March 2019 USJ

Journal The Union St.

Cherry Creek High School 9300 E. Union Ave. Greenwood Village, CO 80111 March 2019

Vol. 4 Issue 3

Making history

P. 18

IN THIS ISSUE....

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NEWS

Creek’s overcrowding problem

STUDENT LIFE

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

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Editor-In-Chief Gracie Lordi

Feature Editor Bitanya Haile

News Editor Jane McCauley

Illustrator Faith McCurdy

Student Life Editor Da’Nazjah Dorsey

Advisor Yoni Fine

A&E Editor Chance Hausman

Staff Writers

Opinions Editor Jacob Ginsberg-Margo

JJ Aquino

Sports Editors Giovanni Machado Spotlighting active clubs at Creek

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USJ STAFF

PHOTO BY JANE MCCAULEY

FEATURES

Web Editor Hannah Edelheit

Sara Abbey

Harper Hanson Cole Paterson Loza Tezera

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

Purpose: The Union Street Journal is a student publication distributed to the students, faculty, and staff of Cherry Creek High School. The paper serves as an information source and a two-way communication forum for both the school and community. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Cherry Creek High School or the Cherry Creek School District.

The negative mental effects of social media

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SPORTS

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

A closer look at sophomore basketball stars

Find more stories at unionstreetjournal.com

@creekusj USE OUR QR CODES TO FOLLOW US ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM! COVER PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

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Mar. 2019

NEWS

Letters to the Editor Letters to the editor. Letters to the editor are accepted and can be submitted via email to: theunionstreetjournal@gmail.com or jfine5@cherrycreekschools.org. Letters cannot be anonymous and they may be edited for clarity.

Re: “Why I’m Conservative” (Dec. 2018) To the high school newspaper staff: Congratulations on having the courage to print an editorial by Jacob Ginsberg-Margo in the high school paper regarding his conservative viewpoints. My two high school students showed it to me, and they also admired the fact that true journalism was upheld under the belief that all sides get to have their say.

You have done what many news outlets won’t, and the refusal to give time to alternative viewpoints gets dismissed under the false narrative of “hate speech.” Less government and lower taxes apparently falls into that category for some.

This school just showed the journalism world what professionalism looks like. Well done. Keep up the good work!

-Dave Miller, CCHS parent Dear Mr. Ginsberg-Margo, When I saw your article in the Union Street Journal, I was elated. As a lifelong liberal, I’ve always been curious about the views of conservatives like you. Unfortunately, I was disappointed to find that your article - ostensibly written to dispel stereotypes about conservatives - depended heavily on stereotyping liber-

als and our views.

In your article, I saw very little actual explaining of conservatism. Instead, I had the dubious pleasure of reading through ten paragraphs attacking the liberal equivalent of the Alt-Right. If the irony in your piece is not self-evident by now, I recommend actually seeking out and talking to liberals. You may be surprised to find that just as you feel stereotyped and unfairly attacked, so do we. Please do not exacerbate the problem.

-Junior Ana Gijόn Van Linden Hello Jacob, I have recently read your “Proud to be conservative” piece in the school newspaper, and I have a few critiques.

To start off, I want to answer your question of what we think conservatives look like. You described one as “a heartless old, crotchety man, who sold his first born for a few more dollars, and despises that women can leave to house.” My answer to that is: yes.

This is the image most of you put out for yourselves. You think that if minorities were given basic rights, the world will go up in flames. If immigrants try to seek better living, your group will go and throw a tantrum about how they’re stealing your jobs. This is exactly how I imagine you.

Next, white people have no culture, unless you want to count fascism, bigotry, and racism as part of your culture, then go ahead. You stole cultures from others and put the word “OURS” in big red letters.

You also said that you would be expelled from college and would be arrested in England for saying that you’re proud to be white. That is, in fact, incorrect. You would only be arrested in England for being blatantly racist to another individuals, but that is not the same as being “proud to be white.”

Same thing with college. You will not be expelled for going to the middle of the campus and screaming out, “I’M WHITE AND I’M PROUD!!” Let’s be a bit more logical here, Jacob. There are laws and rules set up in places like that.

America is not the greatest country in the world.

-Junior Yasmin Mohamed To Whom it May Concern, Having read “Proud to be a Conservative,” I find it necessary to highlight its grievous errors. The first matter is one of fact. The article contained a significant amount of misinformation. Some bias is to be expected, however, the point to which these untruths have been taken is embarrassing. For example, the phrase, “2

COMING UP....

MAR.27

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

Orchestra Concert at 7:00 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre.

Mar. 2019

whites for everyone 1 black,” does not take into account other statistics surrounding it. Black children were killed at a higher rate and more unarmed black people were killed. This cherry-picked data is frankly shameful journalism.

Furthermore, the most abhorrent piece of this article is its hateful rhetoric. He references a man found guilty of a hate crime, but this event is later stated to be “non-racist.” Later he states that “the country is stuck in a system of victims and oppressors, when there is none.”

I speak then to you of the gay and trans people who are denied employment, housing, and medical care because of their identity, and of diversity quotas which were only enforced to fight back against systematic oppression.

Similarly, there is a complete lack of perspective. The author refuses to join a party that is “actively against [his] existence” and says so in reference to the liberal party and yet to minorities, it is the conservatives who are actively against their existence. He has taken his words and proved the very thing he tried to denounce. Being angry at a systematic oppression is understandable, but this is not a fair way of representing these grievances.

Cherry Creek aspires to be a “No Place For Hate” school, but this hateful rhetoric is the seed of fear and anger and harm and something needs to be done to stop this matter of fallacies and hate.

-Junior Mara Mulvin

APR.4

MAR.28

PHOTO BY SEUNG LEE

Boys’ All Level swim meet at 5:00 p.m. vs Overland at the pool.

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

Boys’ varsity baseball game at 4:15 p.m. vs Mullen at the CCHS baseball field.

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NEWS

BY: JANE MCCAULEY News Editor

“

ART BY HARPER HANSON

There is no shortage of student bodies that same over the twelve years. In fact, they might school instead of leaving since there already exist at Creek, and the numbers predict go up 50-100 students max, or down 50-100, will be 920 incoming freshman with that there won’t be a decline any time soon. but we pretty much always stay right around only 880 seniors graduating. That 3,724 students are enrolled at Creek, and the that 3,700 students,” Uhlig said. doesn’t include other students who growth pattern for the next couple of years projOther students express that the campus can transfer into the school. ects that we will have even more students in the maintain its size.

Uhlig explained that Creek’s next few years.

“I’m sure it [overcrowding] has been happen- steady increase in population is due Principal Ryan Silva emphasizes that Creek ing, but it’s such a huge campus that the people to the outstanding educational sercan only grow bigger from this point. distribute pretty evenly,” Rojec said. vices.

