding number two pencils and yelling, “the power of cosine compels you!” Child psychologist, Norah Kettlebaum, claims that this tragic occurrence is far from infrequent. “Teens across the country are experienc-ing similar symptoms,” Kettlebaum said, “We recently had what we call a case 2400 in North Dakota in which a seventeen year old girl lapsed into a rhetoric induced catatonic state.” Fortunately, although cures have not been solidified, researchers have found that forced creative activity and removal of all writing utensils from the home facilitate rehabilitation. “My therapist forced me to join a

Shakespearean revival troupe, but that didn’t work because I was constantly trying to analyze the contrast between old and modern English.” Johnson said. “But I then started taking walks around lakes and once I could stop thinking about ‘Catcher in the Rye’, I began to remember who I was prior to my scholastic development...I still lapse back sometimes, but its getting better.” And for this, his mother couldn’t be more grateful. “I finally have my son back,” Johnson said, “We still have a no pencils after six o’clock rule, but that’s a small price to pay for my son well being.” If your son/daughter exhibits signs of PATS, please contact a specialist at www.whathasthisworldcometo.org.

Oftentimes even honest academic intentions can have detrimental results

$cholarships for the individual

Birthdate:Address:

Activities:

College can be expensive, but don’t fret! There are hundreds of financial aid opportuni-ties for you and your individual situation. Circle all that apply: 3. Febreeze

You won’t get to do laundry very often....need we say more?

[sydcharvat and erinsnyder]

[sydcharvat and erinsnyder]

El Satyr realizes that it is the product of misinformation and exaggeration. If you were insulted, hurt, or shocked while reading this page, El Satyr does not apologize. Also it’s not spelled wrong. Google it. therock is not an affiliate of El Satyr.

4. Juice Boxes: Avoid peer pressure! “Sorry, I already have a drink, thanks anyway!”

5. SillyBandz CollectionEveryone will appreciate your vast knowlege of the world of style.

6. Flip-flops: If you plan on showering...ever, these might be helpful, if not, see Essential #3

As many RC students look to college as a last resort, El Satyr reccomends a few necessities for life on campus

Rockarazzi-“Wait, what?! Are you kidding me? I thought homecoming was next week!”

-“There’s the house where you can pet the old man! Just bring a trough of oats and you’ll be best friends for life!”

-“We’ll need a hunk-scort to get around this place”

-“If there is a fly in the car, does it have to fly as fast as the car is going so it doesn’t smash into the back window?”

-“If I get an ‘A’ on the test I will cry blood. Blood tears of happiness.”

-“Wait, is orange chicken really made out of panda?”

-“Whoa, that’s a bad grade”“Well it’s better than like an E or something...”

-“Is there a place to make a dollar bill come to life?”

-”Stop crawling on the floor!” “I’m in character!”

-”Dang It! I’m starving and there’s no cough drops!”

-”What!” Obama’s running for president again! Didn’t he lose the last time?”

There are several things I believe you can live by. The Bible, the words of Mother Theresa, Thoreau, and To Kill a Mockingbird. Oh, and also Full House. Yes, Full House. You know, the late 80’s TV show with Bob Saget, John Stamos and Mary Kate and Ashley (the pre-sell out years). For any of you who have not been graced with one or 75 episodes of Full House, I’ll catch you up. Danny Tanner is a dorky, clean-freak newscaster. He has recently been widowed and is raising his three daughters, DJ (who’s about 8), Stephanie (who’s about 4) and baby Michelle. To help him raise his kids, his two best friends move in. The first is Uncle Jesse: girl obsessed, motorcycle-riding and leather-clad. Eventually, Jesse gets married to Rebecca and they have twin boys, Nicky and Alex. Then there’s Joey. Joey is a goofy, thirty year old comedian who does impressions. The show followed DJ all the way through high school, Stephanie all the way through rebellion, and Michelle all the way through being adorable. In every episode, you could count on several things: 1) Uncle Jesse would be ridiculously hot, even with a mullet. 2) Danny would clean some-thing. 3) Someone would learn a life lesson. Okay, let’s be honest. The show may have been a smidgen unrealistic. Nine people living in one house with a dog, three children and two teenagers and there were never any physical altercations. When Michelle did anything annoying they just said “Ugh. mi-CHELLE” and rolled their eyes instead of, say, cussing at her. When catastrophes happened (such as a horse in the living room), everyone laughed and moved on. And when

anyone was mad, they were open and honest and talked it out. Cheesy? Yes. Marvelous? Absolutely. However, there’s something quite spectacular about it. It’s the idea of saying, “let’s be happy” instead of right, the idea of putting the group before your problems and of getting over yourself.

