How one little girl’s life bonded us together forever

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Our Jessica

THE LAKEN

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Standley Lake High School9300 W. 104th AveWestminster, CO 80021

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Opinions or expressions made by students in this publication are not expres-sions of board policy. The district and its emloyees are immune from any civil action based on any expression made for or published by students. The Lake is an open forum for and by the students, faculty, and community of Standley Lake High School. The Lake is willing to accept and print any appropriate articles submitted by the students of SLHS and reserves the right to edit any of these articles. We will not print letters sent to us without a name and signature. Submit letters to Mr. Ben Reed’s mailbox and email to standleylak-enewspaper@gmail.com

Editors-in-Chief: Eva Hall Courtney SullivanManaging Editor: Austin Kunert

Section Editors: Elle GeorgeKessa GomezChaye GutierrezSabrina Pacha

Business Managers:Bethany KeuppJulia Vasquez

Social Media Mgr: Taylor Foutz

LAKEStaff Writers: James BurkyCassidy ConlonKy DeloheryAubree DewineJordan GrayReonna HatchAmber HillBethany KeuppKatelyn MertzEmily MorinJessica OlmsteadJulia Vasquez

Cartoonist: Aina Azlan

Advisor: Ben Reed

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The Lake aspires to produce a publication that gets students excited, as well as informed. As individuals, we yearn to write, photograph, interview, cover, learn, and grow with pride. We will never be satisfied with a bare minimum, for we understand that passion is key. The Lake will never be afraid to uncover the real news of our school--we will embody what it means to be a Gator.

Volume 24.2November 15. 2012

TABLEOFCONTENTS

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Cover photo courtesy of Trent Groom

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Drug Free: Ribbons and posters were hung throughout the school by student council to propose the drug free message during the week of Oct 17-22.

This year’s Trick-or-Treat Street was the largest Standley Lake has ever seen, with an estimated 3,000 kids in atten-dance. Kids, big to small, came to Standley Lake the day before Halloween for face painting, games, and candy at the annual event.

Brianna Bartholomew ‘13, shows off her mole project for “Mole Day,” a day celebrated by chemistry students on Oct. 23, from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m. because of the number 6.02x1023, which is one mole of a substance.

Megan Nugent ‘15 and Christian Swanson ‘14 are breaking up... for the No Date Dance. For-get your date and dress to impress for the yearly No Date Dance tomorrow night in the cafeteria, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

And today... the cafeteria will be serving garden patch salad for lunch. Surprise, surprise.

4

Your cheat sheet to the Swamp

For more news coverage, like The Lake on facebook facebook.com/standleylakenewspaper - Compiled by

Elle George and Taylor Foutz

Every teenager should know the basics of a bus schedule, especially those heading off to college.

Find the bus schedule relevant to the day you would like to travel. The top row of the schedule will show where the bus will be stopping and the columns underneath will show when the bus is esti-mated to stop. The times may look a little different.For example, 423A would mean 4:23 AM.

Maybe you’re out camping on your own for the first time. Maybe your fireplace at home doesn’t start with the flip of the switch. Whatever the situation, starting up a fire from scratch can be tricky if you’ve never had the experience.

You’ll need a way to light the fire, tinder (dead, dry grass and plants), kindling (twigs), and fuel (big logs or coal). Set your kindling loosely in the fire pit and light it on fire. Slowly blow on the fire to keep up the intensity and add tinder. Once you’ve got a good fire going, add the fuel--you can even build a little teepee.

Perhaps one of the most frustrating noises a car can make is, well, nothing. If you’ve ever turned a car ’s ignition only to hear absolutely no response, you know the feeling. Thankfully, a dead car battery can usually be jumped fairly quickly--if you know what you’re doing.

First, you’ll attach the red cable to the “+” side of the good battery, then the other end to the “+” side of your battery. Now attach the black cable to the “-” side of the good battery and the other end to some unpainted metal on the dead car. Start the running car, wait a couple minutes, turn the ignition of your dead car and you should be on the road!

So, you’ve filled out and dropped off resumes and job applications and now you finally got the call for an interview. What do you expect now?

Be prepared for questions such as: Why do you want to work here? Why should I hire you? Are you willing to work odd hours and on week-ends? Why should I hire you over the others who turned in an applica-tion? What are your strengths and weaknesses?

Be confident. Even if your only job experience is babysitting or lawn mowing, play it up--these jobs can demonstrate reliability and hard work.

Okay, so, your date is awful. We’re talking Di-saster Date from MTV awful. How do you politely, you know, dip out?

Excuse yourself to the restroom. Make a phone call or text asking for help--ask a parent or friend to call saying they need you ASAP. Return to your miserable date and await the phone call. When you go to leave, make sure to thank your date but don’t make him/her think anything is there. The ultimate I’m-not-interested gesture? A handshake.

5

1. Read a bus schedule

2. Start a fire

3. Jump your car

4. Survive a job interview 5. End a bad date

- Compiled by Katelyn Mertz

“I worked the night shift at Block-buster. With no one around during the late night, we’d play football in the store and I’d get five free movie rentals a week, including movies during pre-release. This began my love for film.”

-Frank HoffmanEnglish Teacher

“I worked at Target in the Chil-dren’s and Infants’ dept. and I was called ‘The Diaper Lady’ because whenever the diaper were on sale, I would spend all day stocking them. I remember that I would empty a pallet of diaper, then turn around and the shelves would be empty again. My heart would just drop. I would turn around and go grab another pallet.”

-Theresa NormanScience Teacher

The Diaper Lady

BeforeYou

Knew Them

Teachers talk about jobs they had as students

“I worked at McDonald’s all through high school. My sisters and I all worked there together, which made it more bearable, especially when one of my sisters would sing to me while I was crying because I had to do the dishes yet again. Also, at one point our oldest sister was our manager--that was interesting, too. Nothing compares to getting tips from dirty old men, though--one guy told me, “Men like women with deep voices,” and gave me like a fifty cent tip (or some amount like that). And after we go off work, we always smelled like fries for the whole afternoon. Lovely stuff.”