“We’re in a growth pattern for a little while,” Creek is a large campus. Over the past de“It’s pretty amazing that we’ve Silva said, “because from this year’s sixth grade cade, the student number has steadily increased maintained our enrollment, but that at Campus and West up to this years juniors, according to Registrar Donna Luther-Adrian speaks volumes about the quality of they’re bigger classes, so we anticipate that we who has also been at Creek for a little over a our school and the quality of our will grow next year.” decade. community and how much they valMore students per class join the Creek fami“When I first started here, the numbers were ue education,” Uhlig said. ly than the class before them, so more students around 3,500,” Luther-Adrian said. overall are expected in the following years at The numbers also explain that for the next -Principal Ryan Silva Creek. school year, more students will be entering the Yet the current students already have to adapt to the size of the campus with the large number of students. Junior Stewart Rojec describes the different methods he has to take to get to class just to avoid the large crowds.

“East used to be Campus, so the hallways are a lot smaller, so I mostly walk outside or take the entrance by security because in the first few minutes of passing period, everybody comes out,” Rojec said.

Other students voice the hassle that overcrowding has caused not only inside the buildings, but outside as well.

“I want to avoid the crowds, so I have nothing else to do but walk outside,” Sophomore Jordan Babbey said.

However, other variables will be introduced next year that will help with the population.

“One thing that’ll help us next year is the Cherry Creek Innovation Campus will open, and we’ll have students that take classes there,” Silva said.

The Cherry Creek Innovation Campus will be located about eight minutes away on Fairmont Avenue and will be able to take more students away from campus during the day.

For the faculty and staff at Creek, there is a contrast in opinions since they have been here for a longer period of time and have seen the pattern for a longer time.

PHOTO BY JANE MCCAULEY Assistant Principal Kevin Uhlig hasn’t noticed much of a difference in the twelve years FACING FORWARD: The IC tunnel is always packed especially during the winter because students want to avoid the cold. The school population has been increasing each year lately, but there isn’t any fear that the campus can’t handle the influx of more students. he has been at Creek.

“Our numbers have stayed pretty much the “We’re in a growth pattern for a little while, so we anticipate that we will grow next year,” Principal Ryan Silva said.

We’re pretty far from being at capacity. We’ve had 4,000 students before, so we’d have to have pretty significant growth to get that big.

”

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Mar. 2019

NEWS

Heavy Traffic Zones

West Building: 300 hallway

IC Tunnel

PHOTO BY JANE MCCAULEY

TIGHT FIT: During cold weather, more students use the IC tunnel instead of walking outside which gives the appearance that there is less room. “When the weather’s bad outside, it probably feels even more crowded,” Uhlig said.

IC Intersection

PHOTO BY JANE MCCAULEY

NEW PATHS: With enhanced security measures across campus, more external doors have been closed. This has caused the hallways to become more packed because traffic has been transferred to other hallways. The door leading out from the 400s hallway in West was roped off with an alarm to stop students from using it so incoming traffic wouldn’t haven’t have such easy access to the building. Since the door has become unusable, students are now forced to exit going down the 300 hallway which has caused more foot traffic.

Running out of slots

With an increase of students coming into the school, parking spaces are running out. The only solution to keep parking spots open for juniors and seniors was to drop the lottery the sophomores had to receive a parking space.

For almost a decade, the sophomores have had the option to participate in a lottery for access to a parking space once they can drive.

However, because of the influx of students coming into the school next year, only juniors and seniors have the availability for parking spaces.

Principal Ryan Silva predicted that the sophomores won’t be winning a parking space for next year.

PHOTO BY JANE MCCAULEY

TRAFFIC: The hallways crossing through West, IC, and Fine Arts meet in one spot: the intersection in the middle of IC. The IC building has already had tons of traffic in the past, making the space susceptible to overcrowding.

“For next year school year, it’ll be juniors and seniors, and we’ll see again around fall break if we can service sophomores, but I doubt we’ll be able to because we couldn’t this year, and we’ll be bigger next year,” Silva said.

The Stutler parking lot also lost 30 parking spaces due to the construction to create the new bus lanes this year.

Although there has been disappointment, it’s understandable for some of the sophomores like Yehan Ediriweera.

“I think that’s pretty fair,” said Ediriweera.

“Instead of having a sophomore bring themself in, juniors and seniors can drive their friends in.

That saves more space.”

INFOGRAPHICS BY JANE MCCAULEY

Mar. 2019

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NEWS

Out of bounds: students come from out of district

BY: BITANYA HAILE Layout Editor

6:45 a.m., get up and dressed. 7:10 a.m., grab breakfast and by 7:25 a.m. head out to school. From 7:25 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. drive to school.

Although driving 45 minutes to school may seem ridiculous, that doesn’t scare away a surprising number of Creek students from making their daily commute to school.

Sometimes these students are allowed to do this; sometimes they’re not.

Many families that want their children to be taught in a better rated and funded school are willing to take the extra 30-50 minute car rides and bus stops to and from school.

With Creek typically ranking in the top 12 Colorado high schools, according to US News, it makes sense that some parents will try to send their children here.

According to Assistant Principal Traci Dougherty, there are ART BY SEUNG LEE

many reasons why there could be students at Creek who don’t live in the same area.

“Some students have a guardian that works in the district, so they can choose where they want to attend school,” Dougherty said. “In other cases, there are students who have been expelled from their schools, and Creek helps by taking some in.”

Even more commonly than both of these reasons, some parents call out other students. In some cases parents will claim other athletes don’t live in the district or school parameters.

They do this for the chance of the athlete being kicked out of the school.

“We [Creek administrators] have active measures that can help us determine whether a student is meant to be here or not,” Dougherty said.

One of these is a home check, where an administrator will go to the student’s given address.

The most tell-tale sign of a student trying to sneak into Creek is usually returned mail.

At this point, one may beg the question of why a student would want to go through this much trouble.

For sophomore Adam Bosne*, the choice was mostly driven by his parents.

“I don’t really want to go here, I just know I have to because it provides more opportunities,” Bosne said.

Although Creek is one of the best public schools in Colorado, many other schools in the Cherry Creek School District are

competitive and opportunity-rich as well. Bosne believes none of them compare.

“If I took AP Human Geo at Overland versus here, which would you think a college would prefer?” Bosne said.

Samira Franklin*, another student who lives in a different school zone, believes that there is more value when “networking” at Creek.

“I meet more people that encourage me,” Franklin said.

“They all have plans and goals and I don’t think I would be able to meet as many hard working people at other schools.”

When asked whether networking was better, Bosne doesn’t see as big of a difference in the student population.