It’s classic family values all contorted because your dad’s best friend is sleeping in footie pajamas in the living room and something is on fire in the kitchen. The theme song of the show begins with the line “What ever happened

to predictability? The milkman, the paper boy and even TV”. Is that not the same world we live in, in high school, or Denver, or anywhere that isn’t Tanner-style San Fransisco? Life is, at best, crazy. You can’t expect it to be like the movies-that’s why we make the movies. Things come flying at you, the dog runs away, the baby gets sick and you realize that nobody lives forever (and some will go long before they should). So you keep walking, even though you don’t know where you are, and you invite your girl-crazy brother-in-law and your cartoon-obsessed best friend to move in and you start improving your life. But under it all, there’s a family. There’s no mom, everybody is terrible at cooking and the house is constantly a mess. The important stuff however, the love, the forgiveness and the selflessness is abundant. Imagine if we could apply that to life if you could take old-fashioned, classic, homey values and change them to the modern world. We don’t live like Little House on the Prairie, or even Full House, but that doesn’t mean we can’t try to coexist like they did. There’s a time and a place to be self centered, and there’s a time and a place to suck it up, say “mi-CHELLE!” and then move on.

theopinions 19

What ever happened to predictability?

Why I’m closed-minded I would love to be able to call myself open-minded. I try to be open to all belief systems, but we all know that’s a difficult thing to do. I believe in karma. I believe that what goes around comes around. I believe that life is fair; maybe not right now, but some-day it will be. I don’t believe in coincidence. I believe that every-thing happens for a reason; most of the time we can’t seem to find that reason, but I’m sure it’s there. I believe that there is a path for every one of us, and no matter what we do we can’t get off that path. I believe that everyone comes into your life for a reason; usually to teach you something. I believe that every single, tiny, unimportant thing

that you do or decision that you make changes your life forever. I believe in signs. I believe that there are spirits all around us; not

necessarily up in Heaven, but some-where. I believe that they guide us; they send us signs when we are too naive to make the right decision.

I believe in an afterlife. I believe that we won’t ever really be gone. I believe that the dead are with us right now, in a way that we don’t fully understand yet. I don’t believe in the Devil. I believe that the stupid and wrong things we do are simply because we are human, that’s just the way we were created. I believe in 11:11 wishes; I’m not

[the Rock staff]w

Managing Editor: Lauren ScheirmanNews Editors: Kayla Neil Erin SnyderIn-Depth Editors: Danielle Burrage Syd CharvatSports Editors: Alex Pedrinan Jeremy PurchaseOpinions Editors: Andrew Charap Allie ColeOnline Editors: Charlie Melbye Chris SafranBusiness Editor: Cecilia CastroGuest Illustrator: Zach AndersonGuest Reporter: Quinn KennedyAdvisers: Kristi Rathbun Nate Ubowski

Editorial ReportingAndrew BohrenMegan BoylesNicole CassouNatalie HolthausKendall KosloskyLizzy MarthouseSean McGavinBryan MetzeChristian Nicholson

Rylee PortmanLauren PoseyMae RohrbachMichael ShapiroMaddie WhittenDanielle WilliamsCambel WinklerVirginia Vaughan

The goals of The Rock, the student newspaper of Rock Canyon High School, are to inform, educate, and entertain the readers as well as to provide an educational opportunity for the students who produce it.

The first three copies of The Rock are free, additional copies are available for 50 cents each.

The Rock invites your comments. Letters to the editor and com-mentary submissions are encouraged. You are also encouraged to submit coverage ideas, cartoons, photos or anything else you wish to see in the Rock. Opinions of the staff are presented as editorials. All editorials are at least the majority view of the editorial board. We also feature a number of columnists and commentary writers. Their opinions are their own.

sure why, because they never come true, but I’ll stare at the clock and wait for the minutes to change so that I can make a wish. I believe that country music is life, with a guitar and a funny accent. I believe in love, short-term love that is. I don’t believe in marriage; it doesn’t last, just like love. I’m more spiritual than religious. But I believe in God. I believe He created us, not some scientific theory. But that’s probably because it’s easier for me to comprehend, or because it has been instilled into my brain since birth. Humans are closed-minded by nature. Why wouldn’t we be? If you believe something, you believe it. We may not know where we’re going, but we all know what we believe.