-Karen RoughtonEnglish Teacher

“I was a Tasty Freeze Bear. I remember vividly the costume was very big, bulky, fury and hot in July. My job entailed filling balloons with helium and bunching them together. I would then tie some to the outdoor seating area and keep some to hand out to kids when I was dressed as the bear. [My] other duties were very glamorous: I swept and mopped the eating area and cleaned the restrooms. I also was given the responsibility of taking out the trash. My hours were about 11:00 am to 3:00 pm. My favorite part of this job was that is was my first job and I was only 14 years old and I was paid! My least favorite parts were that sometimes I missed going to the pool with friends in the summer and it was hot!”

-Cathy O’DonnellEnglish Teacher

“I had a job as a DJ for three years at a rock music radio station, WAHC in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, when I was in college. It was classified as AOL-which stands for Album Ori-ented Rock-which means a station like 103.5 The Fox here in Denver. Another student in the Theatre Department at my college worked there and recommended me. I went by Liz on the air. It was an actual radio station in town, not the col-lege station. I got a real paycheck and had to pay real taxes.”

-Elizabeth ReedDrama Teacher The Tasty

Freeze Bear

The Dishwasher

The Movie Guru

The DJ

SWAM

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- Compiled by Bethany Keupp

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Sisters of ComedyThe girls bring a feminine side to the dysfuntional family that is Mixed Nuts.

Fixed under the piercing blue gaze of Danielle Van Morter ‘15, Danny DiTorrice ‘13 loses it to laugh. Van Morter hardly

cracks, throwing an incredulous look over her shoulder at her “sister” Devyn Ward ‘14. Ward suppresses an eye roll.

These girls, accompanied by Elsa Homann ‘13 and Cybil LaPenna ‘16, are family.

“A dysfunctional one,” Van Morter said. But a family regardless. The four girls in Mixed Nuts are, quite fittingly, the Sisters of Comedy.

And, like any other average American family--forget the fact that Mixed Nuts is far from aver-age-- rehearsals are an incessant competition between the Brothers and Sisters. Whoever conjures up the most unrestrained laughs dominates the stage. Of course, the girls are all about their victories.

“We all have a different personal-ity, and it makes for a good mix,” Ward said. LaPenna then hastily added, “It’s like a girl smoothie.” All four girls laughed at that.

“We just rock,” Homann finished boldly.

The Sisters have grown incredibly close over this school year, old and new bonds established through their feminine ties.

“There’s never any drama,” Ward said with a smile. Homann threw in, “We get along well in and out of Mixed Nuts.”

Although, in general, theater and drama rehearsals emanate business and formality, Mixed Nuts practices are far from it. Jokes inflame and burst, fall flat, or even draw up laughter from other members.

The Brothers find it increasingly difficult at each and every prac-tice to hold their characters under

Homann’s high-spirited quips, Van Morter’s stone-serious innuendo, Ward’s fiery comebacks, and La-Penna’s eye-drawing silliness.

“The girls tend to make bolder character choices,” said Nathan Berg ‘13. The Sisters aren’t afraid to poke fun at themselves or their Brothers, never failing to make a scene on and off stage as they piggy-back each other around or simply stage-fight all over the auditorium, acting their hearts out without a single audience member in the house.

Claiming the show as only these Sisters could doesn’t necessarily elicit the kindest feelings from their comedic Brothers.

“I find that the stupid jokes guys make, I laugh at more,” Rob Marko-Franks ‘14 said with a disagreeing shake of his head. Then he amended quickly, “That doesn’t mean the girls aren’t funny, but they don’t always do what appeals to me.”

In opposition to this, Berg pas-sively said, “I think that the girls’ humor is more mature. We’re all on the same team, so we’re on the same wavelength.”

Whatever the feelings are, the battle for supremacy rages on through every practice and every show, when their skills are put to the final test before an eager audience.

“[We get] to hit people on stage,” said Van Morter. Obviously, a plus in the eyes of the siblings, and, unfail-ingly, the eyes of the audience.

Despite the family feuds that ensue at each rehearsal, this group of siblings supports one another like their lives depend on it. The happi-ness of each individual is paramount to the end result - Wednesday Night Live.

- Amber Hill

Devyn Ward ‘14, Elsa Homann ‘13, Danielle Van Morter ‘15, and Cybil LaPenna ‘16 prepare their skits and characters for the Nov. 7 Wednesday Night Live. This WNL poked fun at topics ranging from Halloween to the 2012 Presidential Elections.

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S Soccer makes season smash

Kyler Fowkes ‘16 fights for the ball in the game against Pomona High School on September 24.

Smiling, jumping, cheer-ing, chanting. That was the sight that you could see from Gator soccer fans and play-ers, blurs of Standley spirit. The energy and excitement continued through round one, two and the quarter-finals of the State tourna-ment. After a loss against the defending champs, Air Academy, the Gators walked away with pride for making it to the state tournament.

It would take twenty-one years for Standley Lake soccer to finally make it back to the state playoffs. With a young team and a growing bond they fought their way to their spot in the tourna-ment, landing in the final position of this year’s State tournament.

Leading up to their chance at State, the Gators had a nail-biting season. One of their biggest accomplish-ments was their win against Chatfield, who at the time was ranked third in the state.

“The Chatfield match was a must-win game for SLHS, and I could tell in the first five minutes of playing that the boys were mentally focused and they looked prepared,” said Terri Belich, mother of Jake Belich ‘14. The ending score was 3-2.

“Every time the boys win, I feel so much pride in each of them. I always hope they can feel the love from the stands,” Belich said.

This season was coach Jeff Vigil’s third year as a Gator coach. He’s been working on making the team a family. “My first year we had to build a culture. Now that we have it, it’s about maintaining it,” said Vigil. Maintaining their culture included welcoming the underclassmen.

“We’ve bonded a lot better, especially with the incoming freshmen,” said Adam Williams ‘15.

Sports consist of a bond among a team, and this year everyone on the soccer team stepped up to create that bond. “Last year, we were separate families within one,” said co-captain Sean Palizzi ‘13. “This year the upperclassmen have really made it a better atmosphere for the underclassmen. [It helps that] we have a bunch of younger players that are really stepping up.”