“I didn’t come here to connect, I have plenty of friends that don’t go to Creek and they’re just as hard working. The only difference is that a Creek Diploma is sexier than the one they’re gonna get,” Bosne said.

Yes there are students that go to Creek who aren’t supposed to, but this doesn’t mean they don’t belong.

“There are many students from different school zones, most of which are accounted for and very few ‘sneak’ into Creek.

Creek administrators welcome them with open arms and hope other students do too,” Dougherty said. *some student names changed to protect anonymity

How library stays not so quiet

BY: JACOB GINSBERG-MARGO Opinion Editor

The Kathleen D. Smith library, located in the IC building, continues to provide services to students. Whether from checking out a myriad of books, providing a space for quiet study, or using their many computers.

“I go there to usually study,” sophomore Wesley Roberts said. “I see a lot of other kids studying to.”

Although, according to library coordinator Michelyne Gray, the library is not slowing down.

“Per month, students visits are anywhere from 25,000 to 35,000 times,” Gray said.

The library also has no plans to stop student involvement. From pedal-a-thons to promote mental and physical health, to hosting a Black Brilliance event, the library is still increasing their activity in student life, and is also setting up friendly competitions for the student body.

The library has also gotten involved with clubs.

“We talked recently that we’d love to have more student input for programs that they’d like to see,” Gray said.

But the library is still, well, a library. They checkout around 880 books per month and are still looking for student input on their acquisition for new books. Their top checked out books, are firstly Ready Player One but then followed with books for English classes, such as Jane Eyre and Hamlet.

“We always take suggestions up at the desk and kind of our process is to see if other schools in the district have that book,” Gray

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said.

For many students, however, the library is a place for work. Many students, swamped with AP classes, will use the library to finish papers, work on projects, or use the all-important printer.

The library is kept in high regard with students. Many students in the morning line the stairs till 8:05 a.m. when the library finally opens, so that they can quickly print or add to their school projects.

“I usually read, study, write papers at the last minute, I definitely think that the library is mainly used for studying,” junior Kaihinjik Alexander said.

Not all of the periods are stuffed full of active students at the library. But the main lunch periods, 5-6th, are usually completely full.

It’s important to keep contributing to the library. New books are continuously getting added to the many hungry shelves of the Kathleen D. Smith Library.

Most students keep to themselves. Whether from keeping their nose to the grindstone in one of the small wall cubbies, to staring at one of the many computers, the library becomes a hive of productivity.

“I don’t usually look around in the library, because I go there to study,” Roberts said.

All in all the library is still quite alive and is still ready for more student input, and fun activities. While it keeps to its mission to provide a clean, quiet place to work and study.

PHOTO BY JACOB GINSBERG-MARGO

CHECKING OUT: The Kathleen D. Smith library is always busy, and it’s usually pretty difficult to find a space to work or study after the bell has already rung.

“At sixth period, all of the computers are usually full, so normally I go up there to do a presentation, or work on one with a friend, and it’s really hard to find a computer,” sophomore Wesley Roberts said.

Mar. 2019

STUDENT LIFE

Fine Arts Friday OPEN MIC: Poetry Club sponsored an open stage for students, like Sophomore Zach Gibbons, who wanted to read their own poems.

PHOTOS BY JACOB GINSBERG-MARGO

AP ART STUDIO: Junior Lingyi Xie painting art for AP Art Studio on Fine Arts Friday, March 8.

Every AP Art piece has a theme that the artist must choose and then center all their pieces on.

SCULPTING: Students are able to express themselves creatively making mini-sculptures. The clay was provided by the Fine Arts department by the event coordinators.

Spanish speakers get unique Spanish class BY: GIOVANNI MACHADO Sports Editor

If you moved to a new country in which its language is not English, and your new school offered a English class course, would you take it? That is the situation of many Hispanic students who move to the United States. But why would you take a language that you already speak?

“Why do kids that speak English take English?” Said Spanish Teacher Jose Murillo.

Murillo believes that sometimes it may also be a cultural issue for Hispanic kids at Creek.

“They might not know their culture as well, because they were born in America, and they know their culture through whatever they’re exposed to in TV, or maybe by their parents,” Murillo said.

Thinking about this students, last year Murillo started offering a class only for native and heritage speakers. A heritage speaker is one the grew up speaking a language other than English or in addition to English. A native speaker is one that has completed schooling in a Spanish speaking country and has moved to the U.S. “We noticed that our demographics Mar. 2019

were changing as far as kids coming to our school from different places, and we saw the need because we noticed that we had native Spanish speakers or heritage speakers placed in Spanish one or Spanish two,” Murillo said. “And when a Heritage speaker is in a class like that I don’t think their needs are being met fully. So we decided to create a class that was going to be taught differently, but only in Spanish to meet the needs of those kids.”

Sophomore Jimena Ortiz Lozano, is a heritage speaker, and was one of the students who took Murillo’s class last year, and even though she grew up learning Spanish at home, she thinks that the class improved her Spanish overall.

“It [helped] a lot because I can speak, read, and write the language, but my grammar in Spanish was not good. So then the class helped me level all of those things out,” Ortiz Lozano said.

Senior Ivana Casillas Martin is also a heritage speaker, and although she grew up speaking Spanish with her parents, she took three year of Spanish at Creek.

“I decided to take Spanish because I

never went to school to learn Spanish, I just learned it from my parents,” Casillas Martin said. “I wanted to get better with my grammar, I wanted to learn more about other cultures, get better with understanding stronger vocabulary because I know that could help me out, being bilingual. I feel that helps my language sound more interesting.”

Some might think that someone who already speaks Spanish enters the class just to get and easy ‘A’, or that they have advantage over those who don’t, but second Murillo, that is not the case.

“It is funny because usually when a native Spanish speaker enters a class and he or she is placed at the Spanish at the same level as a non native speaker, they don’t tend to get better grades than a non native speaker,” Murillo said. “Because they don’t understand the structure of the language.

They’ve never had a class on the language.

So they tend to not do as well as their peers.”

Murillo’s classes for heritage and native speakers wasn’t available this year; however, it is going to be available next year for

those who want to learn more about Hispanic culture and grammar.

“In our classes we had studied the language, the grammar, the structure of the language, the culture. We did current events, and that’s something we don’t do as much in our Spanish classes,” Murillo said.

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

¿HABLAS ESPAÑOL?: There are many native Spanish speakers at Creek. Spanish teacher Jose Murillo started a new class last year geared toward native and heritage speakers of Spanish.

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FEATURE

Biking to school never seemed so cool BY: SARA ABBEY Staff Writer

It’s 6:45 a.m. and Jon Peaches has overslept. Rushing out of bed he throws on his clothes for the day. He hurries downstairs for a quick breakfast all the while searching for his left shoe.