The Rock Staff

runningerinds

[zachanderson]

[10/27/11]

Rock Canyon High School5810 McArthur Ranch RoadHighlands Ranch, CO 80124Phone 303-387-3000/Fax 303-387-3001

Life according to a clean freak, a comedian, John Stamos, a horse in the living room and the Olsen twins

ay-ohkayla

A cancer in the shadows

Homecoming worth coming to

October. It used to just be a time when the leaves began to change, children anxiously anticipated ridiculous amounts of candy, and adults began to plan their Thanksgiving arrange-ments. Now, October has been transformed into a month that celebrates awareness, education, and empowerment for breast cancer research. This recognition of the severity of breast can-cer has spawned an entire culture, including lines of clothing, food brands sponsoring research and

donating funds, and even professional athletes and magazines like Sports Illustrated changing

their promotional colors to pink. This month of recognition has substantially benefited awareness, early detection, and treatment, as October has been recognized as national breast cancer awareness month for 25 years.

One can only imagine how close scientists and doctors could get to a cure if all cancers received as much funding, publicity, and support. However, breast cancer, while still fatal, is not the

Homecoming 2011: Success. School-wide spirit swept through the halls of Rock Canyon as students and staff alike came out in record num-bers to support the Black and Gold during the celebratory week. The atmosphere was great, the expectations finally set high, and the beginning of a new era in RC history was ushered in with new administration at the helm.

What was good: Hallway Tunes – Although I was originally down on the idea of music in the hallways – this year seemed to have a differ-ent feel to it. More upbeat tunes encouraged a foot-tapping, head nodding symphony which transformed even the dreariest classroom envi-ronments. With the exception of the occasional Justin Bieber tune, I had something better to distract myself with while treading through countless waves of congregating freshmen. Rock Canyon: Thank you for creating the universal iPod. Ruff N Tuff – Lets be honest, two separate sudden-death elimination games, live TV cover-age, a little controversy, and over 500 people there to witness it all. It probably will never get any better than that – sorry future RCHS players. The obviously more-prepared Juniors prevailed over the towering front line of Seniors in a hard fought best-of-three contest. Ruff N Tuff’s of the future have to reach a high bar set this year. Bonfire – Besides the fact that it couldn’t have gotten any worse from absolutely no bonfire last year, this was a pleasant surprise to most students.

A spiraling inferno illuminated the student parking lot, symbolizing the ignition of our ever-present fire of smoldering school spirit. In simpler terms, it was a really cool big fire.

What was bad: Powderpuff – I’m prepared to take the sexist label for this, but it can’t be denied. The exciting atmo-sphere of last years upset under the Wednesday night lights was suc-ceeded by an abysmal showcase of

a highly anticipated but anticlimactic beatdown. By no means am I saying the teams themselves are to blame: A hopeful sophomore group pro-pelled into the final round by controversy were no match for the 2-time defending champion class of 2012, whose pass-dominated offense steamrolled down the field until the very end – or at least until it became too dark to play. When I wasn’t shielding my eyes from the blinding sunset, I was watching half of the sophomore’s uninter-ested roster doing the “Bernie” over by the DJ booth. Powderpuff is a necessity to homecoming week, and it needs to be done the justice of plan-ning and execution that matches its worth. Dance DJ – If pleasing freshmen was our only goal, then I’d be completely content with the electric and cha-cha slides being the founda-tions of a school dance playlist. There has to be a middle ground between music that promotes inappropriate dancing and music that gives me painful nostalgia of middle school shindigs with a curfew of 9p.m. and the tables with board games over in the corner. Seriously, we finally made a step of progress in the dance itself, please don’t

tarnish it by bringing in DJ Disney Channel who has no access to iTunes Top 100. At least I got to do my Dougie. The Game – This is a tough one. It’s hard to knock down the climax of all that is Homecom-ing week, but is a noon game, 20 miles away at a rival stadium, in the scorching heat on the day of the dance the proper ribbon on top of what I would say was the most exciting homecoming week in recent memory? Despite the logistics, a good crowd still turned out to watch Junior Eric Williams run circles around the Falcon defense, but it quickly dwindled down to half its initial amount after the halftime homecoming ceremonies. Makes sense; parents got to see their children stomp a .500 team and all the girls had

to get home to begin the 3-hour process that is hair styling – as a guy, I’ll never fully understand it. Minus the location, time, and weather, an all around enjoyable experience.

