Issue 1 (Sept. 2016)

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Founded in 1919

The FCHS Student Newspaper

Sept. 29, 2016

Pokémon Go pg. 9

McNeal Makeover pg. 5 DIY pgs. 10-14 Weird Sports pg. 16 Embracing Tradition pg. 23

Photo by Annie Nay

Volume 99 Issue 1 3400 Lambkin Way

Fort Collins, CO 80525

Phone: (970) 488-8199

Fax: (970) 488-8008

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News

Sept. 29, 2016

Spilled Ink

NEWS AROUND THE SCHOOL REMEMBERING JARED & GENEVIEVE SOMMERVOLD Spencer Thompson

F C H S

News Editor

The family of science teacher Genevieve Sommervold and her husband Jared has created a Go Fund Me account for the couple’s 2-yearold daughter, Aurelia Grace Sommervold.

The page was set up to provide for their baby daughter and support her needs after her parents’ fatal accident.

At approximately 9:30 p.m. on Friday Sept. 21, the Sommervolds were involved in a rollover crash on I-25 near the Loveland exit. Aurelia was the only survivor.

A Celebration of Life was held at the Rocky Mountain Christian Church in Niwot last Thursday. Fellow teachers, students, family, and friends all gathered to remember and commemorate the two legacies left by the Sommervolds.

“There was humor used in the eulogies from both sides of the family,” counselor Tanya Vigil said. “It was neat to see her family and her husband’s side of the family. It felt good to be there and see a different side of her.”

A candlelight vigil was also held last Tuesday evening by the Peer Counselors. The ceremony took place under the tower.

Flowers covered t h e

benches in front of the school, resting under a banner honoring the two teachers. Students, teachers, and peers came together to provide support and comfort to those most affected.

INSIDE THE INK New Landscaping on north side of building

News 2-5

FCHS alumni make film

A&E 6-9

Students get creative in Cosplay Club

In-Depth 10-14

CORRECTIONS This where the Spilled ink staff will point out corrections

Hockey joins group of FCHS sports

Sports 15-18

GMOs beneficial

Perspectives 19-23

News

Spilled Ink

Sept. 29, 2016

How To: Choose a Club Do you like people?

Homecoming celebrations to start week of Oct. 3 Kaitlyn Schmidt

Head Graphic Artist Homecoming this year will be the week of Oct. 3-7, with the dance on Saturday, Oct. 8, from 8-11 p.m. in the commons.

The theme this year is movie genres.

“What we’re thinking is having a huge movie poster for each grade,” senior Zayne Hoyland, student body vice president, said.

Student Council will be selling dance tickets during the day outside the lunch room the week of Homecoming for $17 with an activity pass and $21 without.

Spirit days begin Monday with movie character dress-up day and a Powder Puff game after school.

Tuesday is black and white dress-up with a soccer game against FRHS. Wednesday is waterpark day with bonfire and car smash after school. Thursday is Frat day with a volleyball game against FRHS, and Friday is Fort Collins spirit day with an assembly after classes.

PSAT to occur at FCHS to qualify for National Merit

No

Do you like arguing?

Joseph Vasseur Staff Writer To make FCHS a safer place for everyone and keep students at lunch supervised, students can no longer eat in the upper spine or the gerbil tubes.

“The number one thing we worry about is safety— student safety—and that comes along with student supervision,” Assistant Principal Skip Caddoo said.

Students may still eat in the downstairs spine, the commons, and outside. Double doors to hallways will be shut but not locked during common lunch and fourth and fifth period. Additional areas in which students will be able to eat are still under discussion.

Same—don’t join any clubs

No, stop talking to me

Running sucks, biking is lyfe

Join Bike Club

I don’t know... sure?

Join Cosplay Club

Do you like nature?

Kind of?

Yes, and I especially love torturing and killing fish

Yes, but not as much as I like equality

Join Fly Tying Club

Join Gay Straight Alliance

Join Key Club

How do you settle arguments?

Anybody who answered “no” to this is wrong The Flash is cool, so yeah running is dope

Do you like running?

Managing Editor

New restrictions to regulate eating locations

Flowchart by Joseph Mason

Of course!

Maya Bode The National Merit Qualifier PSAT will take place on Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 7:45 p.m. in the gym.

“I encourage any student that feels they might be able to qualify for National Merit recognition to take this test,” counselor Cindy Benger said. “Those students who really want to get into higher level, more selective colleges — it’s important for them to have this official practice in a setting that they would be exposed to for timing for the SAT.” Students must register online through Total Registration, at a link which will be emailed to students and parents. The confirmation page must be printed and brought to Bookkeeper Lindsey Terrel along with a $25 payment for the exam.

Only juniors can qualify for National Merit recognition, but the test is also open to sophomores.

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Join Competitive Gaming Club

Join Debate

Pretending to be lawyers

Are you really smart and also have a strange obsession with keys?

Yes! Who doesn’t love keys? I had no idea there was a club like this. Thanks for making this awesome flow chart. It kind of reminds me of my Grandma’s house key, which is one of my favorite keys

Good oldfashioned debates

Coming up with ad hominem attacks while playing video games

Join Mock Trial

I mean I’m smart but I’m not that into keys

Join History Club

Playing a board game while subconsciously thinking about how much I hate checkers

Join Chess Club

Homecoming transcends tradition Molly Lubbers Columnist The flames crackle, a spark flying out and fizzling. This is no fireplace; the fire reaches up multiple feet, illuminating the tower behind it. A few days later, students on the bus to the Homecoming game looked at the same tower, perhaps thinking nothing of it. At the game, the cheerleaders’ hair swishes back and forth, their bows glittering in the soft light of French Field. Their chants echo the yells of the crowd as the football passes through the goalpost. There is a feeling of tradition here, symbolized not just by the tower standing tall, but also by the experiences we share.

But even what is most central to our culture hasn’t been around forever. As teenagers, we often focus only on the individual rather than the whole; when we ignore the rich history of FCHS, we forget all that came before us.

We are so focused on making our own memories in high school centered around these traditions that we don’t remember they have to start sometime. Some have been lost among the years,

but ones like the bonfire blaze on.

In 1902, the first Homecoming celebration occurred, called an Alumni Reunion, and in the 1940s, it became more like today’s event.

By then, it wasn’t just the bonfire; it included a dance, which was considered vulgar before that point. And clearly, the boys no longer actually set up the wood of the fire as they did in the beginning.

Nevertheless, traditions evolve to fit the times and remain popular.

But sometimes, they simply fade.

Traditional “Bedraces” stopped after the transition to the new building. They took place in what is now CSU’s botanical gardens.

According to language arts teacher Rebecca Garrett, people would team up and carry one person on some form of a bed, whether a cot or mattress, to different stations. They would be graded

on how well they did at each station, as well as how quickly they completed each one.

Stations included eating pie with no hands, acting out a situation, or other silly physical challenges.

As people completed the Bedraces, they could glance across the street and see the old FCHS tower easily. Clearly, it has always been a part of us, looking over every tradition and standing guard in every Lambkin’s life. So it seems fitting that a tradition would grow out of that; at the old school, people would climb up into it to carve their initials within the bell tower.

Perhaps my mark on FCHS will not be so visible as my initials, but I do know that in a small way, everyone who passes through these doors is making their own little version of h i s t o r y.

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Sept. 29, 2016

Spilled Ink

Exchange students notice differences in new country Brooke Pippin Staff Writer Imagine walking into school and receiving a schedule for all your classes, except everyone is speaking something other than your native language. When you leave school, you aren’t going to your home, you aren’t even in your home country. You are studying abroad.

This year FCHS is hosting eight students from other countries, including Beatriz Vitor and Giorgio Roman from Brazil, JongEun Song from South Korea, Chiara Zorn, Rugile Kriksciunaite from Lithuania, Yousef Alijobaily from Saudi Arabia, and Sara Pagani and Mafalda Aiassa from Italy.

Students are increasingly turning to studying abroad for its many benefits. According to USnews.com, the percentage is rising every year, likely because of the positive qualities many of these programs claim to have.

“Students gain a worldwide perspective,” Counselor Brett Fedor said. “Students who come back have this very big, open perspective, this ‘it’ factor.”

While there are difficulties faced by students who plan to study abroad, cost does not have to be one of them. Student aid is often offered by many study abroad programs. And, according to Fedor, finding a respectable program through which to study abroad is more time consuming than the actual application process itself.

On Sept. 8, welcoming lunch took place for all the foreign exchange students to share their experiences. One common aspect of American life students found surprising was the size of the school.

“My trip was very long and very exhausting, but I am glad that I am here,” Chiara Zorn said. “I like the school so far, but it’s so big. There are a lot of students.”

Another common surprise to the students is that they are able to take electives.

“I like the part that you can choose your subjects,” Giorgio Roman said.

Monthly lunches are held in the student services common room for the foreign exchange students; however, all students and teachers are welcome to join. The next one will be held on Oct. 6, the first

Thursday of the month, during common lunch. Often these lunches have a theme; for example, “ethnic foods from your country.” It is an opportunity to spend time with and get to know all these students.

Graphics by Spencer Thompson Photo by Brooke Pippin

Math tutor, academic services �ind new home

many of the students, which can help make students more comfortable working with him, and Staff Writer encourages them to use the room more regularly.

“I use this room every day,” senior Jorden West This year, the math tutor has moved from L-203 to said. “It helps me P-100 to become part of concentrate because a new study area known it is quiet in here.” as the Mind Center.

Students find In the Mind Center that the welcoming students can relax and atmosphere and catch up on homework. quietness of the The change was made Mind Center help because the schools them get work done population is growing, much faster. It is also and because P-hall is more in a convenient area, central to most students. because in P-hall, “We have about 100 students are closer more students coming to the front of the to Fort Collins this year, school and the library. and we are expecting Because the 100 more students for library is so close, next year. That is why students can think of we moved the math it as an extension of tutor–for more room, for the mind center, and more available classes” use resources such assistant principal as extra charging Jennifer Roth said. stations, books to Half of the room is check out, and staff a Mind Center, and the members to help walls are lined with desks with computer and so students have plenty of technology problems. space to study or work on The place is homework. The other half staffed with coreis a space for students to subject teachers, work with math tutor Eric A student works in the new P-100 Mind Center in order to aid his academic process. so those who need Modlin, who can help with Photo by Spencer Thompson assistance with any level of mathematics.

Modlin is availableduring everyperiod,from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Modlin enjoys helping students who are struggling English or history can ask teachers for help. Students The Mind Center provides the math tutor and the with math. He has a friendly relationship with can get “trans academic” help, according to Roth.

Seraphina Discoe

students who visit him with a quieter place to work, and more space than what they had last year, to accommodate the increase in students using the resource.

In addition to appreciating the bigger space,

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News

Sept. 29, 2016

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New renovations take place outside McNeal Adelaide Tomsic Perspectives Editor

McNeal. The figure is holding a string of colorful whirly gigs which are supposed to spin, but have lost the ability to rotate.