Finally organized he runs to his garage where his purple bike is, leaning against his Honda Civic. Hopping on, he journeys for the next half hour on his eight mile trip to school.

By 7:15am Jon quickly navigates his way out of his neighborhood and into the Cherry Creek Reservoir. From there he enjoys the scenery around him before reaching the school grounds.

“There’s so much to look at and see and I get to take my time getting there. If you leave early enough in the mornings you can see all the wild life in the reservoir and its an amazing site to see”.

Peaches is not the only kid that bikes to school. Many students by choice or based on living circumstances bike to school instead of using conventional means such as carpooling.

But of course not every morning trip to school is as normal as this.

“The worst was when a lightning storm around April last year and I almost got struck by lightning. It had split a tree a little ways away down the trail”, says Peaches.

It’s an understatement to call his travels normal. And he’s not

the only student with a crazy biking experience.

“I crashed my bike at an intersection and my friend Veronica and I had to lift my bike over a fence and then I climbed over it because my bike was broken”, says sophomore Nicole Chen.

And even after their difficult travels the real trouble begins when trying to look for spots to lock bikes. With there only being three to four bike locks in the area, one by the East building and the other three by the front and back of the West building, there are only nine slots in each.

“Sometimes it’s pure agony to find a place to lock my bike”, says Shiloh Schwartz.

However, even with all the problems that continue to arise, there are benefits in biking to school.

According to the American Heart Association, “Regular physical activity keeps your heart healthy and strong and it helps you build healthy muscles, bones and joints. Physical activity can also raise your self-esteem, improve your mood, help you sleep better and give you more energy”.

And students who bike to school see this value as well.

“You don’t have to worry about giving others rides and it’s good exercise,” sophomore Sarah Bien said.

PHOTO BY SARA ABBEY

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Mar. 2019

FEATURE

ILC: The students we don’t really know BY: BITANYA HAILE Layout Editor

Q&A with two ILC teachers Interview conducted by Seung Lee and Faith McCurdy USJ: We are here to clarify some misconceptions about ILC and SAS. So what would you say is the difference between the two?

Garrett Ostedgaard: So SAS is for all students who have been identified as having an educational disability ILC is a component within it for students who have an identified cognitive disability Blake Orzak: I agree with that. Otherwise saying that is a cognitive disability or intellectual disability, and oftentimes our students in ILC have an intellectual disability and something else so they’ll have multiple disabilities, meaning if you see one of our kids with autism in ILC they don’t just have autism. They have an intellectual disability and autism USJ: So there can be kids overlapping - they’re in both ILC and SAS?

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

WATCH AND LEARN: ILC students watch a video waiting to apply their knowledge later in a Kahoot.

“Our students have classes like everyone else,” SAS teacher Blake Orzak said. “They’re differently abled, but they have amazing personalities. When you get a chance to meet them and get to know them, you get to learn that.”

I saw seven confident hands, raised inches apart from each other. As questions are asked, they are immediately answered.

Students that worked in groups did so cooperatively, helping other students who seemed to be confused. This might sound like a typical class, but it’s not one you would expect.

The ILC (Instructional Learning Center) program, which is part of the Student Achievement Services department, is for students with identified cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.

A lot of Creek students don’t know any of these ILC students, even though we all go to the same school.

Approaching someone new is already difficult for many students, so attempting to connect to students who don’t have any immediate similarities.

Sophomore Jack Wooden says that he doesn’t intentionally avoid ILC students. “ I just don’t have classes with ILC students, so I don’t go out of my way to talk to them.”

Initially, I pictured a chaotic room with teachers struggling to find a means of communication. I was completely wrong.

The first day, I walked into a social studies class and, to my surprise, they went into great detail about the culture of Mayan civilization. While on their Kahoot, I saw students answering their questions confidently, like I would in any class.

An ILC student, according to SAS teacher Caitlin Bennethum “is a student who has a disability.”

ILC students take classes that will help them grow to be independent in the future.

Mar. 2019

“Students in the ILC program will always take the four core classes: English, Math, social studies and science,” Bennethum said.

The goals of the ILC classes are to help students who are disabled interact with others through events like sports and Best Buddies.

Senior Saskia Angelov, an active member of Best Buddies, has enjoyed spending time with ILC students. “There are obvious differences but I have a good time anyways,” she said.

From my visits to ILC classrooms, it seemed that mos of the disabilities were related more to comprehension than communication. These small revelations were less profound the more I visited. The second day, I came in during a science class, and as the teacher was talking about matter and ions there was a genuine curiosity that filled the room. The students were actively engaged and asking questions..

What I appreciated most was the large sense of companionship carried among the students.

“They work phenomenal together,” Bennethum said, “and I think that because our general ed population really takes on that leadership role and that role model role, students really look up to them and are inspired by them.”

Although they would occasionally tease each other, it was apparent that there was friendship. The third day, it was clear that these students aren’t as different from other Creek students as I thought.

Orzak: Nope, if they have an intellectual disability that means they’re in our world, but you might have but part of having down syndrome might mean you have an intellectual disability at the same time Ostedgaard: So every kid in ILC is within SAS, but not every kid within SAS is in ILC USJ: Is there anything else you want to clarify or make known?

Orzak: Our students have classes like everyone else, they learn here just like everyone else. They’re differently abled, but they have amazing personalities. A lot of the students that Garrett and I have are nonverbal, but they have amazing personalities, and when you get a chance to meet them and get to know them, you get to learn that. I just don’t think that everyone around the school gets that opportunity, however we would open our doors to have anyone meet our students at any time.

Ostedgaard: And I think another thing to remember is that they’re the same ages as you guys, and they’re not cute little first graders. So treating them like your peers and not like children is a good thing.

Orzak: Sometimes the students we’re teaching are learning at the elementary level, so sometimes the reaction for the people who don’t know them is to treat them like elementary schoolers. However they’re 16, 17, 18 years old, sometimes older. We have students up until they’re 21 in our classroom, and there are four ILC teachers. I don’t know if everyone knows that.

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STUDENT LIFE

ub l C ' s r e it r w Song

Club Spotlight BY: GRACIE LORDI Editor-in-Chief

Meets after school every Monday in Library Lab A and Studio B. “I just really want to share my experience with everyone because starting music is very difficult if you don’t know what to do.”

-junior President John Zhou “Songwriting is something anyone can do because it’s not just singers and guitars. It takes a lot of thought to put all of your ideas into something tangible... Our club has a lot of really great people.”

One of the rewards of going to school as large as Creek is the abundance of clubs and activities that are available. With over 100 clubs the pool can be overwhelming. Here are some of the clubs that have been especially active this year that you may not have known about.

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Meets at 3:35 p.m . every other Thursday in West 432.