Leading up to their trip to State, the boys scraped their way through a hard season. The first game

against Centaurus ended in a win, 2-1. The following two games were losses, but they came back with seven wins in a row, with one tie. This set up the biggest game of the season against Lakewood, which decided if Standley Lake would go to the playoffs.

In the game against Lakewood, the boys scored two goals in the second half. One scored by Jake Belich ‘14 and the other by Jake Walls ‘13 with an assist from Sean Palizzi ‘13. The Gators won 2-1, but not without a red card against Cody Calcagno ‘15.

“[The referee] said I threw the ball away from the other player and was wasting time, but I was throwing it to the ball boy because he said he needed one,” said Calcagno. After getting a yellow card for this action, Calcagno got a red card for cursing. This cost his chance at playing in the playoff game. Since Calc-agno couldn’t play, Adam Williams ‘15 took his place in the beginning of the playoff game.

Calcagno is a normal starter for defense and not having him in the playoff game hurt the Gators in beginning of the game, especially when Adams City scored their first goal within the first ten minutes of the game.

After the hard work against Lakewood the boys were sure they were going to the playoffs. But since Arvada West lost to Ralston Valley it put Standley Lake in the wild card spot for the

playoffs. Their game against Lakewood took place on a Wednesday and they had to wait until Sunday to find out if they made it in or not.

Terri Belich couldn’t have been more excited to get the news. “I cried and jumped up and down!” she said. “After the initial emotions, I was just so thankful that the boys hard work and dedication was paying off in such a way that they could represent our awesome SLHS community in a really posi-tive way!”

Once the boys got the news they prepared them-selves to play the number one seed in the state, Adams City. On Oct. 24, rain poured down on the field as the boys battled Adams City with everything they had.

At the beginning of the game the rain came down hard, later turning into light snow. Through the weather conditions neither team let up, both kept fighting. Adams City scored two goals in the first half and one in the second half. The Gators didn’t let up at any point in the game; they competed against Adams City, as hard as you could against the number one team in the state. The final score was 3-0 Adams City.

At the end of the game Gator fans and players were proud of everything that was accomplished this year. Williams said, “I was disap-pointed about the score but so proud of everyone on the team, we gave it everything till the end and I couldn’t be happier with our all around effort.”

- Julia Vasquez

5 things you don’t know about the soccer team

1. Kyler Fowkes ‘16 has the most goals scored on the team with 5 goals

2. Cody Calcagno ‘15 had the most assists on the team with three

3. Four freshmen and four sopho-mores are on the team

4. Twenty-Six goals were scored this season, and nine assist

5. The Gator keepers had five shut-outs this season

8

Boys Soccer season goes futher than it has in twenty-one years

Devin Dumas ‘15 and Zach Hott ‘13 fight a Pomona soccer player on Septemebr 24.

23:15

When Duncan Tillman ‘15 started cross country, he didn’t quite know what he was getting himself into. He did the sport only because his older sister, Zofia Tillman ‘12, had always been a runner, and had constantly been egging him on to do it.

He was a football player before, and he never thought about running competitively. Well, once he got to high school, that all changed.

“I was happy it wasn’t football.” Tillman said.He joined the cross country team his freshman year to

run alongside his sister. His first few weeks were a chal-lenge. He didn’t keep up with the other boys and even a couple girls at first. His times he was getting in his first year were around 30 minutes.

But he kept running.Many people who join cross country quit if they can’t

keep up after so much time. But not him. He kept working and working at it.

And it wasn’t for nothing.It was his second season when people started real-

izing that his hard work had finally paid off. His first 5k of the season, he easily ran a 27, which was already 2 minutes faster than his personal record from last year. An average male in cross country can probably run about a 22:00. It was obvious that he wasn’t going to stop there.

Little by little he kept improving his times. He kept running hard at practice, you couldn’t question his work ethic.

Jake LInford ‘14 and Peter Wilson ‘13 noticed Tillman’s improvements and made a proposal to the rest of the team: If Duncan can break 24 minutes, then the entire team will shave their heads.

“I thought they were joking.” Tillman said.Everyone willingly agreed, getting excited about Till-

man breaking a time that was more than 6 minutes faster than what he was used to running last year. Everyone interacts on the team as though they truly are a family.

The boys made jokes about him hopefully not break-ing it before homecoming, making everyone bald for the dance. Lucky for them, he didn’t. “I didn’t want to have to shave my head before homecoming.” Scott Mayer ‘14 said.

The following week it happened. It was Oct. 5, and the race was at Northglenn Open Spaces. It was extreme-ly cold this day, all CHSAA rules out the window, runners ran with hats, sweat pants, gloves, under armour, and leggings, whatever they could to keep warm. This made each of the runners question how they would perform.

Tillman walked over to the start. Everyone said Good Luck, and reminded him what time he needed to be aim-ing for.

Bashful, he nodded his head and took his place at the start.

The gun went off. And he took off. Little did he know at this point that the cold was going to work to his advan-tage. He got to the last 400. This was the last push,

“Everything you have left Duncan, GO!”His teammates were cheering him on, “Faster Duncan!

You’re going to break 24!”His adrenaline pumping, Duncan ran as hard as he

could into that finish.“I was just thinking about breaking 24.”Tillman said.The time clock read 23:15. He didn’t just break 24 by a

few seconds, he destroyed it. Everyone was jumping and screaming with excitement.

The girls all went and tackled him when he walked back to the teams tent after his race. He did it!

“I’m proud of him.” Jake Linford ‘14 top runner on the boys team said.

The following night at the planned team dinner, after everyone was done eating, people made their way to the garage to play barber shop.

Every single one of the boys shaved their head for Duncan, and even a girl on the girl’s team Katlyn Alapati ‘13, shaved a part of her head. Later, Coach Ron Rosset also shaved his on head to show his support for Tillman’s achievement.

Tillman says he definitely plans to run next year. As for next year’s goal Tillman said, “I want to beat my sisters fastest time, around 20:21.”