“I have contacted the man who helped put the sculpture in and he’s supposed to come in in a month to lubricate those so when the wind blows it’s kind of whimsical, kind of artsy,” Eversole said.

Other landscaping development includes additional bike racks which will be installed in the front of the school along the wall of the custodial building. Overall, the building will have more bike parking for students after this upcoming summer.

Eversole and the district will continue collaboration to re-landscape the school campus, creating a more bike friendly and pleasant environment at FCHS. Prearranged improvements extend into this upcoming summer, but more landscaping may be planned later.

The area outside McNeal Auditorium caught on fire 15 years ago after someone threw a cigarette butt onto the dry wood chips and underwatered grass once filling the space. The incident resulted in a broken window and charred land. The wood chips were removed but since then, updates to the landscaping of that area have been neglected. Recently, however, the space is being redesigned to be more attractive and bike-friendly.

“The district has been working with me as far as figuring out what that area is going to look like,” Principal Mark Eversole said.

Over the summer, trees, grasses, and flowers were planted in place of some remaining woodchips and turf. Fresh mulch and pebbles were used to fill in bare ground. The district also installed stone benches outside the theater entrance.

More improvements being made to the landscaping outside of McNeal include new bike racks in a looping shape similar to those at Lesher Middle school. These bike racks will have the capability to fit more bikes than current ones.

To make room for the new racks, some of the grass on the south side walkway will be replaced by cement. The old bike racks will be moved to the dropoff spot in the athletic hall parking lot.

Additionally, some maintenance will be done to the sculpture of the playing figure located outside

T E G L EA

A M A S

N C M

R E V O KE Photos by Annie Nay

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A&E

Sept. 29, 2016

In Brief

Second-annual corgi parade to take place Oct. 1 Molly Lubbers

Columnist

The second Tour de Corgi will take place Oct. 1, at 10 a.m. at Civic Center Park. The corgis will leave at noon, walk around downtown, then return to the park.

According to Tracy Stewart, founder of the event, the $5 registration fee will go to nonprofits: 4 Paws Pet Pantry, which helps people who can’t afford pet food, and Wyoming Dachshund and Corgi rescue, which finds foster or permanent homes for shelter dogs.

To register, visit tourdecorgi.org; t-shirts are also available. The public is welcome to watch the parade and see the dog-related vendors at the park.

FCHS Jazz Band prepares for new musical season Seraphina Discoe Staff Writer The Jazz Band will perform their first concert of the year on Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in rehearsal room B. The band director, David Miles, and his students have been working very hard during sixth hour to prepare for this upcoming jazz concert.

“My students are very excited for the first concert of the year,” Miles said.

The jazz group uses both brass instruments and percussion, all students are welcome to come down to the concert to support the group.

Theater prepares for 2016, 2017 production run Brooke Pippin

Orchestra hosts concert today in McNeal Auditorium Spencer Thompson

Unfortunate dining choice proves awkward

Will Brown Columnist

If you understand the life of a nerd, you know what I mean when I say it was an exciting evening with my friends at Gryphon’s Games and Comics.

I was with a group of five close friends that fateful night 6 months ago.

Dane, Dagan, Adriana, Zander, Conner, and I had just finished a long and agonizing match of Magic the Gathering. Dane finally suggested that we go to Burger King to eat. So, we walked a block over at 8 p.m. to grab a burger. Dagan paid for everything. I ordered a Whopper with a large side of french fries and a milkshake and in about 5 minutes I devoured every bite. (My appetite is sort of like Mr. Crabs. If it is free, then I live for it.) However, I did not know my stomach’s limits at the time.

After we finished our meals, we proceeded to head back to Gryphon’s. Then, by 9 p.m. several of my friends left for home, leaving behind Dagan, Zander, and me.

We all sat in one of the back rooms waiting for our parents to arrive.

The door to the room was closed and we formed a circle of swivel chairs

News Editor

The All Orchestras Concert will take place tonight from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. in the McNeal Auditorium.

“There are around 100 string players at Fort Collins High School,” orchestra director John Hermanson said. “Come and support them.”

The event will include the Concert Orchestra, Sinfonietta Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra, and Tower Orchestra. The Boltz Middle School 8th grade orchestra will also be performing tonight.

The concert is free to all students and parents.

talking about our past and how we, as nerds, lament our social mistakes. But suddenly, right in the middle of a joke, my stomach decided to shoot itself in the kneecap. I guess the Whopper got the best of it. My stomach and I had been through a lot. But now, it was time to let go.

“So, I was walking down the street when o u t of…”

Right a t that

moment, I felt something.

Something I have felt before only in my youth.

Something, that no man should ever

feel. One second after feeling this anomaly, I got up and out of my seat and slammed open the door.

I bolted my way past crowds of people looking at me like I was a rabid dog. I reached the end of the hallway where I suspected the bathrooms to be. But once there, I saw no men’s bathroom, only a woman’s bathroom. After swallowing my pride, I ran in.

The stall was closed. I prayed to any god out there for it to be unoccupied. It was. I walked in, and unleashed hell upon this earth.

After 45 minutes, I pulled up my pants and prepared to explain myself. I walked out and there was a silence among all the people who witnessed my outburst. It was like the scene from the end of the movie “Cool Runnings” when they carried their bob sled in total silence, only this

time it was a scrawny dude who they think just had a mental break down and proceeded to run into the women’s bathroom.

I walked back into the room with my friends. “ W h e r e were you, man?”

Dagan asked.

I took a deep breath in and slowly rested on the swivel chair.

“You don’t want to know.”

Novel dispels myths about fangirl culture

Staff Writer

The 2016-2017 theater lineup includes three shows: “[title of show],” showing Oct. 25-29 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in the Black Box theater, “Mary Poppins,” showing March 2-4, and “She Kills Monsters,” showing April 27-29.

“Most of our shows are modern, but lighthearted.

It’s a very dynamic season” said senior Ryan Forsyth.

Two of the shows are musicals, and one is a play. “[title of show]” is about the process of writing a musical comedy, “Mary Poppins” is a musical based on the Disney movie, and “She Kills Monsters” is a play about “Dungeons and Dragons, and a Geek attitude,” according to the FCHS Musical Weebly.

Spilled Ink

Samantha Ye

In-Depth Editor Everybody knows “Gangnam Style,” the viral sensation of 2012.

Psy, the singer, is part of the Korean music industry popularly known as K-pop, a genre built mainly on highlypolished, sometimes flamboyant, factory-model performance groups.

Few people know anything beyond that, but I do because I’m a fan of K-pop.

And for the most part, I haven’t told people because in the five years I’ve been into K-pop, I’ve noticed one frustrating pattern: whether it’s One Direction in England or Bangtan Boys in Korea, the derision of their fans, specifically fangirls, is consistent and universal.

Goldy Moldavsky’s debut novel, “Kill the Boy Band,” addresses these biases in a surprisingly insightful way.

The book is a chaotic fanfiction parody which details how four friends accidentally kidnap a member of their favorite band, The Ruperts (a One Direction caricature), but even though the characters are satirical exaggerations, some of the narrator’s observations and the core of her fangirl

motivations rang true with me.

“People have called me crazy,” the narrator says. “It’s understandable; fangirls get a bad rap all the time.

They say we’re weird, hysterical, obsessed, certifiable. But those people don’t understand. Just because I love something a lot doesn’t mean I’m crazy.”

At some point, popular opinion decided if you were a fan of celebrities, you were vapid, pathetic, and w i t h o u t anything better to do with your life.

I’m going to take a chance here and suggest I am none of those things.

I love Asian pop for the same reason other people love sports or TV shows or YouTubers: we enjoy it.

“I loved the Ruperts for who they were, sure, but I mostly loved them for how they made me feel.

Which was happy,” the narrator says. “The simplest thing to be in the world. And the hardest.”

Why would anyone try to take girls’ happiness away with ridicule?

Maybe the pop star’s “fangirl” label carries the lousy connotation it does because of what they love.

Some people might find pop stars a stupid subject to be entertained

by. But it doesn’t justify making fangirls feel bad for liking them.

“Other people may have seen fangirls as crazy teenage girls obsessed with a fad, but they couldn’t understand the small but important joy you can get from indulging in these fandoms,” the narrator says.

“Maybe it was obsession, but it was also happiness; an escape from the suckiness of everyday life.”

As a dedicated fan of K-pop, I have seen obsession go too far. But I have also seen communities of fans create amazing fan art, donate thousands of dollars to charity, and of course, make each other smile.

“And when you find something that makes you happy and giddy and excited every day, us fangirls know the truth that everyone else seems to have forgotten: You hold on to that joy tenaciously, for as long as you can,” the narrator says.

Even if fangirls in the future look back on this time with cynicism, they still deserve to enjoy their present without fearing judgment.

“The joy you find as a teen, however frivolous and dumb, is pure, and meaningful,” the narrator says. “It doesn’t matter that it might ferment and taste different when you’re older. That’s the whole point of being a teenager.”

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A&E

Sept. 29, 2016

Spilled Ink

FCHS alumni used school programs to launch �ilm career

r

ito

d gE

gin

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M

Craig Ferguson had a talking robot named Geoff Peterson, David Letterman had Paul Shaffer (a human), and from 2008 to on 2009 Alex Vazquez had Paul as M Stanko (also a human). Vazquez h and Stanko are both graduates of ep s Jo the class of 2009, and they worked together for two years on KLYD-TV, creating a renowned segment called KLYD Fridays.

“We didn’t know it at the time, but it was the foundation for everything,” Stanko said.

“That was Alex’s first chance to work in front of the camera, write, and compose this TV show. And it was a chance for me to perform alongside him—Alex was David Letterman and I was Paul Shaffer. We got to mix together a lot of our inspirations and stuff w e

enjoyed in high school and pour it into KLYD Fridays, and it was sort of our inspiration to be relentlessly creative with our media format.”

Vazquez was a part of KLYD for all three of his years at FCHS, and in his junior year he invited Stanko to the crew.

“It sparked the beginnings between us that we’d carry through college and into our professional careers,” Stanko said. “And Superior is a great example of that.”

Stanko and Vazquez starred in and produced the film Superior two years ago; it was released on Sept. 2. The movie takes place in 1969, and follows two recently graduated cousins who are diverging on two different paths. Stanko played one of the cousins, while Vazquez was an associate producer and assistant director.

“As a producer I helped in the pre-production process by giving notes on the screenplay and helping out with casting,” Vazquez said.

One of the casting choices he helped with was recommending Stanko to director and writer Edd Benda.

“Edd interviewed me, so it wasn’t a traditional audition, in the sense of I didn’t have to go out and sit in front of a camera and read the lines to a casting director,” Stanko said.

“He really wanted to feel out my vibe and see if I was on the same page of storytelling as he was. And, when those things lined up, I was fortunate enough to lock down the role.”

This was a rare opportunity for Stanko, as he mainly auditions for roles—a process he learned in his time as a part of FCHS Tower Theatre.

“The theater program was the first cornerstone of my development as an actor,” Stanko said. “It’s something I still draw on to this day.”

Vazquez was also a member of Tower Theatre, as a stage manager. He found similarities between his role on the Superior film set and his role in Tower Theatre.