“E-Sports have ex ploded in popularit y over the last few years and it is great to be able to give our students a chance to compete against over sc hools in the se video games.”

-E-Sports Advisor Al

exandra Bak

“We provide a plac e for students who have a passion for compet itive video games, and allow them to compete at a national level.”

-junior Co-Presiden t Logan Busc h

Mar. 2019

FEATURE

How our addiction to social media is poisoning us BY: HANNAH EDELHEIT Web Editor

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

FEATURE

The toxicity of social media:

How the pressure to post false content impacts our overall wellbeing You are sitting on your phone, your finger hovering over the pink and purple Instagram app. Just as you open it, a picture of your friend’s night out pops up. As you scroll down your feed, you see an “Instagram influencer” sitting by a pool: the lighting is just right, and the picture looks absolutely amazing.

Then you notice all of the nice comments she is getting, and you think that her life must be like this all of the time. Suddenly you start to wish you were at a pool instead of sitting at home.

But is that really what her life is like?

“I think when people act fake they just try to be someone else and they are trying to show people what they want to see,” sophomore Precious Bautista Alexander said.

Social media is causing people to change the way pictures - and people’s lives - are perceived on the internet. Instagram makes it easy to falsify our lives and make them appear better than they are.

But how does that impact us? Here are the three biggest trends that cause people to feel bad about themselves on social media.

One is body and face editing through popular apps like Facetune or Photoshop. Edited images can negatively manipulate the way people view themselves.

According to PRIME, the International Journal of Aesthetic and Anti-aging Medicine, 51% of teens says having acne makes having social media harder. 45% of kids that have acne says they are embarrassed to take pictures.

Facetune makes it easy for people to edit out their acne, because all it takes is a swipe of a finger to erase their insecurities.

Another way that people are pretending on social media is that they act like they have a better quality of life than they actually have. “Aesthetics” have become the new way to set up your account and have a theme that makes it seem more organized.

The last factor is all of the friendship, relationship, and trip goals. When so many people post about their seemingly perfect relationships and vacations, it makes people question their own quality of life.

“In today’s day and age, there’s a lot of pressure to post online and the sad thing is if that if you notice anybody that posts anything on Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat, there is a pressure to display or show how good things are in your life,” Health Teacher Mark Goldsberry said . “No one posts any sad stories or bad stories to make everything look like they are fine.”

When people want to be perceived a certain way it causes them to face pressures because they want to be seen in a positive light. Social media forces us to post the best version of ourselves because we want to experience positive feedback which helps boost our own self esteem.

This psychological impact doesn’t just affect one gender more than another. Men and women face equal pressure to look a certain way. Men have to deal with the constant pressure to seem masculine and with women it is the exact opposite.

Apps like Facetune make is easy for people to change the way they look. This also forces them to look at their insecurities

12

because they have to come to terms with what they don’t like about themselves “I think that some people could think that everything is all about likes and comments, and it’s not,” sophomore Isabella Benson said.

According to research in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology from March of 2017, those who got more likes also had a higher sense of purpose.

When we post more, we have a higher sense of life purpose because we are producing more content, and more people are encouraging us. This encouragement causes us to be online more and post more to stay “relevant.”

When we see our posts not getting as many likes, it can make us seem not as relevant. To fix that problem, a lot of people delete their pictures when they don’t get enough likes.

“You think you are going to get likes but then you just don’t,” Senior Ana Gomez said . “You don’t want a constant reminder of it.”

Aesthetic accounts are formed by people wanting it to seem like they have a perfect life. These accounts make everyone viewing them think the person that is running the account has a higher quality of life.

This has a huge psychological impact on teens and young adults because there is a constant pressure and need to stay on top of their posts. This can cause a huge deal of anxiety and stress because it causes us to always feel the need to post.

“I think it helps create a fake sense of positive self esteem for a lot of people,” Gomez said.

According to a 2016 BBC study of 1700 people, there is a threefold risk of depression and anxiety when people use social media.

Goldsberry has been teaching a unit on social media in his health class for the past three years. Goldsberry wants students to understand how social media negatively impacts the brain.

“We go over anxieties which are linked to depression caused by too much screen time, whether that be phone or computer,” Goldsberry said.

Some people stage some pictures, and they try to make their Instagrams look pleasing.

“I stage pictures a lot to try to make my Instagram look better,” Benson said, “ and I feel like it does paint unrealistic view of how my life actually is.”

When we post about our own lives it is easy to fake relationships and friendships with others because you can hide behind a screen. The ability to manipulate a picture to make something look like reality is actually quite easy.

“I think that sometimes they are unrealistic and they set an unrealistic expectation of how your relationship should be,” Benson said.

Some experts recommend not engaging and taking breaks from social media from time to time. These two methods can work really well to stay off your phone and allow one to find time to do other things.

By doing this you can reduce your chance of feeling pressured by friends to post or look or act a certain way online. It enables you to have a clear head because you aren’t attached to your phone and it also gives you a chance to be honest.

“Honestly people should just be honest with themselves and with other people,” Sophomore Autumn Silva said. “You want people to see the real you.”

Mar. 2019

FEATURE

EXPECTATION vs

PHOTO BY HANN AH EDELHEIT

ON SAX TESY OF PEYT PHOTO COUR

Instagram

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REALITY

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GET THE FACTS: ?

88%

of teens who use social media personally, “agree that people share too much information about themselves on social media.”

40%

of young adults admit to using social media even while in the bathroom.

ADDICTIONRESOURCE.COM

Mar. 2019

POLL OF 306 CREEK STUDENTS

13

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

5 U N D E R RA BY:LOZA TEREZA Staff Writer

The brisk flash of light known to speed around

T Central City has been enjoyed by many generations H of comic book lovers, and superhero fans alike. The E Flash differs from many other Netflix TV shows in

its ability to truly engage its audience. This is due to F its wonderful character development, as well as an ability to address some of the difficulties that comes L with being a hero.

A The Flash follows Barry Allen, a CSI, who at the S fragile age of 11, witnessed the killing of his mother H and the arrest of his father for her alleged murder.

Barry later acquired his speed when the Star Labs particle accelerator explodes, releasing unknown amounts of dark matter and energy into Central City. Once exposed to dark matter, he was hit with lightning that further enabled him to move at the speed of sound. Throughout its five seasons, The Flash has kept it interesting, infusing every episode with the three H’s: heart, humor, and heroics.

TE D BY: GIOVANNI MACHADO Sports Editor

A When Anne, a 13 years old orphan, is mistakN enly adopted by two siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, the lives of all the three of them take a N whole new path no one was expecting. The show E takes place during the late 19th century in the small

community of Avonlea in Canada. It shows the lives W of the residents of Avonlea, but mostly focuses on I Anne, Marilla and Matthew.