Rossett said, “I think that time is well within his reach. What he’s done this year, as far as improvement, is abso-lutely amazing.” - Courtney Sullivan

Shedding Expectations

9

Duncan Tillman ‘15 breaks goal, his teammates support his success

Before After

“He’s got the best hair on the team, I’ll tell you that.” - Coach Ron Rosset

I BELIEVE THAT WE HAVE WONFootball crushes bad attitudes and last year ’s record“Come on, baby!” Grant

Gladstone ‘15 screamed with a voice that could shat-ter eardrums as Monarch charged for the touchdown. Screams filled the cold air not only from the fans on the blue and green coated bleachers, but from the play-ers watching helplessly from the sidelines.

“Keep pushing! Don’t give up now!” Rhett Gutier-rez ‘13 yelled during the very last time he will ever step foot on the frost-covered field at NAAC--the place he’s called home for four years.

The players in the game streamed off of the field along with feelings of de-spair lurking over them, but their teammates patted them on the back and gave them a smile saying, “Good job, bro!” and “Atta’ baby!”

Smiles covered the sidelines in a domino effect followed by laughter and support.

They lost 21-3 and instead of hunching-over from the disappointment of defeat, they continued to joke, smile, chest bump and ‘bro-hug’ on the sidelines when they weren’t shouting at the players on the field.

This year, the Gators’ attitudes morphed from un-caring and irresponsible to passionate and committed.

The varsity football team finished with a regular-season record of 7-3 and played against Denver South in their first apperarance at the playoffs since 2009 with 252 overall points scored this season versus last year’s record of 2-8 with only 115 points scored, leading them to an unsuccessful season in 2011.*

“We’re all playing for the same goal,” starting quarterback, Jacob Naranjo ‘15 said. “We’ve been work-ing a lot together so we have a lot better chemistry.” The Gator football team worked together as one, as a team of brothers, and their chemistry created one of the best seasons that Standley Lake football has seen in years.

The whopping number of sophomores on the team could’ve changed their fate, but it also may be their changes in perspective and the new found familiar-ity with their fellow team-mates.

“Last year, there were so many cliques inside of

the football team and not everyone bonded. But every-one has been so much more dedicated this year and now we are really like a band of brothers,” offensive and defensive lineman, Anthony Ochiato ‘13 said.

They are not just any other football team trudging out to the field, they are a family ready to dominate every opponent.

“We have way better chemistry because everyone has been showing up to off season workouts to make the team better and bond,” tight end/defensive end, Trey Jarvis ‘14 said. “The biggest difference I’ve seen is that we don’t give up--we keep fighting, down or up. We never quit anymore.”

No matter how many aches and pains they might have, they show up to practice and work. They keep fighting, pushing. This only makes everyone become closer and supportive of one another. The players want everyone to do as well as the next person, not just for the record, but for the accom-plishment of your brothers being the best of the best.

“Yeah, there is [a lot

Jordan Downing ‘14Lucas Videtich ‘13 Connor Durant ‘15•140 att. 764

yards•5.46 yards

per carry average•76.4 yards

per game•Longest Run:

38 yards•9 touchdowns•Fifth most

rushing yards in league

•67 solo tackles •28 assists •95 total

tackles •9.5 tackles

per game•2 intercep-

tions for 29 yards• Seventh in

league for total tackles

•20 receptions•307 yards•15.35 yards

per catch•30.7 yards per

game, •Longest

Reception-32 yards, •4 touchdowns•Fourth ranked

reciever in league

more chemistry]. We’re all brothers,” wide receiver, Connor Durant ‘15 said.

The football team may not have won every game, but they have already won with their attitude adjust-ments and commitment levels.

Every weekday of summer they were in the sweltering heat practicing for hours on end, pushing themselves to the limit while spending their days of sweet summer on the football field at 8:00 a.m.

Every day of the school year, they spend eighth hour in the stenchy weight room and then, during fall, they head out to the field to prac-tice and strive for perfection until 6:00 p.m. Unlike most teenagers, though, they are happy to be there knowing that this will lead to another win and more chemistry with their football brothers.

“They do a lot on their own time. They go to football camps, they do com-munity service. It’s a very positive environment,” head coach Don Morse said. “Ev-eryone is more committed. There were a lot of uncom-mitted people last year. This

Facesonthefield

year, they’re a tight group and they’re focused.”

Desire lurks in the pits of their stomachs. The genuine passion they have for foot-ball leaks through their skin along with the gallons of sweat. Commitment pours through their actions. Their love for the game and each other...can’t be described.

Smiles rose upon each players face when the overall season was mentioned. Knowing that they have gotten Standley Lake football back on the right track, making the playoffs and winning the homecom-ing game against Green Mountain, which at the time was ranked sixth in the 4A division, made this season their best in years.

Not only has all of their heap of accomplishments this season made them proud to be a part of the now-beloved Standley Lake football team but, a member of their tight-knit football family.

As Standley Lake stu-dents would say, “I believe that we have won!”

-Compiled by James Burky, Emily Morin and

Chaye Gutierrez

10*Due to press time, The Lake was unable to report on the result of the playoff game on Nov. 9.

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League Champions. For the first time ever,

the Gymnastics team claimed the Jeffco League Championsship. Not only that, but the girls walked away with an all time high score of 179.65.

The team also won numerous individu-al awards. Zoie Hoben ‘13 won 1st team All-around and Most Valuable Gymnast in League. Hannah Bissani ‘15 also won 1st team All-around. Katie McBride ‘13 won 1st team beam and Maddi York ‘15 1st team floor.

The ladies finished off their season with a 9th place finish at the State tournament.

Perfect 10

- Compiled by Kessa Gomez and Jessica Olmstead

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community

Oct. 5 Amber Alert issued

We lean on each other in the face of tragedy

colored purple

A

Purple is the color of lav-ender. Bruises are sometimes purple. A veteran might wear a purple heart years after serving our country.

But, the color purple will always have a differ-ent meaning for us here at Standley Lake.

Purple was Jessica’s favorite color.