What it all means: For me, Homecoming 2011 was a success. Where leaps and bounds are needed, this year was a large stride in the right direction. For the first time since I was a Freshman, actually going to the dance became the cool thing to do. StuCo did a fantastic job of decorating and promoting, and credit all the students who were involved. Where we lacked in some areas, we made up for it with progress in others. Hallelujah, homecom-ing has been saved!

number one killer of women. Lung cancer is. Common perception of lung cancer is that it can be easily prevented, as it affects for the most part only smokers. Does that make it acceptable to ignore the thousands of people dying from this disease? Lung cancer kills more people annually than prostate, breast, and colon cancers in the United States combined. In 2007, about 158,683 people died from this devastating illness. So why does breast cancer receive the most substantial recog-nition, while lung cancer kills more women than breast cancer and all gynecological malignancies combined? It is a disgrace that many dismiss lung cancer as a disease that can be easily prevented, when about 15% of cases are not caused by the use of tobacco, and about two-thirds of those non-smokers affected by this disease are women. The largest growing segment of lung cancer is non-smoking women. An average of 160,390 people die from lung cancer in the United States yearly, and in a National Cancer Institute funding report, it reveals that there is only $1,415 of research funds spent per death. While breast cancer, which kills approximately 40,910 people a year, receives an average of $13,991 funds per death. That’s a dif-ference of $12,576 more spent, on a disease that kills 119,480 people less than lung cancer does. These discrepancies have created a disease

theopinions20

that has taken the medical world by storm, without anyone knowing its debilitating effects. Cancer shatters the stability of one’s state of mind, and a lack of support, research, and funds makes the fight that much more daunting. This lack of proper funding has created a crisis, as most lung cancers are diagnosed in late-stages, and due to the lack of funding and support for the disease, fewer scientists and physicians are entering lung cancer related fields. Is it acceptable to alienate those with lung cancer, by disregarding its meaning, because most of the people diagnosed “did it to themselves?” Many diseases result from unhealthy lifestyles. Are we overly critical to sun bathers, and those affected by obesity by associating them with skin cancer and heart disease? As a society, we must recognize the impact this disease has on the population, and give those afflicted by it the same compassion and acknowl-edgement as we do to those with breast cancer.. So during this season of haunted houses, candy, crunchy leaves, and pink, I ask you not to limit your support of research and funding to October and breast cancer, but to extend that kindness and generosity throughout the year, to other cancers, and to those fighting them with that inspirational determination we all admire. Let’s all shine a light on lung cancer.

[laurenposey]

chris-crossed

anicolefor your

thoughts

Kyle Orton

Toddlers and Tiaras Parenting Skills

Reading an actual book and writing on real paper.

3 people having school spirit

Dance Moms

Tim Tebow

Online Textbooks

In Going Out

Playoff Hopes

Online Homework

Gold Stickers “Wait... we have spirit Fridays?”

During a time where breast cancer is in the spotlight, it is easy to forget other cancers that get pushed back into the shadows

Year after year, we’ve suffered through mediocre homecomings and awkward spirit days, but this year was a change for the better

[10/27/11]

theopinions 21Notifications, likes and the meaning of life

About a month ago, my younger brother asked me to help him set up a Facebook ac-count. So, being an experienced Facebook user of two and a half years, I had no problem pulling up my page to show him an example on how a Facebook profile looks. Before I knew what I was do-ing, I began clicking insanely all over the page; showing him how “poking” works, how to down-load pictures and how to send and accept friend requests. Eventually, he and I began talking about how status updates work. I showed him a few of my statuses and made a point of noting the fact that several of them had gotten a serious amount of “likes” by my friends. Brimming with pride at the fact that a status I had posted a month ago had over twenty likes, I suddenly began to explain how writing a good “status” works. But amidst all of the fervent clicking and the intermittent checking of my newsfeed, I didn’t even realize what I was saying until after I said it. My brother asked me what the point of a status was and I-quite simply- answered, “You write one to get at many likes and com-ments as you can.” And then it hit me. Did I just tell my little brother that the whole point of Facebook is to reap self-valida-tion from 400 of my closest “friends”? Every time I go on Facebook, I see at least one status posting with something like “bad day” followed by a sad face with a quotation mark tear. I usually ignore those updates and continue scrolling through the news feed, but the other day I decided to monitor the post for a little while. Strangely enough, after about two or three minutes, someone commented on the status with something like “Are you okay?” Shocked that this blatant cry for attention was getting any notice from people at all, I kept watching. Seconds later, this drama queen status poster replied with “Text me.”