The plot is so simple, but at the same time so capT tivating and realistic, that it grabs the attention of H the watcher. They don’t even see the time pass by while watching the story of these ordinaries families A during the 19th century.

N The show is great for those who love to watch movies or shows from a different period of time, and the show really makes you feel you are in that E period of time with barely any technology, and living a very simple, pleasurable life.

SHOWS BY: COLE PATERSON Staff Writer L Do you love football and documentaries? Then the A three season Netflix Original Last Chance U is the show for you, even if you don’t enjoy sports in any S way. This show is rightfully named Last Chance U T because it is based around football players who find

themselves at community colleges. Then for a miracC ulous reason, they are given second chances although H previously making some “bad choices” at their former Division 1 colleges.

A You get too look inside the players’ heads at East N Mississippi Community College, as they try to capiC talize on their second chances so they could gain their E opportunity back to play at the D1 level or even the professional level.

This show is fantastic because viewers start to feel U a personal connection to the players. Viewers start to feel all of the hardships that these players have to go through. It’s a good show for everyone for its engaging documentary plot and fast-paced sports show.

Students’ Take BY: HARPER HANSON Staff Writer

E Evil Genius is a four-episode docu-series that follows several possible suspects after an attempted V bank robbery in Erie, PA in 2003. This attempted I bank robbery turned into a public murder of pizza L man Brian Wells, who was attempting to rob a PNC

Bank with a bomb strapped around his neck. This is G where the famous case gets its name: The Pizza Man Bombing.

E Evil Genius is an uncommonly known Netflix seN ries that kept me intrigued and guessing until the I very end. I was shocked and disturbed by the story’s U graphic videos and images that played throughout S the episodes, but something about the bone chilling feeling that this show presented me with kept me watching. It was almost hard to believe that this story is true and the footage included was real. Because of its eerie presentation, Evil Genius invigorating story and crazy twists and turns makes the 3 hours and 12 minutes worth it.

14

BY: J. GINSBERG-MARGO Opinions Editor

A The concept of a digital humanity is nothing new.

L Popular stories like the Matrix, and Ready Player One, T have already tackled consciousness in the virtual age.

What is new is Altered Carbon’s take on this miracle of E science fiction.

R When Takashi Kovacs wakes up after over 200 years E in virtual prison, he is put into a new body played by D Joel Kinnaman. With the help of police officer Kirstin

Ortega (Martha Higareda), ex-marine Vernon Elliot, (Ato Essandoh) and an AI with the persona of the C great late poet Edgar Allan Poe (Chris Conner), aim A to solve the murder of an extremely rich billionaire.

R Being apart of an old rebellion group named “Envoys,” B Kovacs narrates the entire show with insights and his O impressive investigating skills based on a super power dubbed “envoy intuition.” The actors, writing, and N special effects perfectly capture the essence of a gritty science fiction mystery. The action is impeccable, swift movements and energy blasts weave through the air creating an intense atmosphere leaving you wanting more.

Freshman Mason Miller

I like the total drama series that cartoon network had. It’s very funny and its sense of humor is close to mine” 9th Grader Mason Miller.

“I like the Total Drama series that cartoon network had. It’s very funny and its sense of humor is close to mine.”

Junior Wesley Krivit “The Umbrella Academy’s story is unique, good action sequences and visual representation.”

Mar. 2019

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

USJ’S TOP PICKS

BY: HARPER HANSON & CHANCE HAUSMAN Staff Writer & A&E Editor

Download it!

Name:

Brawl Stars

Price:

Free

Top apps from the USJ

Play it!

The USJ’s favorite bops

Billie Eilish

Top Songs: When the party’s over

What Is It: From the creators of Clash Of Clans and Clash Royale, Supercell brings us the new game of Brawl Stars. The fast-paced multiplayer battle game that combines skill and strategy. Thus game rose to the number 1 spot in the app store after just 24 hours of release. With the ability to upgrade characters and battle your friends, Brawl Stars keeps bringing players back for more endless fun.

Name:

Asphalt 9

Price:

$5.99

lovely ft(khalid) Bury a friend

About the Artist:

At the age of 17, Eilish has reached the Billboard top 100 charts multiple times in the past year, with songs including: When the party’s over, copycat, and most recently, Bury a friend. Eilish’s new album drops on March 29th.

Concert Appearance: Eilish will be performing at Red Rocks Amphitheatre on June 5th for her “WHEN WE FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO” tour.

2 Chainz

Top Songs: Whip ft(Travis Scott)

What Is It: Gameloft’s Asphalt racing series has maintained their success over the past years with new racing games coming out each year. The game includes supercars from companies such as Ferrari, Porsche, Lamborghini, and W Motors. The ability to drive realistic supercars and customize them to your liking has brought gamers back for endless fun, year after year.

Listen to it!

Podcasts we believe deserve a listen

The Ross Bolen Podcast The Ross Bolen Podcast is a group of two college graduates named Ross Bolen and Micah Weiner. Ross is the main speaker of the podcast, but director Micah Weiner speaks a fair share to the audience as well. They talk about anything that pertains to millenials with a humorous yet serious attitude. You can even call in and have Ross answer a question! The Ross Bolen podcast not only entertains for hours upon hours, but it may even give you a new way of seeing current events in our world.

I’m Different It’s A Vibe

About the Artist:

2 Chainz has not released an album since June 16th, 2017. 2 Chainz has made a name for himself in the hip hop industry with two platinum albums and twelve top 100 Billboard songs since the start of his career. His new album features many top singers from today.

Young Thug, Travis Scott, Ariana Grande, and Lil Wayne all feature on the new album.

Read it!

Books that will keep you up at night

Author: Benjamin Alire Saenz Page Count: 359 Summary: Two young men with an indestructible friendship hunt for an understanding of life and the meaning behind hope and hardship.

RadioLab Podcast Author: If you enjoy a good story and a plot that really brings you into the story, then you have to listen to Radiolab. Hosted by Jad Abumrad and Robert Krulwich, Radiolab is a storytelling podcast that has been entertaining listeners since 2005. You get a description of the story as well as commentary from the person who experienced the story, which adds an effect of realism that makes you feel connected to the story being told. You can find and listen to these stories on most podcast services, or on the RadioLab app.

Mar. 2019

Patrick Ness

Page Count: 214 Summary: Connor thinks his mother’s cancer is

the biggest problem he will face but is proven wrong when a monster shows up at his window demanding something Connor is unwilling to release.

15

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

New and upcoming games:

The freshest content in the gaming industry BY: GRACIE LORDI & SEUNG LEE Editor-in-Chief & Staff Writer

MAR. 15

With the arrival of spring, a multitude of new games have hit the market. Whether continuing installments or brand new games, there are many games to dig through.