The morning of Oct. 5, a family in Countryside goes about their normal routine. A mother ushered her daughter to get ready for school. She helped her pack up her backpack, walked her to the door, said “I love you, have a good day,” and watched from the front door as her daughter disappeared from her sight on her way to school.

Not even 10 minutes later, someone took her baby girl’s life.

The community sur-rounding Standley Lake has just experienced the hardest misfortune it ever has, and probably ever will go through. This event took everyone by surprise.

A ten-year-old girl named Jessica Ridgeway left us in this community in an unspeakable way. This community has been right there with the girl’s family from the beginning.

On the morning of Oct. 5, little Jessica went missing. By that night, through the means of social networking and word of mouth, every-one had at least heard some-thing of the missing girl.

The next morning, nearly 1,000 volunteers showed up to Westview Recreational Center to be a part of a search effort for Jessica. Community members

marched through wet fields in 30 degree weather, searching through brush with frozen fingertips for hours at a time.

“I wanted to help a fam-ily find their missing some-one,” Abigail Williamson ‘13 said of helping to go search that Saturday morning.

The community did what-ever it could to help find this missing child.

Students, sympathizing parents, everyone just want-ed this nightmare to end.

“It has brought a lot of people together, which is really nice, except its kind of for a bad reason, it’s nice to see that people acted so quickly and have tried to help.” Michael Pesavento ‘13

A short time after her disappearance, a local resident found Jessica’s backpack in a suburban

neighborhood in Superior. A slight glimpse of hope.

On the evening of Oct. 9, community members gathered in two places for an event called “Light up the Night for Jessica,” where in-dividuals brought flashlights to point in the direction of the sky as the community prayed for Jessica’s safe return. One at Kensington Park near Witt Elementary, Jessica’s school, and another at Superior Community park near where Jessica’s back-pack was found.

Mothers, fathers, elders, little ones, all bundled up in purple, and purple ribbons and balloons adorned the sight.

The almost 2,000 people that showed up ended the night with arms around their loved ones, singing “Amaz-ing Grace” with hopeful

Story continued on page 16

Oct. 6 Police and volunteers search

Oct. 7 Backpack and waterbottle

foundOct. 10 Body found in

Pattridge Open Space ParkOct. 12 Body identified as

Jessica Ridgeway

School shows their support for Jessica and the Ridgeway family.

12

Oct. 12 Body identified as Jessica Ridgeway

The girl behind the headlines

My favorite little bratWe sat down with Jessica Ridgeway’s cousin, Michael Pesavento ‘13 to see how he’s handled the difficult situation.

The Lake (TL): What was your initial reaction to this tragedy?Michael Pesavento ‘13 (MP): I wasn’t sure what to think when I found out they caught the guy. That’s what I expected to be responsible for my cousin’s death--just some guy. Instead it was Austin [Sigg], a student that shared a classroom with me my sophomore year in Biology and my junior year in World Studies. It seemed impossible.

TL: What was it like for you during the search for Jessica?MP: Honestly, while search-ing I felt it wasn’t productive for me to think about wheth-er or not we would find her, I just knew I needed to look and keep hold of a sense of hope. Searching felt better

Before Austin Sigg, 17, was known as the person charged with Jessica Ridgeway’s kidnapping and murder, he was a Gator. The students who knew him recognized him as the computer expert with a friendly disposi-tion and a willingness to help others.

To librarian Ms. Marty Harris, he was a dependable assistant with an omnipresent smile.

“He was very generous with his time and always offered to help us with any comput-er-related issues or technology,” Ms. Harris said, eyes filling with tears.

While most students are only teacher assistants for one semester, Ms. Harris spent a whole year with Sigg in the library.

“We saw him every day, regardless of if he worked or not. He was so good to us,” Ms. Harris said.

People like Ms. Harris who thought they knew Sigg inside and out were hit the hard-est by the shock of his actions.

Austin Caisse ‘13, knew Sigg as the “par-ty of the group.”

“He was very friendly and talkative... He definitely had an ego,” Caisse said. “I’ve heard a lot of people say he was quiet, but I don’t think that was him. I didn’t know him like that.”

Sigg currently faces 17 charges, including four counts of first degree murder. He is also being charged for the attempted kidnapping that took place at Ketner Lake in May. The next court date is scheduled for Nov. 27.

His younger brother Parker, a freshman, was attending Standley Lake until Oct. 23. His family and the school district are pursuing options for Parker to continue his education.

Story continued on page 16

Ex-student charged

Oct. 23 Suspect Austin Sigg taken

into custody

Oct. 31 Sigg charged as an adult with 17 counts,

including first degree murder

Nov. 27 Sigg will make his next appearence in court

Oct. 24 Students recieve news of arrest in school

Community members memorialize Jessica with their gifts and prayers

As a fifth-grader, you begin to gain certain ounces of independence.

You can dress more expressively, you gain allow-ance, you buy your own toys and games.

And you are finally able to walk to school by yourself.

But for one little girl, these glimpses of indepen-dence were cut short.

Because behind these headlines, the commentary, the newscasts and the sor-row, there is a ten-year-old girl named Jessica Ridgeway.

She grew up in Country-side, the neighborhood not five minutes away from the Swamp.

She played in Chelsea Park, took walks in Kensing-ton Park, and ran around in our school gym for Pee Wee Cheer.

She shared a close-knit home with her mom, aunt, and grandma, living every moment with a vibrant, positive personality, a little shining sun in everyone’s life.

Like most elementary school girls, she was always quick to giggle, she loved playing with dolls and her friends, like her neighbor Anna, and she had a passion for animals. Her favorite color was purple, and she would play “teenager,” pretending to be a waitress and a cheerleader all the while reassuring her mom that she would be the kind of cheerleader that would be nice to everybody.

But then, one October morning, little Jessica walked out the door of her house and never returned.

News stations reported

her case 24/7, missing chil-dren papers displayed her name and face in every store window you walked by, and countless Westminster Police Department conferences were televised with any report about her.

Impersonally, this is how the world knows her.

However, we know her a little differently.

For instance, there’s Michael Pesavento ‘13, Jes-sica’s older cousin, a young man who embodies what it means to be strong, and someone who wants to em-phasize who Jessica was.