Text me? You posted your entire day on a social forum that all of your 200-300 friends can see in hopes of eliciting a response, and now you’re cutting off the conversation completely? Within the next ten minutes, at least seven

other people commented on the status with things like, “I love you girl,” “What’s up?” and “Are you all right?”...Each time, she refused to answer their questions; she just kept telling them to text her. Eventually, I became so annoyed with the ridiculous nature of this

conversation that I logged off of Facebook for the night. But, I couldn’t stop thinking about it; why do we crave attention and approval so much that we push the limit of doing what’s “socially acceptable” and blast anything and everything about ourselves onto the Internet with things like Facebook, Twitter and Form-spring? Honestly, I love Facebook. I love being able to keep in touch with friends that have either moved away or gone off to college and be able to stay up to date on what’s going on with them and what’s happening in their lives. But, all too often, I find myself sitting at my computer staring blankly at the screen trying to think of something witty enough or thought-provoking enough to elicit a massive response from my friends. Why do I do it? I want people to think that I’m funny, I want people to think that I’m intel-ligent, I want people to think about me and I want people to see a flashing message that says, “Hi my name’s Syd Charvat, I know that you have 400 friends, but guess what? You actually know who I am because I made you laugh.” But in reality, why do we care? Why do we feel that 400 people need to know that we had a “Bad day”? I guess the answer, quite simply, is that we really just want to know that we matter.

If you would like to submit an advertisement in the next issue of The Rock please contact:

Cecilia [email protected]

You So Rock You So Don’t Rock-Cupcake club“Cupcake Club’s purpose is not just to bake cupcakes, but to make a difference at The Children’s Hospital.”

-Mandy Miller ‘13

-Mr. Abner coming to EVERYTHING!-The first snow of the year: October 9, 2011!

-The new mural by the gym“The mural is very pretty and I think the jaguar is very well done.”

-Andy Tinlin ‘14

-Winning our Homecoming Game 54-20

-Pink breast cancer ribbons on cars“I like having the ribbon on my car because it’s for a good cause, I’m a big supporter of breast cancer awareness month.”

-Sydney Boyle ‘12

-Paying $50 to park“We shouldn’t have to pay $50 to park at our own school. If it was a smaller amount, maybe, but $50 is absurd.”

-Dana Hall ‘12

-Valor-Freshman not knowing the “Do It” cheer

-Tripping UP the stairs“It’s always funny when people trip up the stairs, I’ve done it myself a few times.”

Karlee Suhanyi ‘14

-Being a senior and having you locker in the 9000s pod-Feeling like cattle walking in the hallways

“I think the main halls in the school need zip-lines for those of us who

don’t feel the need to make penguin huddles of smalll talk between classes. “

-John Hayek ‘12

With the growing popularity of social media, why is it that high schoolers feel that they need the approval of Facebook and Twitter to fit in? And, more importantly, why do we seek validation through a 140 character word slot or status update?

that’s what she syd

[zachanderson]

[10/27/11]

methods, namely, prescription drugs. Drugs like Adderall, once reserved for those with conditions such as ADD, have become rampant

in the study-culture of top students. Using this drug

with ADD produces safe, focusing effects. But using this drug without a condition such as ADD sends the brain into overdrive. Students who take it are able to study

for hours on end without

distraction, and amidst the high amount of work

they must complete, it seems like a godsend.