“As the assistant director, I helped with the final shooting script and broke it into elements that I could create a schedule out of,” he said. “I took the script and broke it down into a 20-day shooting schedule that we shot on location in Michigan. And then the post-production took a little bit longer. It took a few extra months for all of the editing, the sound design, the sound editing, the scoring, and the color correction of the film. The closest theatre equivalent would be a stage manager which is what I did. It’s like a stage manager of a film set.”

Now, like the two cousins in the movie, Stanko and Vazquez are on separate paths. Stanko has moved to California, and Vazquez lives in Chicago.

But the two still cherish their times as Lambkins, and their days on KLYD-TV. “My time at FCHS was the foundation for all of the practices I’ve honed and developed through the years,” Stanko said. “It changed everything.”

FCHS student creates art to �ind his personal identity Miles Rodriguez

Staff Writer

From the scribbles on his bedroom door when he was a child which used to get him into trouble, to the exquisitely detailed works of art he creates now, senior Antonio Garcia has been stunning his peers with his amazing talent for years.

Garcia has been drawing for as long as he can possibly remember, and has been consistently taking art classes since elementary school. Since his freshmen year, Garcia has completed art teacher Allison Alter’s 2D Design and Drawing classes. He is currently enrolled in the Advanced Drawing class, a course that helps him study and practice new methods, learn from his mistakes, and continue progressing in the arts.

“The art classes here have taught me a lot,” Garcia said. “I’ve been taught some new techniques and styles that I can use in the future. I honestly enjoy them [the art classes] a lot and would

definitely recommend them to other students because everything you learn in those classes can be applied to your personal work later.”

Garcia has never seen art as a job or a schoolonly activity though, and has no problems balancing school and work with his art. When he’s finished with his school work, Garcia spends much of his time inking bold, dynamic illustrations related to the video games and television shows that influence his work the most. He finds motivation and inspiration in other artists and their work, his interests, and the music he listens to.

“No one wants to sit in silence as they draw; it’s awkward,” Garcia said.

“A majority of my art is done while I’m listening to music. If I’m doing a school assignment, I listen to whatever to pass the time, but if I work on something from a favorite show or game, I listen to music that corresponds with the situation I’m drawing.”

Art is important to Garcia and plays a major role in both his identity and his life. It has affected him significantly, giving him a chance to express himself and his feelings in ways that words couldn’t.

“It [art] is a way to express yourself,” Garcia

said. “Have fun with art and never force yourself to do it because it’s a passionate thing, y’know. Don’t compare yourself to others. Look to other people for inspiration, but never doubt yourself.”

Garcia’s his public completed pieces and works in progress are available to view on his Instagram: h t t p s : / / w w w. i n s t a g r a m . com/stealthysilk_tony/

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Artwork around city creates greater sense of unity through and tell me what they are thinking about,” Morisettearti said. sts “I like to hear people’s genuine interpretation of my work.”

Street art also can be found in many places w h e r e st re et

Roland Tomsic

Staff Writer

Fort Collins is an art based culture Taking a stroll through Old Town or sitting in a coffee shop, people can see art for free.

“It brings an element, a fun experience kind of an element of whimsy and surprise to town, where you discover these pianos,” Pianos About Town organizer Ellen Martin said.

One free art opportunity is an indirect collaboration between artists and musicians in Fort Collins. Painted by local artist pianos can be found in alleys, in the square, and in parking garages.

Another collaboration can be found in the Down Town Artery which houses music venues and is a gallery for over 40 local artists. The Artery features a tiny art store where artists’ work is displayed and sold.

Everywhere in downtown Fort Collins, on the first Friday of every month, a gallery walk is held. It takes patrons throughout the venues, such as the Opera Galleria there is art from many different artists. People can see art in the Fort Collins Museum of Art, the Lincoln Center, and many other places.

One local artist who recently had her show “Fun and Games” at The Fort Collins Museum of Art during gallery walk is Elizabeth Morisette.

“I really like hearing people’s reactions because a lot of times I’m making art in my studio I don’t ever have people come

GRAPHICS BY KAITLYN SCHMIDT

PHOTOS BY ROLAND TOMSIC

can put their art legally with permission. In other places there is illegal art. In Fort Collins, walls and trains are a

prime targets for graffiti artists.

In most alleys, even those who have lived here all of their lives can still find new art pieces. Near coffee shops people may see murals painted by local artists. One is located on the side of the Alleycat coffee shop. Also, electrical boxes and many trash cans around town are usually painted by local artists or art groups.

Art doesn’t always come in the form of paint on a canvas. In Old Town many may have noticed in the square there are fountains of water that spew upwards in coordinated designs. The Museum of Art and Culture in Old Town is a great place to look at art from around the world, and admission for students is only onedollar. The Sweatsville Zoo is located between Fort Collins and Timnath off of Harmony. This zoo features animals, not flesh-and-bones but metal scavenged from old cars, lawnmowers, and boats.

Adventuring is a great way to get out and see Fort Collins, and art is everywhere. People can see it in pianos, murals, spray paint, and metal.

New Fort Collins restaurant provides community novel atmosphere, different cuisine selections Walker Discoe

A&E Editor

As a new restaurant in midtown Fort Collins, Music City Hot Chicken takes Nashville and southernstyle spicy chicken and markets it to the demographic of young people and college students in search of something new in Fort Collins, an audience they cater to quite well with their authentic music choices, stylized artwork, and menu choices.

Music City Hot Chicken really does feel like a small step into Nashville.

It does not, however, have a large selection of food to offer.

Limited to chicken and spicier chicken, even on their breakfast menu, Music City Hot Chicken doesn’t provide much more than that. Apart from a few sides, most of which incorporate meat in one way or another (including the salads) there isn’t much for someone who can’t, or chooses not to eat meat.

“As a vegetarian, my menu options are pretty sparse,” perspectives editor Adelaide Tomsic said. “The sweet potato fries were pretty good, but it’s hard to mess those up.”

As far as the quality of the food, Music City Hot Chicken specializes in the extremely spicy. The middle of spiciness, dubbed “Nashville Hot” had a tearjerking level of spiciness, the crisp brown exterior luring you into a sense of false security before hitting you with a level of heat described in “Dante’s Inferno,” but with two spicier levels above it, and three cooler ones below it, it wouldn’t be difficult find your desired level of spice.

“It was hard to determine which level of hotness to go with, without knowing the flavors or how hot they each were relative to what I’ve had in the past,” managing editor Maya Bode said. “I tried the hot chicken and liked the flavor, but I wouldn’t have wanted to eat anything much hotter, and I was surprised that there were still several hotter options on the scale.”

Music City Hot Chicken is an interesting novelty in Fort Collins, but for such a new place, it feels like a good fit in the city . For fans of chicken, spicy or not, Music City is one place you can’t leave off your list.

9

Sept. 29, 2016

A&E

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Pokémon fosters healthy habits at FCHS Will Brown

Columinst

Two months ago, one of the most popular mobile games of all time hit the digital shelves and immediately found a place among children, teenagers, and adults. It is, of course, Pokémon Go, a game that combines GPS tracking in order to catch Pokémon by using a player’s location.

Since its launch, it has 1 in 10 Americans playing daily and makes $6 million a day due to in-app purchases, according to Forbes.com. But it also has made more than just money. It also makes communities. Even in a smaller city like Fort Collins, there is still a large player base.

Sophomore Cooper Brotherton is a hardcore fan of Pokémon Go. Brotherton has been playing the game since its launch, and has been a fan since some of Pokémon’s earlier instalments. He appreciates the new version because it allows him “to get outside with a bunch of friends instead of being inside.”

Although the game builds a sense of community, it also acts as a competitive battlefield in the digital realm with constant taking and retaking of gyms.

“It builds a very strong sense of community with the same

team,” junior Evan Williams said. “With opposing teams, it gets very competitive.”

Pokémon Go started as a side project for CEO John Hanke with his company Niantic back in spring of 2014. Hanke is also largely credited for launching Google Earth in 2005.

But, Hanke had always wanted to combine gaming and GPS tracking.

Then in 2014, for April Fools’ Day, a coworker on the Google Geo project suggested to Hanke that there should be a way to hunt for Pokémon in Google maps.

From there, Hanke negotiated and worked with the Pokémon company, and his own, to produce the mobile game Pokémon Go. The success of Pokémon Go is similar to the success of the Wii. It gets people up and moving instead of players fulfilling the stereotype of being couch potatoes.

“I take walks with the dogs more,” Williams said. “I vary activities, but Pokémon Go has increased my physical activity.”

But switching from the original Pokémon format to the new mobile game set has its drawbacks as well.

“Whenever the servers crash, I just stare at my phone for a while before deciding whether to throw it at the wall or not,” freshman Willow Besser said.

Despite the frustration it may cause, overall Pokémon Go is more loved than it is hated by its fans.

“I just like the fun of it—the graphics and the music—and the battles with the gym leaders are really interesting,” Besser said.

Those interested in playing have several nearby places in which to get started. The closest locations to the school are Stewart Case Park, the Power trail, and Horsetooth Road.

Nighttime and early morning players have he best chance of capturing gyms.

The game is least busy from 3 to 5 a.m.

B�������� B� ���������� ����� 43% 32%

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Men are more interesed in the game than women.

60 percent of Pokémon Go players are men, while only 40 percent are women.

Information gathered by Walker Discoe Sources: Pokemon Wiki, Survey Monkey, Nintendo

The closest Pokémon gym to the school is in Stewart Case Park at the rock climbing wall. Two corners of the gym offer PokéStops. If you are looking for a fast and effective way to play Pokémon Go very close to the school, Stewart Case Park is definitely the right place.

The next best location is the Power trail. Located at the end of Vermont Drive to the west of the school, the trail is frequently used during Cross Country team practices. If you turn left on the trail, you will see where two other trails intersect, and you will find the gym at this intersection.

In fact, if you ever run out of Poké supplies, just walk up and down the Power trail in any direction and you will eventually reach a PokéStop.

If you continue south on the Power trail, you will eventually hit Horsetooth Road. This intersection features both a PokéStop and a gym. The gym is a power box with pigs painted on it right near the road. But, with great Pokémon catching powers comes great responsibility. Please do not play Pokémon Go if you are on a road. If you are up to date with Pokémon Go news, it is no secret that people have been distracted by the game and hurt as a direct result. So, please stay vigilant.

Photos by Will Brown

10

In-Depth

Sept. 29, 2016

Spilled Ink

Social, academic goals de�ine identity Adelaide Tomsic

Perspectives Editor

Teenage years are often referred to as a time when, “everyone is just trying to figure themselves out.” Although the concept may be vague, it is true.

Psychosociologist, Erik Homberger Erikson created a psychoanalytic theory describing eight stages of development supporting the idea.

During adolescence, Erikson argues, a person struggles with personal identity and role confusion. Because teenagers are pondering their identity, they often “make” themselves, setting goals for personal development, academically and socially to become their best selves.