Here are some of the upcoming games and what you can expect.

JUL. 26

Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 is set in Washington D.C. played from a third-person perspective. It takes places seven months after the previous installment where a civil war erupts between survivors and evil packs of bandits. Players can work together to accomplish objectives and features competitive raids.

APR. 15 Fire Emblem: Three Houses is a tactical role-playing game focused around a character whose gender and name players can customize. The game is set in a continent called Fódlan which is divided into three rival kingdoms. The continent holds a monastery with an officer’s academy. The player is given an offer to teach at an academy after an incident, and the player begins to notice a girl named Sothis whom only they can see.

MAR. 26

Mortal Kombat 11 is a fighting game where Fatalities and Brutalities return from its predecessor, and new features like Fatal Blow and Krushing Blow are added. The game also introduces a Gear system which is mainly cosmetic, allowing players to customize their characters’ Variation-based move lists.

APR. 26 MLB: The Show 19: In this fourteenth installment of MLB: The Show, Bryce Harper, newly signed Phillies outfielder, stars as the cover player. Similar to its predecessors, the game simulates a typical baseball game allowing the player to assume the role of an entire team or an individual MLB player. 19 brings more than just the usual MLB: The Show qualities; the new feature “Moments” allows the player to relive moments in baseball history.

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Days Gone is a survival game takes place in a dystopian future played from a third-person perspective. The game is set two years after a global disease nearly wipes out humanity and turns millions into zombies called “Freakers” that are constantly evolving. Human villains are added in as well.

BY: JACOB GINSBERG-MARGO Opinions Editor

The newest game in the ever popular battle royale genre is Apex Legends.

Released on Feb. 4 from Respawn Entertainment, Apex Legends has become the new darling of the gaming community. But is its new found fame well deserved?

Well, kind of.

To begin, the game plays incredible.

The responsive controls and gun play does not leave one wanting.

The movement is smooth and the transitions from running, to sprinting, to sliding feels natural.

The auto-climb mechanics add a new level of tactics to the classic run and gun formulas of its predecessors.

Its respawn system make the game longer but more active experience for its players.

It is no wonder that Fortnite, another battle royale game, has taken to copying that system.

Lastly, the champion-based system makes countering and gameplay more intense. The specials and powers creates an environment of unique play styles, opposing the formula of faceless drones fighting each other.

But that doesn’t mean it’s all new.

Apex still contains the same idea of dropping out of the sky, finding weap-

ons in a ever shrinking arena and killing anyone who isn’t part of your 3-person team. Even with its innovations in movement and champions, the battle royale genre is still over-saturated with formulalic games.

There is no possibility of meeting a different squad and making an alliance till the end. No different base gameplay changes to the style of other battle royale games. Just shoot anyone you see.

It gets tired and boring after enough hours.

Despite its shortcomings as another battle royale clone, it has grown quickly in the eyes of fans craving something new. The issue becomes that in a few months, this too will be forgotten.

It had a lot of potential, but because it refuses to leave the battle royale formula in the dust, it is restricted to a monotonous, spawn, kill, die, and repeat.

Just like Fortnite, PUBG, Ring of Elysium, H1Z1, and Black Ops 4, Apex Legends will be forgotten and added to the growing list of obscure battle royale games that people see as something that could have changed the industry, but didn’t.

Mar. 2019

SPORTS

Girls tennis coming back strong BY: LOZA TEZERA Staff Writer

Last year, the girls tennis team won state finals by the biggest margin in the last fifteen years. Under the leadership of coach Chris Jacob, the team is expecting to go to Regionals without a hitch.

This season, the team’s goal is to repeat their win at state and finish strong at their tournament in the middle of April.

They don’t seem to have any reservations due to the fact that some of the best players from last year have come back to beat Similar to the boys’ program, they have about 140 players and begin competing in the spring; however, this season there have been a couple of changes. There are two new coaches; Karl Mimmack and Michael Model. Mimmack will be coaching the JV red team and focuses more on fitness and fun. Model, who is a new science teacher at Creek, will be coaching the JV blue team.

Even though there are around 140 players, only 11 will be able to qualify for state. If the team does similar to past years, the players will be able to win individual state titles as well as team state titles.

Although it tends to be a very competitive sport, girls tennis includes many different aspects. For example, Creek’s team is more focused connecting with the sport in both a physical and mental sense. The team is able to do this

through hard work and practice, but also through developing good communication and strong bonds with one another.

“It helps with leadership, sportsmanship and all those things that I think are important outside of the tennis court,” said Jacob, who also played tennis as a Creek student. “I love that I get to help young women with all of those traits that they can take beyond the tennis court.”

Sophomore Dahlia Rappaport, who has played tennis for over five years before joining Creek’s team, has seen what Jacob is reffering to.

“Creek tennis is super special because anyone can play, no matter previous experience or skill. Every team becomes a family,” Rappaport said.

Sophomore Anna Fusaris has also seen how tennis helps her communicate, as that is a fundamental part of being an effective doubles player.

“My doubles partner taught me how to stay mentally strong even when the pressure was built up,” Fusaris said.

It all connects back to the notion that tennis is about getting to know the community within Creek, and at the same time building friendships and bonds that can last a long time.

GROUND STROKES: Junior Maya Devarajan works on her forehand during practice on March 7. The players first challenge will be against George Washington High School on April 3.

Track and field getting off the blocks BY: CHANCE HAUSMAN A&E Editor As the winter snow begins to melt off the vacant football field, the sand becomes poured into the box, the vault is set up, and the lines are repainted. A single spring sport begins their 2018-2019 season over a month before the first starting pistol is shot.

The field will soon be heavily occupied when the spring sport of track and field begins the journey of their five-month long season on March 16 at the Thunder Ridge invitational.

Coming off of a second place finish from last year’s state championship, the team is looking forward to a strong 2018-2019 season.

The Bruins kicked off their preseason training on a cold and snowy Jan. 15.

The expectations for the team are high this year, coming off an impressive season last year.

Head Coach of the varsity track and field team Delisa McDavid has high hopes for this years team.

“On the boys side we have great pole vaulters, sprint core, and great distance runners, and on the girls side we have great pole vaulters, and our distance group is going to be awesome.”

PHOTO BY SEUNG LEE McDavid believes there is no weak point in this year’s team, and they should be able to READY, SET...: Sophomore Asend Ashby getting ready to race during practice achieve another stellar season. on Mar. 12. Their next meet is on Saturday Mar. 30 at Fort Collins High School. Although they are still a younger team, they still hold major talent, and with time to learn Mar. 2019

and grow stronger, this team could be unstoppable. With a strong and now more experienced younger team, the Bruins are expecting to have an even more successful season this year.