He recalled, with bit-tersweet sorrow, one of his favorite memories of her. “I would babysit her over the summer,” he said. “Since at the time I wasn't old enough to be with her alone, we

than doing nothing at all.

TL: How are you doing with this tragedy? Is it a struggle?MP: I feel okay; it’s difficult right now trying to keep track of the things that need to be taken care of, like school and work. I am glad to see [Sigg] brought to jus-tice, and it does take some of the stress off. At least we know that the community is safe, and it gives me a sense of ease. School has been a bit more difficult than usual. People are very hush-hush around me, and it’s like they’re just sparing my feelings. I realize it comes from a place of love, which I appreciate. But I just want to move forward, and I guess those little things just remind me that this is a misfortune I carry with me daily. It surrounds me at school.

Story continued on page 16

Compiled by Eva Hall, Courtney Sullivan, Austin Kunert, Chaye Gutirrez, and Reonna Hatch 13

hearts.Here’s the amazing thing. Hardly any of the people there knew Jessica

personally. The people who organized the event weren’t even close with the family. It being so close to home, everyone wanted to show their support for this community and this family going through such a terrible time. It seemed as though it didn’t matter what the event was, if it was for Jessica, people would show up.

And the color purple will from now on, always have a different meaning in this community.

On October 12, here at SLHS, student council organized a day devoted to Jessica. The school was a sea of purple. People who never participated in anything wore purple ribbons proudly.

“[I wore purple] just to bring the community all together. I thought it was really good to see the whole school in purple.” Marissa Settje ‘13

Lunchtimes filled with sentiments and hopeful comments were written on a banner that was given to the Ridgeway family.

“We wanted to organize a day for the school to show how much we care and show our support for the Ridgeway family.” Student Council Vice President Kelsey Goetz ‘13 said. “ It was amazing to see everyone in the halls wearing purple.”

At Chelsea Park, the place where Jessica met her friends every morning before school, community members placed balloons, stuffed animals, posters, hand-written notes, candles, all kinds of gifts for Jessica.

This community loves Jessica.On the afternoon of Oct. 12, police announced that a body found in

Pattridge Park Open Spaces was indeed Jessica’s, and everyone’s hearts dropped.

Disbelief.There couldn’t be enough prayers for the family that day.This community truly lost a special little girl.

SLHS community shows support

An inside look at Jessicawould build really good pillow forts and watch the Disney channel. I would

end up falling asleep, and when I would wake up she would still be there, awake...”

Pesavento said that Jessica was her own person, that she didn’t care what people thought of her. Despite most kids her age, she loved going to school and learning, and most importantly, being with her family.

Described by her family as an “ordinary girl,” she had an uncanny ability to brighten anyone’s day, and her free-spiritedness was palpable.

“Last summer, when I could actually drive, her mom gave me money so that we could go to Adventure Golf,” Pesavento said. “After about the 4th hole, I found a purple golf ball in the pond. We fished it out and took it, but then we kept finding more and more, and we ended up having bagfuls of golf balls in purple and all colors.”

At Christmas parties for Kaiser Permanente, where Jessica’s grandmother worked, Cameron Meyers ‘15 met Jessica through his mom, since she also worked there. He said that Jessica was shy at first, but fun and outgoing once you got to know her.

“My 8th grade year at a Christmas party when we were running through-out this house playing hide and go seek, all these different games would be the best time I remember having with Jessica. All in all she was always fun to talk to,” Meyers said.

Breeanna Grothendick ‘14 has an older sister who worked with Jessica’s grandmother at Kaiser for years, and she fell in love with Jessica’s sweet smile and attitude toward others.

“The way she always had a smile on her face and the way she treated oth-ers was amazing,” Grothendick said. “Every time there was a company get-together, I would go with her, just to catch up with little Jessica. Of course, she could get a little annoying, but it was always so fun to sit and listen to her school and family stories, and she was always singing cute songs.

“When I heard about Jessica’s abduction from her cousin, since I hadn’t seen her in a while, I didn’t even realize it was her,” Grothendick continued.

Pesavento speaks outTL: How is the trial involving the case?MP: There couldn’t be any more tension in that courtroom. Knowing that Aus-tin was guilty, standing nearly ten feet away from him was incredibly difficult. There was anger, confusion, and sadness running through me all at once. Of course, I wanted nothing more than to see him convicted, but I saw his family and their tears present in each member, and it really is true when they say two families lost their child.

The memorial service that took place at Faith Bible Chapel the following Tuesday had a full house. Dressed in purple, almost 3,000 people showed up to mourn the little girl.

Everyone spent their Tuesday in church in support of this little girl because this had happened right in their backyard.

The memorial celebrated Jessica’s life, and gave out the message to every-one to let Jessica’s legacy live on. The service touched the hearts of many.

“It was important to me to go and show support for her and her family.” Spencer Davis ‘14

The fact that this family lost their baby girl, is devastating. But they haven’t had to go through it alone. We’ve all been right there with them from the beginning.

This tragedy has proven that this community is full of great people. On Oct. 24, police announced that the killer was Austin Sigg, a student at

Arapahoe Community College, someone that attended Standley Lake just last year. It was during 5th hour block when the student body heard the news. Shock. Disbelief. Everyone went to their 5th hour, school being the only stress on their minds. People left 5th hour lost, only wanting to find someone to help them make sense of it all. The eery silence on the way to 7th hour gave every-one a pit in their stomachs, as they passed by students, some crying their eyes out, others completely numb.

“I was freaked out, I went to school with him since the 4th grade. I just wanted to cry.” Gabrielle Gathe ‘13 said.

It was at this point that the community realized it had lost two children.Even now, people are continuing to heal from what has happened.The one person that took Jessica’s life was not enough to taint this com-

munity. We are not afraid, we can walk through our community heads held high. It’s sad that it took a tragedy to prove this, but we now know that we’re surrounded by people that care immensely and will come together if needed. We are strong, and we will continue to love in order to drive out the hate.

The name Jessica Ridgeway and her legacy will live on forever.And this community will always be colored purple.