School is a significant part of teenage life; in fact, a minimum of 37.5 hours are spent in school each week by a student, excluding clubs and sports. And, according to a study done by the University of Phoenix College of Education, high school students spend up to 17.5 hours on homework each week. The relevance of school to teenage life means the personal improvement goals of adolescents are often academic.

“I’m going for a 4.0 GPA,” freshman Alena Zhou said.

“I want to try to get involved so I joined Student Council.”

In addition to improving academic performance, teenagers may also re-assess their attitude toward school.

Coming from a different environment in middle school, freshman Samuel Tollison explained he is trying to approach the high school setting with a different perspective.

“I didn’t really like school last year,” Tollison said. “I absolutely hated it, so this year I’m trying to be more positive and it has worked so far.”

Other students alter their perspective of education later into high school. The first years of high school can be rough for some students and finding motivation to do well in the beginning can be difficult.

“I am actually working hard now and I do care about my grades,” junior Quay McCleny said. “I actually want to do something with my life.”

Goals for personal development are not always academic. Some students set goals to become more social or involved in school.

“I walk up to people and say hi to them which isn’t something I would have done

before,” freshman Julian Brodsky said.

Still other changes made during high school are a reflection on an individual’s character and what he or she finds important after pondering their own values.

“I have changed the way I act toward people,” McCleny said. “I’m trying to be nicer.”

According to Erikson, outward appearance is another way adolescents create their identity. The skateboarder may use a Rastafarian - themed backpack and the athlete may

wear sneakers to school because this is the uniform of a group. Fashion may also be changed to show one is getting older and more mature.

“I wear gel in my hair now,” senior Tyler Bailey said.

Adjustments of physical appearance reflect on the idea that high school is a dynamic time for teenagers, filled with change and self-assessment.

As adolescents experiment with identity, they mold themselves into students or people they want to be.

Editor’s Note Samantha Ye

In-Depth Editor

In 2012, according to Discovery Digital Networks, Italian archeologists unearthed remains of an ancient Greek temple.

With it came do-it-yourself (DIY) assembly instructions.

Clearly, the art of DIY has a lengthy history behind it and for good reason. Doing something by your own hand has demonstrated widespread appeal, from Pinterest to home improvement shows, making it this month’s In-Depth theme.

Few things embody the artistic side of DIY as much as cosplay, where participants design, craft, and wear costumes of their favorite fictional characters. The Cosplay Club, covered on page 11, offers both seasoned and beginner cosplayers a chance to meet with their peers and learn some new tricks.

The “it” in DIY is not limited to arts and design, however. Page 14 profiles a former teacher who started a food truck business. It also contains a menu for those interested in trying out the food.

Page 10 discusses the subtle ways teenagers invent and reinvent themselves throughout their high school years, be it through new motivation or a new hair color.

The centerfold is about not doing it yourself, or at least not yet. It’s about procrastination, the careful art of pushing a task later and later and later until we finally pull ourselves together and realize we should have done it yesterday. The page lays out the all-too-familiar thinking process along with a quiz to tell you what type of procrastinator you are.

The centerfold also contains a story on what it means to make public education your own and what prevents students from doing so.

Even in the high school setting where doing it yesterday may be the more common occurrence, many still participate in DIY culture either through clubs and friends or by simply constructing a new attitude.

GRAPHIC BY KAITLYN SCHMIDT

“Still other changes made during high school are a reflection on an individual’s character and what he or she finds important after pondering their own values.”

How have you changed since coming into high school?

Daisy Cochran Freshman

“I don’t think I’ve really changed.”

Avariahh Mccaffrey-Winter Sophomore

“I’ve learned how to balance my activities a lot more.”

Jonathon Reid Junior

“I definitely had a lot more fun than in middle school. It’s more interesting and engaging, and I’m learning a lot more.”

Alex Doherty Senior

“I’ve learned to respect people much more, like my teachers and peers.”

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Cosplayers unite to craft, improve costumes Dalena Groen

Editor in Chief

Dark green leather, black face paint, and a never-ending quiver of arrows would be seen as an untraditional fashion choice. But in the case of the constantly brooding and lifesaving Oliver Queen, otherwise known as the Green Arrow, these accessories are a necessity, just as they are for Cosplay Club President Ben Cochran, who spends hours adopting this persona.

Cosplay Club began last year when Cochran and other enthusiasts reached out to science teacher Tamara Osborn to sponsor the club and it has quickly gained popularity. They meet every Wednesday during common lunch in L-203.

The students of Cosplay Club create their own costumes to look like characters from their favorite books, TV shows, and movies. As with any hobby, the more cosplayers practice, the more skilled they become. This allows a cosplayer’s costume to have higher quality and more detail.

The concept of constantly improving is a motivator and can add to the passion of many who choose to follow cosplay culture, as they are constantly displaying their achievements to their peers.

“I really love being able to create the characters that I love and then be able to present them to people who share the same love for the character as me,” Cochran said.

Cosplay Club has allowed many students who feel like they are the only ones with this type of interest to find a community of people who feel the same way. They spend countless hours on their costumes and then share these costumes with other cosplayers at Comic Cons or other gatherings creating a competitive, motivating community.

“A lot of kids have made great friendships with each other,” Osborn said.

“They have found people with similar interests to them where before they thought that nobody else was interested.”

This community has gone through many phases of social acceptance. With the recent growth in nerd culture, cosplaying has surfaced increasingly on the news. This gives the practice more exposure and its community has grown.

But non-cosplayers still hold misconceptions about the hobby, according to Cochran.

“The non-cosplayers think that this is like Halloween year round. In reality people are making and creating accurate and detailed props that they poured their hearts and souls into,” Cochran said. “People don’t realize the expensive and tedious tasks of sculpting, molding, casting, and fabricating the costumes from raw material.”

The tasks and skills necessary in order to produce a high quality costume help in the cosplay community as well as providing real—life skills.

“I’ve continued my cosplaying because it is really fun and all the hard work pays off,” vice president Bentina Salumu said. “You learn skills like sculpting, sewing, 3D printing, and painting.”

Cochran and the rest of the club encourage anybody who wants to join to go for it, no matter how intimidating it may seem.

Resources for cosplay are readily available for people trying to break into the community.

“Most newbies are afraid to start because they don’t know how,” Cochran said. “There is no right or wrong when starting. You will learn tons of new tips and tricks that will help a lot.

In-Depth

Sept. 29, 2016

11

WHAT IT TAKES TO

COSPLAY

COSPLAY KING Colten Davis as Robin from “Batman and Robin”

M���: black craft foam heated over a fire and molded to fit the face I�������: hand-cut craft foam C���: silky red fabric sewn into shape and pinned onto the shirt S����: one-inch wide PVC pipe spray painted silver C������� I����: store-bought (would be handmade if time allowed)

T���� T���: approximately one week T��� ���� D����: - Try unique materials and things you wouldn’t think to use.

- Get tips from other people.

- YouTube is a good place to start.

Photos courtesy of Colten Davis

12 Sept. 29, 2016

Do it today

In-Depth

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Serio usly, do it TODA Y!

FIN COL S

Procrastination hinders student ef�iciency Tate Thurgood Guest Writer As students traverse the hectic, often frustrating schedule of high school, they will inevitably have the moment when they sit in front of a pile of homework late at night and think, “I should’ve done this ages ago.”

This habit of procrastination can have substantial effects on grades, mental health, and schedules, creating a need for effective strategies against it. However, there are a number of difficulties to be faced.

Some students find after a full day of working at school, getting motivation to keep working is difficult.

“I just lose track of time,” junior Jessica Poulsen said.

It also becomes easy to underestimate the time needed to complete tasks. Junior Allison Heckman said one of her biggest struggles is making the assumption she has enough time to finish an assignment later, or that it won’t take long.

Starting on homework right away can be difficult, requiring an immense amount of work and preparation to master.

“I try to plan ahead, looking ahead at my week or weekend and deciding on priorities,” Heckman said.

With busy schedules, creating a reliable plan is a challenge for some, and sometimes procrastination is hard to ignore.

According to Timothy A. Pychyl, a doctor who works in the Department of Psychology at Carleton University, procrastination may have direct correlation to poor health behaviors and high risk of health issues later in life—for example, necessary appointments are put off and health problems quickly worsen. In addition to this, procrastination limits future

the gif t of school

ITLYN

BY KA CAT S C I H GRAP MIDT AND ARE SCH O’H

opportunities.

“I think the cost of procrastination is that you have no freedom about how to spend your time later on,” sophomore Sydney Petersen said.

This progression creates a vicious cycle between procrastination, lack of time, and stress. Students use a variety of strategies to combat it, but not all of them are effective.

“I’ve t r i e d telling myself I need to work but it doesn’t work great,” Pouls said. “Keeping myself busy works but sometimes it just makes me Some strategies which have work

Students struggle to personalize CC Apodaca

Guest Writer

Phi Delta Kappa’s 2015 Gallup Poll revealed 54 percent of participants oppose Common Core curriculum and 67 percent oppose emphasized standardized tests. This increased disagreement in public education ideals brings attention to students who thrive in nontraditional conditions. With various requirements and stressed convergent thinking, whether the existing system stands as an obstacle for individual interests raises concern.

“In a sense, I do consider [the present public education system] to be an obstacle because you need to do certain things in order to pass high school,” senior Kyle Ortiz said. “But at the same time it’s also yours and you choose what you want to do in order to get to where you want to be.”

While there are options, many argue

mandated classes should be reevaluated because obligatory subjects take time away from classes they are passionate about.

“There are a lot of things I can choose, but sometimes the required stuff gets in the way like the P.E. credits,” junior Kacie McClure said. “I just find it funny that P.E. is required but music isn’t.”

Students express desire for education to become more well-rounded since book smart and street smart are dissimilar.

“I wish we had more career and lifestyle kind of things,” McClure said.

“We never learned how to do taxes.”

According to Successfulstudent.org, kids are taught to memorize instead of how to think out problems. They also highlight the lack of lessons teaching students how to be selfemployed among other routes besides college.

Some think students should have more flexibility to

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pick book for summer readin g assignment

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include listening to music, as long as it doesn’t provide distraction, prioritizing depending on which deadlines are closest, and writing down when assignments are due as soon as they’re given.

While often effective, no strategy can always prevent homework from being slow, dull, and difficult, and sometimes the only option is to simply dig into the work and deal with it.

Many students have found that putting off work simply because it’s unpleasant leads to more problems later on.

“If you start to procrastinate, stop,” Poulsen suggested. “Stop assoonasyoucanbecauseitwillbecomemoreandmoreofahabit.”

e standardized education

nclude more individual interests in their education.

“PSD has requirements for your graduation, ut I would like to have more of a build-yourwn schedule,” sophomore Kennedy Miles said.

Recently, PSD proposed changes in graduation equirements for 2018 freshmen including fewer math and English credits, but more P.E. credits.

While making room for more individual decisions, he changes could present problems when students tart applying for college. College standards typically four English, four math, and three lab ciences) are not changing along with high school.

“Kids will just do the minimum and if they pply to colleges, they aren’t going to get in ecause they wouldn’t have taken enough redits,” sophomore Skylar Campbell said.