But the long-term effects are devastating, and to many, this sacrifice is worth it. We’ll suffer through the mental issues and brain damage as long as it gets us an A. We must succeed at any cost. So who is to blame for this skewed paradigm of success? Do we blame our parents for pressuring us into taking harder classes? What about teachers, staff members and even our own

theeditorial22Strife, stress, and the pursuit of balance We want to cry! We want to shout! We want to scream! “Make it stop, stop, STOP.” But halfway through our personal soliloquy, we remember the hours of homework ahead of us, and realize that emotions are petty in the scheme of things. College acceptance letters and our GPAs are much more important to us than the primal human emotions of frustration, irritation and exhaustion. We tug on tufts of hair and blink hard, and finally turn toward the Calculus problem responsible for the outburst. A few hours later, we submit to the screams of pain from our foreheads and either give up or finish. Some people call this “hell”, others call it “Rock Canyon High School”. If you’ve ever walked through the front doors and taken a quick look at the tan banisters, then you’ve seen the mission statement, “To Empower, To Explore, To Encourage and To Excel in Education.” We stick to this like glue, and if you ask many teachers, they’ll tell you that our claim to fame in the Douglas County District is excellent academics. In a world where everything is trending towards specialization rather than generalization, we take pride in the fact that we offer the most Advanced Placement classes, the best teachers and the most comprehensive curriculum for our district. Douglas County High School has their arts, Chaparral has their sports, and we have our academics. But at what price? Has this label become a runaway train? To many at our school, the answer to that question is a quick, exasperated, “Yes.” Show the resumés of our top twenty students to a student from another high school, and their eyes would bulge at the sheer number of work we high-achievers have accomplished. But in these halls, it’s become expected of students to take much harder classes than they can handle, lest they be subject to the ridicule of their peers, counselors, teachers and parents. And for those who take the toughest of

classes, give up the most amount of sleep and suffer the most amount of stress, they’re rewarded with a class rank and a GPA. Soon, with only these numbers to count on, they become staples of their personalities. However high these numbers are become extensions of who they are as individuals. And to make sure these numbers stay as high as possible, they take on the most amount of work, and nine times out of ten, this means AP classes. But concomitant with AP classes is work, and lots of it. One of the top students in the Senior class allowed us to take a glance at his planner in an attempt to gauge just

how much work is required of

him. The following was scrawled in his planner for just one night. o Finish Othello + HOD p. 100-102 o Vocabulary 3 o Find Poems o p.108 27,28,30,32,35 AP Set o p.103 #22,23,24,29 o STUDY FOR PHYSICS o HB p. 49-50, Princeton Review, NC Re view, pre-lab etc, o Reading for Unit Two APCIA “How much time will this take?” “Five hours, and I have to finish it after two hours of Cross County practice,” he said. This mind-numbing amount of work comes with a price much more serious than simpleexhaustion. To be able to manage such high workloads, some students resort to more harmful

peers? The obvious answer would be teachers. After all, they gave us the work in the first place, right? But attributing this to them would be a grave mistake, and to understand why, we must put ourselves in their shoes. Teachers face as much, if not more, stress to succeed than their students. The teachers feel obligated to make sure their students are getting the best grades possible. But with only limited hours in the week to instruct their students, they must assign homework to make sure their students get through all the material before test days. With the only way to gauge themselves against other teachers being those test scores, teachers are implicitly required to make sure their student’s scores are better than the teacher next door. As a result of this totem-pole system, teachers become consumed with competition, and the once-coalition of teachers working

together towards the common goal of education has now become a battle to see

who’s scores are the highest. So where does this leave us as students?

Are we doomed to endless nights of homework and unrelenting

exhaustion? The Rock believes the only answer is to, collectively, reevaluate what the future holds for Rock Canyon. If we continue the free fall towards maximum overload, it may be too late. But if we address the problem now

and take a serious look at the problems of ailing students, we can surely devise a solution that decreases the workload off of our Jaguars. Whether it be a mutual agreement for less work outside of the classroom, or a forum where students, parents, administrators and teachers can actively communicate their concerns to each other, something must change. But for now, we’re empowered to make sure that we never have a moment to breathe and relax. We explore those parts of our emotions that only come out in the most frustrating of situations. We’re encouraged to take on more work than we know we can manage. And we excel at convincing ourselves that it’s all worth it.

Life in Ink

The GPA competition at RCHS is fiercer than ever. But with skyrocketing work loads leaching off students’ time to be a kid and drowning teachers in work, it leaves one to wonder whether or not the struggle is worth it

[10/27/11]

1. After working for weeks on their performance, the Cheerleaders showed off their moves during the half-time

show at the game on Saturday. 2. The volleyball team won their Homecoming game 3-2

against Douglas County on Tuesday. 3. Jackson Watkins ‘13 goes in for an interception during the

Homecoming Game on Saturday. 4. The senior girls ended their 3-year undefeated streak

with another win at Powder Puff on Wednesday. 5. “Winning homecoming court felt great, it was definitely

something different in my high school life,” Eric Jung ‘13, who won Prince, said. Jung was elected along with Courtney

Fraum and Madison Jackson who tied for Princess. 6. Richard Davis, Austin Kortum, and Chance Morelock

designated themselves the sophomore Powder Puff team cheerleaders.

here’s what you missed...