“I even went on the search party the Saturday after it happened, and still didn’t even realize she was gone. When I talked to my sister the next day, she brought up Jessica’s grandma, how we all went on the search party together. That’s when it finally hit me, that Jessica was gone. This little fun-loving, laughing, happy, girl was missing, and when it hit, it hit really hard. I was confused how anyone could do this to her. Now that everything is done, and justice has been served for Jessica, I feel better. But now, there’s this empti-ness in my stomach. I wish I had more time to get to know her better, I wish there was something more I could have done.”

Jessica, besides being a fun person, was also an aspiring athlete, who never gave up. Elle George ‘13 was Jessica’s coach for Pee Wee Cheer and said, “She always had a positive attitude and the most cheerful spirit out of all the girls. She was definitely my favorite little Pee Wee.”

Bringing her life--a life full of laughter and love, sweetness and joy--to a celebrated close, her memorial service at the Faith Bible Chapel held hundreds of people whose hearts, bursting with love, yearned to capture the essence of Jessica’s life. The seats, lined with boxes of tissues, were flooded in purple, and Jessica’s favorite song, “Call Me Maybe,” blasted through the speakers as slideshows displayed her bubbly little self growing up on the screen, forever ten years old, forever cherished.

Jessica will never get the chance to grow up within these pink walls at Standley Lake.

She will never get the chance to cheer at football games, or be the nicest cheerleader this school has ever seen.

But she will always be fiercely adored. The purpose, now, as Pastor George Morrison of the Faith Bible Chapel

said, is to celebrate and remember her love and her legacy. Hope lives in her story, and the beauty in this tragedy is that all of us in

this brave community will eternally grow, and that we have been able to catch a glimpse as to who Jessica was.

TL: Is there anything you feel you need to say to the student body?MP: I just want to say how great the community has been in all of this. To see everyone helping out and doing their part is amazing. Especially with her memorial, everyday there’s always something new lying on the grass along with everything else the community has given. It’s just nice to know people truly do care.

Continued from page 13

Continued from page 13

Continued from page 12

- Eva Hall

- Courtney Sullivan

14

R.I.P. JessicaRidgeway

2002-2012

Photos by Eva Hall, Courtney Sullivan, and courtesy of Michael Pesavento 15

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- Pop the popcorn in the microwave, following packaging instructions. Transfer pop-corn to a large bowl, being careful to pick out all of the unpopped kernels.- Melt the white chocolate chips or candy melts in the microwave in 30 second inter-vals, stirring between each 30 seconds until it is fully melted.- Stir in the vegetable oil to the melted chocolate until smooth. Then add the cake mix to the chocolate - the mixture will be thick, but mix until well-incorporated.- Drizzle the chocolate/cake batter mixture over the popcorn and add half of the sprinkles. Use your (clean) fingers to toss everything together until evenly coated.- Spread the popcorn onto wax paper-lined cookie sheets to allow the chocolate to

- Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, combine apples, lemon juice, and vanilla. - Toss to combine.- Layer sliced apples in a 9 x 12-inch (or approximately the same size) baking pan.- Combine brown sugar, cinnamon, and oatmeal in a bowl. Cut in the butter. Sprinkle sugar mixture over apples.- Bake 45 minutes or until topping looks crunchy and apples are tender. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

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I hear the familiar jingle at the front door as I enter my home-away-from-home.

“Welcome to Gamestop! May I help you?” the man asks. I nod politely and ask for Pokemon Black 2. Lucky for me, they have it in stock, and I pull out my wallet. Two guys higher than the Burj Khalifa laugh at me from the back of the store. All I did was laugh along.

Yes I’m a nerd. But what’s wrong with that? I have a passion for something.

Usually, people laugh at me when they find out that I still like playing Pokemon. Why, though? Is it funny that I like to have a piece of my childhood with me? Is it funny that I find the games enjoyable? Is it funny that I like figuring out strategies? if you think that’s funny, you can just call me Daniel Tosh.

I’m not the only one though; Brendan Roby ‘15 and Brandt Wintzen ‘15 play the Pokemon games, too.

”You can kinda make it your own world. Raise and train your own pokemon. It’s all about personalization, which is really cool,” said Wintzen.

The games gives an artificial bond from the

OPI

NIO

NS

Made Up ReligionsChurch masses never

really made sense to me. I found myself constantly doz-ing off to the droning voice of my pastor, as his voice echoed through the godly walls. The constant robotic prayers of the people who attended every Sunday mass put me to sleep. It was a mess, not to mention a com-plete waste of my time.

My Catholic religion had no place in my life. It made no sense in my life. The only thing that did make sense was the spiritual connection I felt when I was climbing the Rocky Mountains, or taking in the warmth from the sun on a cool November

day. It made sense when I was thinking of the one sermon I heard when I was twelve that spoke to me. It made sense when I was in meditation in a calm breeze, surrounded by a seemingly never ending ocean.

But the things that made sense to me, they weren’t a religion. They were from a variety of religions, and some were part of no reli-gion that I had knowledge of.

Society has taught us in order to practice faith, we must participate in an established institution, what we commonly call religion. I say forget that. Create your -Sabrina Pacha

Yep, I’m a Nerd

Lo siento, pero no lo siento... -Spanish teacher, Ms. Joanne Follett

player to the pokemon (Not as crazy as it sounds) but it’s true. I sometimes feel it but it’s true.

“You get to choose your own pokemon and go on a long, magical journey, and become each other’s best friends,” said Roby. “I am serious, like dead serious. My six pokemon are like my best friends.”

It’s not like this is just a phase or anything. If it is, well it’s one long phase. I mean, for five years now I’ve been playing Pokemon games regularly, from playing Sapphire with my neighbor Kevin Patrick ‘16 in 2007 on the Game Boy

own religion. Make a medley of Buddhism, Catholicism, and Judaism. Name it after yourself. Believe with every fiber of your being in your religion, because you cre-ated it to fit you.

God doesn’t have to be a man in the sky who grants you into heaven, or damns you to hell. He can be who-ever you want him to be. For me, He is the stars, the wind, the mountains, the nature of our world. He can be the energy surrounding our bodies and souls. He should not be condemned to the ideals of the most prominent religions.