Beyond the lack of flexibility with schedule hoices, students note finding a balance etween pleasing colleges and not having too

many compulsory classes with a large homework load could be beneficial.

“They need to give less homework because we have a lot of activities out of school and it all piles up and becomes stressful,” Miles said.

A later start time could also positively affect motivation.

“If we even started at 9 a.m. instead of 7:30 a.m., it would be better,” Campbell said.

Some students think a less strict schedule would open up additional time for other activities.

“Overall, education is a gift, but they have made it a bit too fitted,” Campbell said. “If we don’t have to get up so early and not have so much homework, more people would want to go and more people would want to stay.”

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Sept. 29, 2016

Start su mmer uiz q p u e k a reading M

Find r e n n a pl

Pho t o s

by A nn

en most of the time, procrastinate more.” ed for these students

In-Depth

QUIZ INFO GATH RMATION ERED BY SAM SOUR ANTHA YE CE: W RIK FASTC OMPA E.COM, NY.C THEM USE.C OM, OM

What kind of procrastinator are you?

stead of work?

1. What do you do in memes a. Look up funny cat emes b. Make funny cat m work preparing to start my s ur ho c. Spend three

rt ur incomplete lab repo 2. The deadline for yo er except… d have finished it earli ul wo u Yo . es ch oa pr e night, ap couldn’t be done in on it id sa r he ac te e Th a. allenge and I took that as a ch lly fell do it, so it automatica b. I had two weeks to priority list to the bottom of my and g on the third graph rin lo co e th up d se es c. I m had to restart sure? work well under pres 3. Do you believe you c inspires me a. Time-induced pani ally) b. I can function (usu to a ball and cry in rl cu c. No, I tend to p PowerPoint er emails you the grou 4. Your project partn you do? look it over. What do to u yo ks as d an ss for cla ck to it tomorrow a. Choose to come ba et to go other emails and forg b. Finish reading your minds re nt until your partner back to the PowerPoi xt day you in person the ne til ay and not respond un c. Look it over right aw tomorrow u? others think about yo 5. Do you worry what ers att only one which m a. My opinion is the it is b. It depends on who hear? u yo c. Why? What did ojects seriously?

6. Do you take your pr rtant a. Netflix is more impo them of b. Of course! All 705 their outcome c. My life depends on Add one point for every A; add

(6-9 points) The Darede

two points for every B; add 3

points for every C

vil: These people believe the y do their best work unde r pressure, but in actuality , they turn in sloppy, un inspired products.

Tips: Set your own deadlines for before the actual due date to maintain the last-minute-panic inspir ation while allowing time to fix mistakes.

(10-14 points) The Over whelmed: Emails to read, shows to watch, and a mo new TV untain of homework to complete can all paralyze or derail this eas ily distracted bunch.

Tips: Chunk projects into sm aller stages and devote shorter amounts of time to each with “di straction” breaks between each step.

(15-18 points) The Perfe ctionist: It can be challeng ing for these people to turn in flawed work or even sta rt on something they know won’t be perfect.

Tips: Set realistic goals you can accept and think positive thoughts whenever you complete a task.

14

Sept. 29, 2016

In-Depth

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GOD SAVE THE CUISINE Customers line up with orders at the Farm Fusion food truck parked outside the Old Colorado Brewing Company. Photos by Roland Tomsic

Food truck offers fresh, organic entrées Roland Tomsic

with her sources of food. Farm Culinary arts teacher Kim Staff Writer Fusion works directly with Schutt has eaten at Farm Fusion.

Miller Farms and Richmond “Everything is super On the Front Range the Farms, both local farms based fresh, seasoned well, and food industry is the most in Northern Colorado. Broeder homemade,” Schutt said. competitive out of many. also receives produce from Farm Fusion’s menu A food truck is one way to her mother and father-in-law. features many “Fusion Bowls.” stand out in the vast crowd.

Having jumped onto the food truck band wagon, former FCHS teacher Dawn Broeder runs Farm Fusion which uses an organic natural concept.

ASIAN FUSION BOWL ($8) “I have been thinking of Grilled chicken breast or tofu with Farm Fusion for probably the seasonal sautéed vegetables served on past three years,” Broeder said.

The truck can be jasmine rice and teriyaki sauce. found at many breweries around northern Colorado.

MEXICAN FUSION BOWL ($8) Maxline, High Hops, Zwei, Pork marinated with Mexican spices topped and New Belgium are with spicy green chili and Pico de Gallo. usually where Farm Fusion Served on top of jasmine rice. operates. But it can often be found at public events and some private events.

ROASTED FUSION SALAD ($6) Originally Broeder (ADD GRILLED CHICKEN FOR $2) wanted to start a farm-toRoasted beets in orange basil dressing with table culinary school, to feta cheese, walnuts, and assorted veggies. teach people cooking skills

FUSION MENU

for natural and organic food. Broeder genuinely believes in a fresh, natural, organic concept.

Farm Fusion is unique because it is a food truck using this natural new concept.

Farm-to-table means the restaurant owner interacts

THAI GREEN CURRY BOWL ($8) (VEGGIES ONLY FOR $6) Grilled chicken or tofu and farmer’s market vegetables sautéed fresh served over jasmine rice. Covered in a Thai green curry sauce See all menu items at www.farmfusion.org

Information gathered by Roland Tomsic; Source: Farm Fusion menu board

Asian, Thai curry, and Mexican bowls are the bulk of the menu.

Also, it serves salads such as the “Roasted Fusion,” made with lettuce, beets, vegetables, and walnuts, topped with grapefruit vinaigrette.

“I got the Asian fusion bowl, which was delicious,” Schutt said.

Making food and creating the restaurant has been a fulfilling process for Broeder.

“It’s really enlightening to have an idea and to put a lot of energy, and research, and money into something and to have it actually be working,” she said.

The truck wants to start doing more outdoor breakfast and lunch events to reach out to people of all ages because Farm Fusion usually operates in the evenings.

Broeder started this project with her husband who helps in the food truck.

She enjoys owning her own business because she has the freedom to change her recipes depending on the seasons or what she is feeling.

“Flexibility and creativity, for sure,” Broeder said. “I get to be as creative as I want to. I could change my menu if I want. I can go to different farms to get produce.”

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Sports

Sept. 29, 2016

15

How to work out with your textbook Have you ever wanted to be strong, but get your homework done too? Teachers may tend to assign hours of textbook homework that will keep you from working out, but that wont be a problem for you anymore. Below is a simple fix to “work out” your homework dilemma. Lets begin with how to get you both brains and brawn. Its simple really, all that’s necessary is your homework and your textbook. First, you will need to assign common words found in your textbook to different workouts you can do. If you are assigned your usual and nightly math homework from your textbook, you can easily get a work out in.

For example:

Textbook Arm Lifts

Textbook Weighted Planks

Textbook Pushups

Graph-textbook sit-ups Positive- Textbook arm lifts

Textbook Arm Curls

Negative- Textbook weighted planks Equation- Textbook arm curls Formula- Textbook pushups Then, when you are doing your homework, every time you read one of your five designated words, do its corresponding workout.

Because exercise helps both your body and your mind, these exercises will also help you ace your homework. You don’t have any excuses anymore. You can get your homework and a work out done all in the same night. So next time you are doing you homework and need either a break or a workout, remember this simple solution.

Textbook Sit-Ups

Here is your fellow Lambkin, freshman Siena Barstad working out while doing homework:

Content gathered by Mackenna Rowe

Carbo-loading used by athletes to provide energy Adelaide Tomsic Perspectives Editor Carbo-loading is commonly practiced by runners on the night before a meet to provide extra fuel for the following day. When an excess of carbohydrates—the energy found in grains like wheat, corn, and rice—is consumed, the calories are stored in the muscles and liver as glycogen. Because glycogen is metabolized quickly, having some stored up before a high- intensity activity like running provides athletes with energy.

“If you don’t have any carbs in you, your body has to make glycogen and glucose,” Thompson Valley School District dietician Carla Banks explained.

The process of converting protein and fat into glycogen or glucose requires more effort than using stored glycogen or carbohydrates because these molecules are more complex and require more time to break down into usable energy. The huge energy expenditure while running makes fast and simple calories such as those found in glycogen crucial when doing a high intensity sport.

Because pizza crust is a type of bread, eating pizza the night before doing a sport is a good way to carbo load.

CHEESE PIZZA Start to finish: 90 minutes Servings: 4 6 1 1/2 cups warm water 1 Packet or 2 1/2 teaspoons yeast 1 tablespoon sugar 1 tablespoon canola oil 1 teaspoon salt 4 cups white flour (Plus a 1/4 cup for rolling)

Oil for greasing 4 cups shredded mozzarella 2 cups marinara sauce In a large mixing bowl, completely dissolve sugar in slightly warm water. Then add the yeast and allow the yeast to become foamy (this should take 10 minutes).

Once yeast is completely foamy, whisk in oil and salt.

Slowly mix in the flour 1/2 cup at a time using a bread hook or rubber spatula until the dough no longer sticks to the side of the mixing bowl. Move the dough into a greased bowl and cover with a tea towel for an hour as dough rises.

After an h o u r, p r e heat the oven to 500 F. Turn the dough out onto a lightly f l o u re d s u r fa c e a n d divide it into two equal balls.

Carefully roll out t h e dough

balls into two quarter inch thick circles, adding flour if the dough sticks (do not go lightly on the flour). Carefully lift the pizzas onto two baking sheets. Top each pizza with a cup of marinara sauce, two cups of shredded mozzarella, and any other ingredients you may want.

Bake the pizzas for just over 10 minutes or until the crust is golden and the cheese is bubbly.

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16

Sports An Olympics of Oddities: Bizarre Bikes & Quirky Quidditch Sept. 29, 2016

Uncommon sports provide similar experience to popular athletics Joseph Vasseur Staff Writer When asked to think about the weirdest sport they’ve ever heard of, most people probably think, “rugby,” or “ultimate frisbee.” Compared to some other sports, though, these are more common.

Bike polo and Quidditch are two of the least-played sports in the world, and that’s what makes freshman Austin Lackey and 2011 graduate Rachel Malone so interesting.

Lackey plays bike polo to practice skills for his Ciclismo bike racing team. In bike polo, the objective is to hit the ball into the goal with a mallet. Similar to soccer, in bike polo, players pass to whoever’s open, switch formations and set picks on defenders.

“Bike polo is basically like soccer, but you’re on your bike and you have these long mallets, and you hit the ball and pass to each other,” Lackey said.

To play, players need a bike, a mallet (usually made of an old ski pole and cut PVC piping), a bike helmet, and cardboard cereal boxes to put in their spokes so they don’t get bent.

Quidditch is another peculiar sport that Harry Potter fans surely know about. Played entirely on broomsticks, Quidditch is unlike any other sport here on Earth.

In Quidditch, there are seven people on the field for

each team, two Beaters, three Chasers, one Keeper, and one Seeker. Four balls are used: two Bludgers, one Golden Snitch, and one Quaffle. Players try to put the Quaffle through one of three hoops to score ten points.