7. “My favorite event was the bonfire, because it

was fun to just be with my friends,”Ravyn Richardson

‘14 said. We broke in the new bonfire pit, given by

the class of ‘10. 8. “We all came together

and did each other’s make-up. We had fun being in the

parade in a unique way,” ZALA member, Nichelle

Tesone ‘12, said who rode in the parade on Friday.

HOMECOMING WEEK 2011 After a week of silly costumes, sporting events, and school spirit, the Glamour of the Grammys dance wrapped up Homecoming 2011. Take a look at what you might have missed September 19-24 during the most exciting week of the school year. “The best part of the dance was going with friends and hanging out. The music was pretty good for dancing,” Megan Mays ‘15 said. “I had a lot of fun at the dance because the administration was pretty laid-back, so the whole night was more relaxed,” Abby Szlachta ‘12 said. Students showed up clad in their best fan-ware for Fan Club Monday. Many students were seen wearing their favorite bands’ merchandise. But, as with any spirit day, some chose to take it a step further.

“I dressed up like Lil’ Wayne because my friends and I decided it’d be fun! We wanted to go all out because it’s our senior year,” Taylor Menning ‘12 said. Next was Tropic Like It’s Hot- Tuesday, and the school was lit up with classic Hawaiian colors. Wednesday was camo day featuring plenty of snuggies, hunting gear, and leaves. “I loved camo day because I wore my footie pajamas and I was cozy and spirited all day long!” Lauren Payne 13’ said. The week was ended with Jag Spirit Day, al-lowing even the most uncreative students to show their school pride and wrap up the spirit week before the glamorous Homecoming Dance.

The Varsity Football team celebrates their victory at the Homecoming Game on Saturday at Douglas County Stadium against Falcon High School. Winning the game 54-20 was the highlight of the week for the team. “The game was fun because we completely whooped the Falcons, and there was a lot of school spirit, which made it even better,” Grant Schutte ‘15 said.

“This was a huge game for us, and we were doubted but we came through with a big win,” said Cornerback Austin Sutton ‘12. “I’m excited that we won my last Homecoming game.” The Varsity football team has had a great season thus far winning four out of the six games. “I thought it was really exciting, the energy, from everyone that was there,” Kelcey Beckman ‘15 said.

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[kaylaneil]

[kaylaneil]

[kaylaneil]

[kaylaneil]

[meganboyles]

[laurenscheirman][laurenscheirman]

[alliecole]

[jeremypurchase]

[kaylaneil]

23[9/27/11]

1. Maddie Davies ‘12, chases after a Freshman during the Powder Puff game on Wednesday.2. Ryan Howard ‘13 cleans off his arm after getting a turf burn during the Saturday game. 3. During Stuco Joey Gilbert ‘14, Sean Swierczewski ‘12, and Chloe Thorderson enjoy popsicles as a reward for all there are work, during 6th period on September 20th.4. Varsity cheer pumps up the crowd during the game on Saturday. 5. The fire blazes during the bonfire on Friday September, 23. After the homecoming parade. 6. Homecoming queen Aubrey Eggett ‘12 burneys during the Homecoming game in the fourth quarter. 7. Marching Band member Jared Jordon ‘13 plays his trumpet during the Homecoming parade on Friday September 23.8. Seniors dressed in red, white, and blue celebrate after scoring a point against the Juniors in Powderpuff on September 21.

1. Logan Solomon ‘15 plays his electric guitar during the half time show during the homecoming game on Saturday September 23. 2. Juniors changed their school colors to something much brighter during Fridays Jaguar spirit day. 3. Nate Ubowski describes cupcakes made by the Cupcake club to students Hannah Banks ‘12 and Katie Lillard’12.

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[laurenscheirman]

7. 8.

[laurenscheirman]

[laurenscheirman]

[sydscharvat]

[jeremypurchase]

[alliecole]

[laurenscheirman]

[kaylaneil]

[laurenscheir-

2. 3.

[davislivingstone]

24[10/27/11]

6.

[laurenscheirman]

[laurenscheirman]

oct 2011

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