I was never one to con-form to certain ideals that somebody made up for me. . I believe in reincarnation, karma, Christian prayers, and the spiritual awakening

through meditation. Most importantly, I lead my life with the belief that God, whoever or whatever he may be, is necessary to get us through life.

These varied beliefs fall far from fitting into one established religion.

We have been put on this incredible world with such incredible minds. Let’s use them to realize we do not need to follow just one religion, we can follow ten, fifteen, twenty religions or make our own. In the end, all it comes down to is being in touch with something spiritual, soulful, and bigger than this world.

So make that religion that fits the cracks and crevices of your life. Make something that fits you, and something you can work with.

Advance to playing Black 2 on the DS today.

You know what? I don’t think I’ll ever grow out of Pokemon. The habits we develop at 15 years of age tend to stick with us our whole life. If you use weed or cocaine on a regular basis right now, chances are, you will use them for the rest of your life. You drink at parties or with friends? You have a higher chance of being an alcoholic as an adult.

Think about it, what’s better--playing Pokemon games for the rest of your life or becoming an alcoholic or drug addict? I’ll take the first one any day.

I was able to overcome society’s ideals of religious institutions and strict views of God and what he stands for. I can practice my faith the way I want to, with-out having to conform to one religion. I once read something online that stuck with me.The quote went something like, “The more I learn about the universe, the more beautiful god be-comes. He doesn’t want our religiosity. He wants to be our soul-friend.” A strict religious stance isn’t necessary to be able to practice faith. All that is necessary is a connection with your soul and your faith.

18

It’s not like I’m complete-ly antisocial.

“I think it’s awesome that you’re 16, you do things like play sports, longboard, go to football games, parties, you’ve had girlfriends, you have friends, all of that stuff, but you still love playing Pokemon games,” said my sister, Annie Burky ‘10.

Pokemon is not just a geeky fad. Pokemon is the 3rd highest selling Video Game franchise of ALL TIME. Not just Nintendo, but any video game franchise ever made, more than Resident Evil, Legend of Zelda, and Madden, and even more bi-zarre, the Video Game fran-

chise is just as old as me! Mario is first while Super Mario is second, which are basically the same franchise, so really Pokemon is the sec-ond highest selling franchise of all time. It’s been around for 16 years, and it’s already almost made as much as Super Mario Bros.

Are you scared of be-ing made fun of? Are you scared to admit that you play Pokemon games? Don’t be. Don’t avoid those things so you can be cool. Embrace them and take advantage of them. Proudly play old video games or watch something different, or write music.

Don’t worry about your peers because they want to crush your dream. Don’t live with regrets, I found that out the hard way but it’s not too late for you. if you don’t live with regrets, you will be much happier when you do embrace those things. I urge you all to proudly play pokemon or games like that if you love them. Be pas-sionate.

-James Burky

STAFF EDITORIAL

Standley Lake Rises

Our community comes together, leaving us stronger than ever

Lo siento, pero no lo siento... -Spanish teacher, Ms. Joanne Follett

19

Can we brag about ourselves for a minute?

Can we brag about how soccer went to State for the first time in 21 years?

How the gymnastics team made it to league champions, which puts a banner in the gym for the first time for any Standley Lake sport in five years?

How football is in the playoffs for the first time in 3 years?

And, to toot our own horn just a little bit, how The Lake won All-Colora-do two years in a row for all of the 5A schools in Colorado?

It’s safe to say that we are never short of intense school spirit. Regardless of that, our sports teams are performing like never before, our clubs are winning statewide titles, and as people, this type of zeitgeist makes us incredibly unique.

Take our Gymnastics team, who, because of going to league cham-

pionships, is awarded a banner in the gym, the first for their sport - and the first in five years.

Our soccer team, filled with underclass-men, raised the bar higher than ever before, going to State.

The football team overcame their mini-teams to become a much larger, united team, which arguably was a reason in their success this season.

We are part of a com-munity with students and athletes that are working harder than ever to be better than ever.

“It’s a positive mes-sage for us. The kids work so hard all year to achieve that goal and they’ve absolutely accomplished that,” athletic director Ms. Jodi Reinhard said.

But especially, besides sending mere positive messages to ourselves and our surrounding communities, we have grown.

We’ve needed a reason to grow, and now, we’ve never needed it more.

We are now strong, blessed people in light of the loss of Jessica Ridge-way, a sweet, beautiful little girl who one day would have walked these halls, would have covered herself in green and blue, Gator true.

And because of this, we’ve never been more proud to call ourselves Standley Lake Gators.

Our students and staff have risen above the tragedy with love and compassion. Every single selfless counselor, teacher, student, parent and community member pulled together to offer each other the support we all needed.

Our teachers and students have worked fiercely and passionately to ensure that we can overcome the hardships of Jessica’s story, and to feel safe and comfortable within these walls.

Student Council, in an effort to bring our school together, was responsible for Wear Purple Day, an entire day dedicated to Jessica.

This kept us united, gave us shoulders to lean on, and provided the leadership to work through the heartache.

Ultimately, this is a tremendous community.

The work that has been put forth to improve our school and to reach the goals we set is in-credible. We are students and staff, dedicated and compassionate, that won’t let anything bring them down.

“The Standley Lake school community is like a family,” Principal Jeff Pierson said. “We take care of each other and were all unified in everything we do. People fit in here - we don’t have many segregated groups, we are one big family, and I think we do very well with that. We’re go-ing to deal with adver-

sity in a lot of different ways, but one thing I do know is we’ll persevere through it and this com-munity will move on.”

Our school has been put through tests of negative publicity this past year, but every test we get, we work through it together.

No test though can amount to the trial we’re going through now. The loss of this little girl is the single most horrible thing we’ve gone through, but can this stop us from growing? No.

It’s rare to come across a school in which you can find greatness in sports and so much love in people. It’s time that we, as a community, recognize our accom-plishments and take pride in who we are and what we have done.

We have so much ex-cellence that is festering, growing, becoming.

We are excellence. We are achievers. We are Gators.

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