“Quidditch’s rules change a lot, and it’s hard to keep up with, but it is a very young sport, so that’s understandable,” Malone said.

Quidditch, like most other sports, has it’s own “handicap.”

“It is very hard to play with one hand on your broom at all times, and only being able to use one hand to pass and catch is the handicap of Quidditch, such as only being able to use your feet is the handicap of soccer,” Malone said.

Quidditch is normally played on grass or turf fields and is a full-contact, aggressive sport. But when teams play inside it is no contact, due to playing on a hard gym floor.

It can be an expensive sport due to the traveling required, because there aren’t many teams, and players must travel to face the ones that might be closer than a 12-hour drive.

This aspect of teamwork in bike polo and Quidditch is something Lackey and Malone enjoy, because they both like to get out there and be social.

“It’s fun with all my friends,” Lackey said. “We just get to have a great time.”

Spilled Ink Fast Facts The first polo match was in 600 B.C. between the Persians and the Turkomans There are more than 300 Quidditch teams around the world, and 106 in the U.S. In 1908, polo was played at the London Olympics as a demonstration 2012 was the first year that the bi-annual Global Games for Quidditch were held.

R.J. Mercredy created bicycle polo in 1891. Worldwide, Bike Polo is played in 15 countries today.

The “quaffle,” or the ball thrown or kicked into the hoops, is actually a volleyball when played outside of the Harry Potter books.

In A.D. 525, polo was played in India on the backs of elephants.

Information gathered by Molly Lubbers

New sport gains experience in competition, practice

by knowing we have our teammates to back us up in just about any situation,” Elliot said. “And if you Columnist have a bad shift or whatever, they’re not gonna put you down for it.”

Crisp, cool air hits their faces. Their breath feels hot against their helmets, and the pads on Teamwork isn’t something that their shoulders weigh heavy. Eyes trained on comes without practice. According the puck, they go hurtling towards it, ready to─ to Nelson, it will take time to learn to adapt to each other and communicate.

But it’s only practice; this is their first month of playing. More than that, this is the “I think being a fast-paced game, first year that FCHS has a hockey team. And communication can sometimes be a since they are new, they don’t know how little difficult to get by,” Nelson said. the other teams will play in comparison.

“You’re making sure everyone is on the same page in a matter of seconds.”

“We haven’t played these other teams that have been playing in this league for years, As a tier-one division and they know each other and they know team, the stakes are high. the pace of the games─they know the skill “As far as we know we’ll probably level,” junior Kyle Elliot said. “For us going be on the lower end of that, and into it, it’s a new team. We don’t necessarily that’s to be expected,” Nelson said. know what we’re going up against.”

“But we really want to see how far They think the season will be difficult, we can work ourselves up, because but also believe they are up to the task. we know we’re going to face some tough teams, but I think we’ll be “I know that the season is probably able to hold our own pretty well.” going to be a challenge because most of these teams that we’re playing, they’ve also The FCHS hockey team have a pep talk during one of their first They encourage students to support been playing in this league longer than we matches of the season. PHOTO BY MOLLY LUBBERS the team. Since this is their first-ever have, since this is our first year,” sophomore season, they haven’t received much yet.

Ethan Nelson said. “So I think just the idea “I think it’s a fun game to watch, and their teammates inspires them. if you haven’t ever watched it,” Nelson said. “Come of having a good challenge to face and overcoming from “It helps both our individual and team performance out and see what it’s like. Maybe you’ll do it again.” that challenge is a good motivation to have.”

Molly Lubbers

Not only do they draw incentive from the hardship, but they also find that support

Spilled Ink

Sports

Sept. 29, 2016

17

Left: Senior Karisa McAmis practicing at an archery range in Colorado.

Below: McAmis with Olympic archer Brady Ellison, at the JOAD Indoor Nationals in Salt Lake City, UT.

Going for the Gold Olympic hopeful refines skills Joseph Mason

Managing Editor

Calmly stepping up to her mark to take aim at a vibrantly colored target, senior Karisa McAmis hooks three of her fingers and draws back the string of her bow.

With sunrays beaming down upon the red, yellow, and blue, the target glows.

In less than a second, the cubed target no longer looks lively and has an arrow in its center. At this moment, McAmis walks away with a look of pride.

This past April, McAmis went to her first national archery tournament, the AAE Arizona Cup, and placed 34th in the world.

It was the culmination of nine years of practice.

“I practice four nights a week,” McAmis said. “I also have a personal trainer who helps one or two nights a week.”

Her personal trainer helps her with stamina and strength. With each shot, McAmis pulls the string back with over 50 pounds of draw weight.

Over the course of a competition, she could shoot more than 160 arrows for a cumulative total of greater than four tons. To combat muscle fatigue, McAmis shoots off her bone structure; this means aligning her arm bones and joints in a straight line to minimize the use

of muscles, and maintain a steady position.

Keeping a firm position is crucial to archery because if she moves just half a degree, she could miss the target completely. The bullseye is less than five inches in diameter, and from 70 meters away the target is smaller in her field of vision than the tip of a ballpoint pen held at arm’s length.

Another aspect McAmis must be wary of is gravity.

The arrow, though moving at over 100 miles per hour, is pulled down at 9.81 meters per second squared, so she must aim the arrow upward at a calculated arc nearly eight feet above the target.

To reach the mindset needed for doing this, McAmis has to get in a certain zone.

“You need to be in your own bubble,” she said. “I just focus on myself, instead of the people around me and what they are doing.”

This is the same mindset McAmis had when she first decided to take up the sport.

And, while sticking to this mindset, she plans to compete in the 2020 Olympics.

“I look forward to continuing to excel in this sport,” she said, “and go to Tokyo in 2020.”

“You need to be in your own bubble. I just focus on myself, instead of the people around me and what they are doing.”

—Karisa McAmis

Photos courtesy of Karisa McAmis

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Sports

Sept. 29, 2016

Spilled Ink

Lazy titles don’t always lead to lazy plotlines

Joseph Mason

Managing Editor

Gavin O’Connor’s Warrior is your typical boxing film—chock-full of training montages, drunken rages, and the one wife who hates the sport until she changes her mind. The only thing separating Warrior from the ordinary crop of boxing flicks is it’s an MMA film.

The story focuses o n Tommy Riordan (Tom Hardy sporting an accent deviating toward early-onset Mark Wahlberg), who returns to Philadelphia after 14 years in Iraq, and his estranged brother Brendan Conlon (Joel Edgerton, ripped-edition), a physics teacher whose house is on the verge of foreclosure. While Conlon resorts to fighting in underground MMA tournaments for extra money, Riordan is knocking out the world’s number-one middleweight contender, in preparation for a competition known as Sparta.

Sparta is a ridiculous 16-man MMA tournament set up by a rich guy who is “looking for the toughest guy on the planet.” Both Conlon and Riordan qualify for the tournament, and melodrama ensues.

Warrior isn’t really a good movie, but it’s certainly enjoyable. The second-half is exhilarating, with brutal fight sequences ranging from instant one-punch knockouts to methodical come-from-behind upsets.

The movie that methodically came from behind to upset my expectations is David O. Russell’s best film, The Fighter. This isn’t one of his weirder films—like I Heart Huckabees—or one of his disappointingly bad movies—like American Hustle (fight me) and Joy—this is apex-Russell. He took a boxing movie and turned it into a Greek comedy.

It’s a story of town-hero-turned-crackhead Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale in his only Oscar-winning performance) and his brother and apprentice Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg in his second-greatest performance). Ward is an aspiring boxing champion, but he is surrounded by a toxic family, led by is mom, Alice (a brilliantly annoying Melissa Leo). Micky finds an escape from his chaotic family when he meets Charlene (the flawless Amy Adams). After Dicky is arrested, Micky’s career takes off. What follows leaves Micky in a look of bewildered confusion, a face Wahlberg has perfected by this point.

The boxing scenes are impeccable as they are shown on the not-toograiny video of the late-90s and nascent2000s.

But the fights

Darren Aronofsky, had actually directed it, The Fighter would have been a sports tragedy with another dash of tragedy. Aronofsky directed the powerhouse movie The Wrestler two years before The Fighter was released. The Wrestler is actually the superior film.

I had already seen The Fighter, The Wrestler, and Warrior and the one I wasn’t looking forward to rewatching was The Wrestler, only because the first time I watched I was completely in awe of Mickey Rourke’s disgusting visage. What’s alarming is Rourke used to be handsome, and now his face looks like it’s composed of expired stew. Because of his vomitinducing face, I didn’t pay attention to the storyline. But this time I was numbed to the Rourke-face, and I easily endured the two hours.

This movie is seriously one of the best sports films ever.

Rourke portrays Randy “The Ram” Robinson in a performance that should have won him an Oscar. (The only plausible reason for him not to win was The Academy was either so disgusted by his face that they threw their screener out a window and then threw their window out of another window or they just didn’t watch the movie.) Robinson is an aging Hulk Hogan figure and he has a heart attack, forcing him to decide whether he wants to continue wrestling or retire. It sounds lame and simple but Aronofsky made it into an exhilarating ride that was simultaneously sad and fun.

Rourke’s performance wouldn’t have been possible without Marisa Tomei’s equally great role as Cassidy.

Now, I don’t remember much from my chemistry class but I’m pretty sure some serious stoichiometry was going on between Rourke and Tomei. The movie may have a generic title but what it lacks in creative firepower, the film makes up for in brilliant craftsmanship.

BIO BOX

NG I T FIGH S VIE O M

H WIT C I R E N E G LES IT

T

aren’t fought solely in the ring.

Russell expands the ropes and traces them around Lowell, MA. This isn’t your stereotypical boxing (or MMA) movie; this is a domestic tragedy reconfigured as a comedy with a dash of sports.

But if the person who was supposed to direct it,

FILM

SESSION While watching these three movies, I couldn’t help wondering who would win in a Sparta-esque tournament between Conlon, Riordan, Robinson, and Ward. Conlon is the one-seed because he won the original Sparta. Riordan is the two-seed because he got second place in Sparta. Ward is the three-seed because he doesn’t have Robinson’s heart problems and he’s not, like, 64-years-old (which Robinson may very well be).

(1) Brendan Conlon As much as I want Conlon to lose, there’s just no way.

The Ram does take steroids, so he could be strong enough to take Conlon.

He also hides razorblades in the tape around his wrists, so he may be able to slit Conlon’s throat and win that way. But Conlon defeated a human giant named Koba, who is somewhere around 8’9” tall and 450 pounds and moves like a snake. If Conlon could take Koba, he’ll have no problem with a professional wrestler who is liable to have a heart attack at any moment. Winner: Conlon (4) Randy “The Ram” Robinson

(2) Tommy Riordan (1) Brendan Conlon

(2) Tommy Riordan Conlon may have won the original fight, but let’s be honest: he got lucky in every single match of Sparta. He lucked into armbar victories in each of his first three fights and then he lucked into another armbar and broke Tommy’s arm with it. But that won’t happen this time. Riordan is going all out. There’s even a 45 percent chance he’ll inject some of Robinson’s HGH before this fight.

(2) Tommy Riordan

Riordan literally ripped a door off of a tank, so he’ll destroy Ward. Ward will go with his head-body-headbody routine, but he’ll get knocked out before he has a chance. Ward’s boxing record is only 38-13, which means he lost a quarter of his fights. And he never fought anyone like Riordan, who spends his free time torturing Batman and driving around deserts with Charlize Theron. Riordan wins early.

(3) Micky Ward

Spilled Ink

Perspectives

Sept. 29, 2016

19

Butting Heads Graphic By Roland Tomsic

Wikipedia helpful study aid for students Joseph Vasseur

information you must become a Staff Writer member and submit a request.

“I think that Wikipedia is better now As far as using websites for than when I was in high school,” social schoolwork, Wikipedia is the most studies teacher Nick Baltzell said. controversial. Most people who don’t Wikipedia is the convenience store appreciate Wikipedia say it isn’t a of websites; it will give students what reliable source, but as far as quick they need for little assignments. work goes, Wikipedia is fine to use.

Wikipedia still gets criticism because “Wikipedia is okay for a quick searchit remains very easy to change up,” sophomore Tucker Leadbetter said. the website’s content, whether Although Wikipedia’s presented what is changed is right or wrong. information isn’t always correct, people As far as using Wikipedia for with the intent to put the wrong school, it usually is OK for anything information on Wikipedia articles are as long as you are careful, but often quickly corrected by “Wikipedia maybe for big projects use a source guardians,” the members who take that you are sure will be reliable. putting correct information on Wikipedia “It depends on what you’re looking to the extreme. If students are cautious, up and how well the article itself is Wikipedia should not be a problem at all. created,” sophomore Taryn Sebba said.

Like any website used for Overall, Wikipedia is not the assignments, students should doublemost reliable site on the internet, check the accuracy of the information but when doing a quick worksheet presented on Wikipedia by looking at or when in a rush, it is alright to the bottom of the page for sources. use if you are cautious.

In addition, although Wikipedia has in the past been available for anyone to edit, now to change the presented

•No censorship is used on Wikipedia, but articles must meet certain guidelines.

•19% of people who edit Wikipedia pages hold Masters degrees.

•Wikipedia has over a billion edits, meaning it is constantly being updated with timely information.

Wikipedia unreliable source for research Seraphina Discoe Staff Writer Let’s suppose you are in a scenario in which you use Wikipedia and are accused of having false facts in your paper. That would mean that somebody tampered with one of Wikipedia’s entries and nobody caught it. Still think Wikipedia is a reliable source?

Wikipedia is a good starting point for common knowledge, but shouldn’t be used for research.

The information on Wikipedia doesn’t show who wrote the article or when it was published. When doing research, the “facts” you are obtaining could be three years old, which in turn could make it inaccurate. In addition, not knowing the author prevents checks to be bias and inaccurate.

“The problem with Wikipedia is the editing. Anybody can edit any time and anything they want,” science teacher Tamara Osborn said.

Random visitors of Wikipedia can put in any information they please.

Most of these sentences or even full articles often go unnoticed until it is rewritten either to their beliefs, or to hard facts.

Many entries on the Wikipedia website have been false, some including David Beckham, Miley Cyrus, and Jane Fonda, who was thought to have died in a freak accident.

After interviewing many teachers and students, the gist of what they all say is that Wikipedia should be used with caution.

Poudre School District schools don’t recommend Wikipedia as an honest source; therefore, teachers are concerned about the large number of “what ifs” on Wikipedia that students could use in their papers.

“It’s a good starting point, but not for further, in-depth research,” history teacher Michelle Reffner said.

Websites with internet domains such as .edu and .com would be the better option for more advanced projects. If you use Wikipedia, be aware of the information you are deciding to use. And if ever skeptical, check the information with a more reliable site. In short, Wikipedia is a good source to use for a quick check for simple knowledge, but be aware of what is on Wikipedia when using the website for facts and in-depth papers.

•Anybody can edit Wikipedia, making the site prone to misinformation provided by uneducated contributors.

•One study found Wikipedia articles are only 80% accurate.

•Hundreds of fans incorrectly edited comedian Daniel Tosh’s Wikipedia page after he asked them to do so for a comedy bit. The lies written by fans show how effortlessly the site can be misused.

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Sept. 29, 2016

Perspectives

Spilled Ink

Sophomore offers advice to new freshmen making transition into high school easier Will Brown

Columnist

High school—the phrase alone tends to be enough to scare people away (even Adults). When the transition from middle school to high school is finally upon freshmen, things can get challenging.

But fear not! Your friendly neighborhood high school expert, William Brown, is here! So, if you are a freshman looking for some advice in order to make it past a hard year of high school, listen up.

My freshman year was tough. I started off with no understanding of the math class I was in, and I took the single hardest class I could take. I was worried and upset most of the time. And I got into such a stressed system that I began to not care about much. But, luckily, some people gave me good advice to finally find a comfortable place in high school.

One of these people was the math tutor Eric Modlin. Modlin even gave me his professional advice as to what he thought freshman attitudes looked like. “Yeah,” he said. “You were loud and annoying. That’s everything I thought of you.”

He also said that a freshman’s biggest mistake was not showering.

But, seriously, the math tutor is a great resource that you could use to your advantage. One of the most useful things in high school is supports like the math tutor. In fact, according to Counselor Brett Fedor, supports like the math tutor are one of the most useful tools to help you make it through high school.

“A freshman’s biggest mistake is not using supports,” Fedor said. “They think, ‘I’ll be fine!’ and that they can handle the transition. But you can’t do it alone.”

So, advice #1: Use supports! Whether by staying after class, seeing your counselor, or going to the math tutor, you will get help.

And, advice #2: Shower.

But that’s not all. Freshman year academics can be hard as well. It is on a whole different level than middle school, and even

with supports it can sometimes still be very difficult. But, don’t stress about it too much.

“Freshmen focus so much on academics when really it is 25 percent of the of the transition,” Fedor said. “I think what a lot of students hear when they hear high school, is school, when the real struggle is outside the classroom.

S o there’s the huge social a n d emotional aspect of it.”

Advice #3: Don’t stress over academics, but still do the work.

O n e last tip that I could give you comes from senior Avery Troop.

He said that the best piece of advice he can give to freshmen is... “Take more risks!”

Advice #4: Take more risks! But don’t be stupid.

So, please take a broader look around you in high school, and I promise your life will improve. Explore new places, try new things, and ask people whatever you need to ask. If you follow this very basic advice, then things will get easier. And remember Modlin’s words of wisdom when it comes to what a freshman’s biggest mistake is.

“Right.

Not showering enough.

You’re so welcome.”

GRAPHIC

Cake and Nihilism.

BY

KAITLYN SCHMIDT

COMIC

BY

GRACE HACH

Perspectives

Spilled Ink

Sept. 29, 2016

21

St[ A ]ndardized testing inhi[ B ]its students’ [ C ]ritical thinking, [ D ]iscourages cr[ E ]ativity

Molly Lubbers Columnist

Ever since third grade, my life has felt marked by a series of tests. As a child, I was told people hiring me would look at my CSAP grades. I spent the rest of elementary school stressing about testing.

As I got into middle school, I began to realize standardized testing didn’t measure my success but how well I could memorize answers. By freshman year, I opted out.

I’m not alone in my experience. Students and teachers often agree that standardized testing and No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the reform implementing it, were useless.

T h e s e tests are u n necessary when it is the teacher’s job to make sure all of their students

understand the concepts.

Teaching to the test doesn’t allow educators and students to work together to choose the speed of instruction.

“I think it’s kind of stupid because rather than letting kids learn at their pace and let them do what they are able to, it holds a lot of kids back,” junior Katie Carlson said. “I always say that it should be ‘No Child Kept Behind,’ not ‘No Child Left B e hind.’”

It also suppresses interest, making students indifferent about their learning.

“I’ve seen students become much less curious and much more passive,” social studies teacher Sarah Keller said. “And those are not the skills that we need if America is going to be competitive in the 21st century.”

This lack of curiosity can become a problem when students join the workforce.

“I think there is a security in saying there is a right or wrong answer,” Keller said. “But I also know that they will be more successful in business or college if they can think for themselves and don’t think that there’s a right or wrong answer to memorize.”

Instead,

teachers should be able to foster discussions and arguments to better prepare students.

Despite these problems, when it was passed, NCLB had wonderful intentions: it was meant to equalize education.

“I think there is a little bit of a lag between knowing there are populations that are historically underperforming, and what do we do to support those groups? But I’m going to say that at least NCLB forces us to have the conversations,” assistant principal Jennifer Roth said.

If NCLB actually supported underperforming students the way it was meant to, and the conversations led to growth across the country, then standardized testing wouldn’t be so bad. But NCLB was underfunded and unrealistic, thus education hasn’t improved.

The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), passed in 2016, sought to change NCLB’s extreme focus on testing. It gave more power and flexibility to the states to decide their testing methods. According to Keller, factors beyond testing and subjects other than reading and math are included. This will shift education into the teachers’ hands rather than the government’s.

Although the ESSA is an improvement, it still includes high-stakes testing. Ultimately, we have no way to fully equalize public education; strides can be made, but we do not live in a utopia. That said, CSAP and its variations are not the way to this paradise: it’s the teachers who strive to make their classrooms a place for everyone to learn.

How do you feel about standardized testing and why?

Riley Maklowski freshman

“I feel like it’s kind of a waste of time because it takes away from students’ learning and a lot of students have anxiety about testing.”

Kassidy Powers Sophomore

“I think I don’t really like it that much because people don’t have to take it, so it just kind of gets annoying.

Some people don’t really try very hard because they know kind of what their outcome will be already.”

Casey Gessaman

Madison Jarmillo

Senior

Junior

“It doesn’t really bother me that much; it helps you get better, so you know what you can work on in the future.”

“It’s boring, but it might work, but I think because it’s boring, every student you ask is going to have a reason to argue against it.”

Graphic By Grace Hach

Literature censorship disruptive to learning

Roland Tomsic Staff Writer

In high school, students often begin to question things and look at them from a different point of view.

Many people do this by reading about various issues, problems, and topics, but not all books on real-life topics can be accessed by teenagers in school libraries.

It is known that schools are stubborn when it comes to controversial topics such as censorship in libraries. And schools are probably not going to

change this policy for good reason because students shouldn’t be exposed to inappropriate matters.

But living in the world today means drugs, sex, and alcohol are going to be glamorized and might seem like the cool thing to do, and censoring books in a school library is not going to change that. In school there are some kids who make the bad decision of doing drugs, and all students are exposed to that— what is the difference if students see it in a book or in real life? It is probably better if students are exposed to such things in a book because when students read it doesn’t influence them the same way it would if they saw an action performed in real life.

“It’s up to the student to decide what they want to read, and the school should provide it just in case they can’t access it somewhere else,” freshman Kenna Hoven said.

Many kids don’t have the resources, such as a bike or a person who can drive them, to get to the public library. However, they don’t have an excuse not to go.

Students can use public transportation for free with the aid of a student identification card. If a certain topic interests someone, that person has the right to look into that topic. For instance, freshman Gail Bunn loves gory horror books, but they are often hard to find in schools.

“I don’t really find those books very often in the school library,” Bunn said. “It’s always a little bit disappointing.”

Some schools are suppressing freedom of speech by withholding information from students, but it is completely understandable why the school allows some texts but doesn’t allow others.

The maturity of an individual is crucial in determining what literature should be censored. Because the maturity level of students can vary so drastically, the school and teachers must err on the side of caution, censoring more rather than less content to accommodate the largest number of students. However, public libraries are a great resource for students wishing to read about material not offered at FCHS.

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Sept. 29, 2016

Perspectives

Spilled Ink

Genetically Modi�ied Organisms proven safe for agriculture

Grace Hach Cartoonist

Vitamin A deficiency is one of the most devastating effects of malnutrition in Third World countries. It leads to the blindness and eventual death of millions of children each year. In an attempt to solve this problem, Ingo Potrykus, an independent humanitarian researcher, altered three genes of a rice strain through genetic engineering so that it carried a full serving of natural Vitamin A, called “Golden Rice.” In order to achieve maximum effectiveness, he offered a free worldwide release of these seeds to substance farmers everywhere.

This occurred in 1999, and sadly, the issue of vitamin A deficiency persists at full force. Proven safe numerous times by several different independent organizations, the anti-GMO backlash was so widespread and vicious, that golden rice was never released.

Genetic modification is a diverse and complicated issue, and cannot be reduced to a single generalization.

Doing so is unproductive and based in paranoia or deeprooted beliefs unrelated to the reality of the situation. Like any other science, the practice of genetic modification is a tool that can be used to suit any interest, but when used correctly, may further the development of humanity.

According to the World Health Organization, “Genetically modified (GM) foods are foods derived from organisms whose genetic material (DNA) has been modified in a way that does not occur naturally.”

GMOs are generally thought of as “unhealthy.” This is an exceptionally broad statement, and while it is backed by mixed data a blanket statement about all GMOs is inherently invalid. Like golden rice, genetically modified plant species are tailored to fit some human need, whether it’s agriculture for human consumption, to reduce allergic potential or fill a nutritional deficiency. GMOs can also provide solutions to environmental problems outside the scope of food production, such as growing plants that don’t require pesticides or artificial fertilizers, thus ending a long standing dangerous chemical

dependency, or breeding stronger coral reefs that can withstand the human activity that poses a threat to these incredible biodiverse ecosystems. Also, promising research has been done in Florida breeding mosquitoes resistant to carrying diseases like malaria or the Zika virus.

The prospect of genetically modified insects is incredible, work has been done in making mosquitoes infertile, which can have a massive net effect on total populations. This poses a safe and scientific alternative to spraying insecticides en-masse, which has been repeatedly proven to be dangerous and detrimental to the local ecosystems. GM honey bees are also being proposed, in response to the Colony Collapse of 2008. Because bees are so necessary to the production of so many staple crops in the United States, disease resistant super-pollinators are an import front to approach in addressing food shortage.

Many anti-GMO activists claim that GMOs increase herbicide use. The foundation of this claim rests on the use of seeds that are immune to damage by certain pesticides, allowing farmers to spray indiscriminately without fear of killing their crops. The example typically given are Roundup Ready soybeans, which cannot be killed with Roundup herbicide. This is worth considering in the debate about GMOs, but the burden of responsibility absolutely should not fall on the seeds themselves, rather than the farmers choosing to over-spray. The dependency on pesticides is genuinely concerning, but genetic modification isn’t the central issue. Many plants, such as common sage or chamomile have natural insect repellent capabilities. These traits are not harmful to consumers or the environment, and with any number of genetic modification strategies may be passed on to the plants the American diet is dependent on.

Another major concern about GMOs in the agricultural market place is plants’ tendency to contaminate one another’s gene pool, permanently.

This is a reasonable worry, especially in the context of corporate control over American food production. Large companies like Monsanto are especially feared when horror stories surface about this kind of biogenetic mixing occurring, and farmers being attacked by

trademark lawyers. This exact issue was addressed in a recent court case in which farmers attempted to sue the agriculture giant Monsanto for fear of crop contamination with their trademark genetically modified Roundup Ready soybeans. When presenting the case, the farmers were unable to come up with a single proven incident of this ever actually occurring. According to researcher Dan Charles: “Monsanto has never sued anybody over trace amounts of GMOs that were introduced into fields simply through cross-pollination.

(The company asserts, in fact, that it will pay to remove any of its GMOs from fields where they don’t belong.)”

The concern over a corporate monopoly is in part fueled by apprehension about the way GMOs are regulated and allowed into our food by government regulation. The FDA does have a history of leniency, but anti-GMO activists frequently go as far as to claim that independent research is attacked and suppressed.

This is a serious allegation, which with five minutes of research one can easily disprove. There are dozens or reliable sources publishing thousands of scientific papers, such as GENERA or the GM Approval Database just to name a few. These sites provide a free, easy to access and surprisingly complete collection of food providers and the relative safety of their products.

This skepticism about government regulation is fully justified, but to anyone who is genuinely concerned about this issue, loads of reliable information is available.

The only argument against genetic modification that can’t be thought through and dismissed is the general discomfort people feel with something “unnatural,” but as humans, we already take a major role in modifying the environment around us. When something presents this kind of potential to aid human quality of life, the best possible thing to do is stay informed and skeptical, challenging anything put forth, and taking full advantage of our power as consumers to move toward a safer world.

Graphic by Cat O’Hare

Overesteem of athletics during school assemblies unfair Sports aren’t the only thing this school values, but from attending one of our assemblies, it might be hard to tell.

While athletes and sports are, as they should be, a respected part of the school, they are not the only group that deserves recognition, and attending sports events is not the only way to show school spirit. If groups in the school were represented more fairly, school assemblies would be much more enjoyable and worthwhile.

Many clubs and classes work just as hard as the sports teams, and dedicate just as much of their time, if not more; yet, they are acknowledged very little in comparison. Not only can this be discouraging to these students, but it makes those uninterested in sports

less likely to attend, enjoy, or give their full attention.

The staff appreciates that assemblies consistently feature the band and choir, and other events going on in the school are sometimes mentioned.

However, even

when they do happen, such announcements are made with far less excitement.

The enthusiasm surrounding sports is understandable, but it implies that attending games is the only way, or the best way, to show school spirit. While filling the stands and dressing in purple and gold is not a

bad thing to encourage, plenty of other ways to support the student body exist. For example, if a student has artwork being displayed in a show, assemblies are a chance to inspire more people to stop by.

M a ny students involved in theater or music are incredibly talented and practice every day, and their upcoming performances should be proudly broadcasted. It’s not necessarily that sports should be celebrated less, but that other parts of school should be celebrated more.

Assemblies are a rare chance to gather the entire school, and we should take advantage of the occasions to truly honor the student body. The school must celebrate a more accurate portrayal of our student body at assemblies to prioritize inclusivity and bring the school closer together.

Spilled Ink

Perspectives

Sept. 29, 2016

23

Students, staff upset over repainting of Peer Room

is sad and while it doesn’t define us and what we do, it is a bummer to see what we are a part of and not be able to contribute to that specific aspect of Peers,” he explained.

Thanks to Principal Mark Eversole’s generosity and willingness to be flexible, the office will remain in upstairs M-hall where it has been for over 20 years. While we are sad to be losing the signatures, quotes, and artwork of generations of Peer Counselors, in the end safety and standards come first within the walls of FCHS. In addition, not all the updates within the Peer Counseling room are negative; in fact, the space is in dire need of some updating. Eversole is investing in the effort by purchasing some much needed furniture, and making it a better-lit and cleaner space.

To preserve the history, the room has been thoroughly photographed, and paint will never be able to take away the tradition and memories that adorn those four walls. In fact, some past Peer Counselors are now currently staff members in the building, and their impact on the school goes far past the quotes they wrote in the room.

“Many signatures such as the math teacher Ms. [Sara] Slagle and the football coach Matt Yemm are up in that room and help symbolize what Peers was and how it became what it is today,” McCoy said.

While change is difficult, it is often necessary and for the best. The story of the Peer Room has two sides, but in the end Peers have chosen to live up to our slogan: we need unity to build a great community.

Thany Dykson

Staff Writer Original quotes, pieces of artwork, and memories decorate the walls of the Peer Room in upstairs M-hall. These unique attributes set the space apart from any other room in FCHS, and reflect the positive and uplifting atmosphere Peer Counseling strives to create.

Currently the Peer counseling office is in violation of several district policies, including fire codes, requiring some unnegotiable renovations.

Anger, frustration, and defiance were some of the first emotions I experienced when I heard about the changes that needed to be made, and my fellow Peer Counselors reacted similarly.

Many staff members and students echoed Peers’ feelings. Peer Counselors have been leaving their mark on FCHS by signing the walls of the Peer Room since the school has been at 3400 Lambkin Way, and many were not willing to see that erased.

Peer Counselor Eli McCoy is one of many sad to see this piece of Lambkin tradition go.

“Losing the history and culture of the Peer Office

Photo By Walker Discoe

Peer Counselor, Nathan Dill stands in the doorway of the Peer Room.

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Spilled Ink is published nine times yearly by the newspaper staff of Fort Collins High School, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins, Colo. 80525, (970) 488-8199. Member of the Colorado High School Press Association, American Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. Recipient of the Quill and Scroll, George H. Gallup Award in 1996 and 1997, and awarded First Place with Special Merit in 2001 by the National Scholastic Press Association. Columns are the opinions of writers only. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority opinion of the Spilled Ink staff. Nothing in Spilled Ink should be considered the opinion of Fort Collins High School or Poudre School District (PSD). School-sponsored publications written by students are encouraged to freely and creatively express their views subject to the limitations of PSD Board Policies and state law (PR--la0431, Colorado Revised Statutes 22-1-120) Spilled Ink reserves the right to edit letters to the editor and to deny publication to any letter. Letters may be published on Spilled Ink’s website. Letters must be signed, and are limited to 300 words.

24 Sept. 29, 2016 The Backside

Spilled Ink

What is the best thing about starting a new school year?

Zach Walker

Olivia Goodman

Junior

Senior

“The beginning of the year gives everybody a fresh start.”

Avery Troop

“You get to restart your grades and begin all new classes.”

Emma Christensen

Danielle Winter

Senior

Freshman

Sophomore

“I like seeing what friends I have in all my new classes.”

“You get to experience new classes and new people.”

Ryan Lazzarini

McKaiden Ayrand

Riana Tate

Sophomore

Freshman

“There are so many openminded, nice people to talk to.”

“You have so much more freedom in high school. Off periods are the best.”

Junior

“You get to meet a lot more people and its also fun to play sports.”

“You get to go back to school shopping and go to new classes.”

Spilled Ink is a five year All-Colorado Newspaper 2010-2011

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