Track and field is a sport that has over 20 different events happening in one meet. This may lead people to think that it’s a individual sport, but it’s more than that according to Head Coach McDavid.

“Everyone always says that track is an individual sport, but it’s really not, it’s actually a really close team, but within the event groups they form their own little teams” These groups include pole vaulters, sprinters, long distance, and jumpers.

With the new chemistry this young team has built over the past two years, the track and field team has a good chance at obtaining the state championship title.

Head coach McDavid isn’t the only person with high hopes for this year’s team, but players do as well.

Junior Emma Stengel who is in the sprint core for the varsity track and field team weighed in on this year’s season. ”I expect that a lot of the team will go to state, and I expect that we will have very fun practices and get stronger together,” Stengel said.

17

SPORTS

GROUNDBREAKING CHAMPIONS:

Girls Basketball wins first State title in school’s history BY: CHANCE HAUSMAN, GIOVANNI MACHADO & HANNAH EDELHEIT A&E Editor, Sports Editor & Web Editor

The Cherry Creek girls basketball team ended their most impressive season with an overall record of 24-4, and, more importantly, the first State Championship in Creek girls basketball history.

The team placed first overall out of the eight teams in the Centennial League. With a talented roster, the girls were able to make a impressive run in the 5A state playoffs.

Placed at an impressive fourth seed for the 5A playoffs, the team earned a first round bye in the state tournament. In the second round, the Bruins took on the 29th seeded Arapahoe Warriors and made quick work of them, winning 57-26.

The girls advanced to the third round of playoffs where they took on 13th seeded Rangeview and easily beat the Raiders 70-14.

The Bruins now found themselves in the Elite 8 playing fifth seeded Fossil Ridge. The Bruins squeaked out a victory with a score of

51-47. With their ticket punched into the Final Four, the Bruins still had their toughest games to come.

The girls took on first seeded Highlands Ranch, and, in a nail biter, won 53-52. With their confidence at an all time high, the Bruins made their way into the championship game only to see their rival, Grandview.

The Bruins had met the Wolves twice already before their championship battle. With the series split 1-1, the game was expected to go down into the history books. With the Bruins’ eyes set on a first ever State Championship, they went into the game with a chip on their shoulders.

The Bruins were down the entire game until a dramatic fourth quarter run. An impressive “and one” by sophomore KaCee Kyle and a last-second layup by junior and captain Jana Van Gytenbeek helped the Bruins overpower the Wolves with a final score of 51-49.

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

CHAMPIONS: For the first time, Creek’s Girls Basketball team wins the state Championship. The last time Creek reached the finals was in 2004. “I just feel proud,” sophomore KaCee Kyle said. “I’m so proud to be a Bruin. And now our banner has a year on it” “It’s a sense of pride. I can’t explain,” junior Jana Van Gytenbeek, point guard, said. “That was our goal, and it is nice to bring one back to our school.”

JUST IN TIME: Creek took a two-point lead for the first time since the first quarter with 3.5 seconds remaining in the game. Grandview couldn’t comeback afterwards. “We had to stall,” Van Gytenbeek said. “There was 20 seconds so we had to stall the first 10, so that we could attack to get the last shot.”

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

CARRYING ON: Junior Jana Van Gytenbeek, point guard, taking the ball up during the first quarter. Even being behind most of the game, Van Gytenbeek kept calm and was key to the comeback, scoring 23 points. Van Gytenbeek scored the winning point with just 3.5 seconds remaining. “It just feels good to win the state championship,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who made that shot.”

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

THE STARS: Sophomore KaCee Kyle and Junior Jana Van Gytenbeek celebrate after the game. “In the moment it was unbelievable,” Kyle said. “Jana ran up to me and said ‘We made history!’ I was in shock.” Kyle scored 21 points and Van Gytenbeek scored 23, comprising over 85% of the points scored by the team. “Good players don’t crack under pressure, so went it got to the final seconds, Jana was calm with the ball. So when I got the ball, I knew the key was not to panic,” Kyle said.

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

18

Mar. 2019

SPORTS SWISH: Junior Jana Van Gytenbeek trying a three-pointer during the third quarter of the game.

Creek started the second half 6 points behind Grandview.

Van Gytenbeek had scored 4 points in the first half but exploded for 19 points in the second half.

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

CRUNCH TIME: Creek fans were stressed during the fourth quarter of the game when Creek was still losing and the seconds were slipping away.

Second after second, the crowd got more apprehensive, but at the end Creek fans left the stadium with a game they will never forget.

PHOTO BY HANNAH EDELHEIT

“

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

NOW OR NEVER: Coach Clint Evans addresses his team during a timeout. At this point, the Grandview was leading 49-47. “We picked up the intensity with about four minutes left and we made all the big clutch plays when we had to,” Evans said. Creek started the fourth quarter 8 points behind but somehow managed to come back.

“Coach said something really inspirational,” Van Gytenbeek said. “He always gets us fired up, and we always have confidence in each other, so we knew we could come back from that and get the win,” “We knew that it wasn’t going to be easy,” Senior Bella Sparaco said. “Instead of falling apart when we were down, we came together,” “Every one of us played a role and had a part in getting where we did.”

It’s a sense of pride. I can’t explain. That was our goal, and it is nice to bring one back to our school.

“

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

HOW HISTORY IS MADE: Junior Jana Van Gytenbeek and Coach Clint Evans embrace after the game. “We all love each other so much that we’d never get down on each other, or tell people to stop shooting, or to tell people to stop doing what they were doing because we all have faith in each other,” Van Gytenbeek said. “And our coach is hard obviously, but he has the most faith in all of us.”

“The girls were really receptive to being pushed, so I just felt like we got a lot out of it because we put in a lot,” Evans said.

Mar. 2019

- Junior Jana Van Gytenbeek

”

The girls were really receptive to being pushed so I just felt like we got a lot out of it because we put in a lot.

“

”

- Coach Clint Evans

I just feel proud. I’m so proud to be a Bruin, and just taking the trophy...

And now our banner has a year on it, and that was the only one that was empty.

”

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

STARTING STRONG: This was the first year under Coach Clint Evans’s coaching. “I’m the most competitive person I know,” Evans said. “I always want to win. I want to win everything.

My attitude won’t change after winning state title.”

“He has a huge impact on winning,” Sophomore KaCee Kyle said. “He has such a great basketball IQ. He knows what to do in a game in each situation, he is a huge impact of why we won.”

- Sophomore KaCee Kyle 19

SPORTS

Q: When and why did you start playing basketball?

I started playing basketball when I was five, and I started playing with my dad.

Q: What are your favorite sneakers to play in?

My favorite shoes for playing are Kobe’s (Nike Mamba Rage).

Future Stars BY: CHANCE HAUSMAN & GIOVANNI MACHADO A&E Editor & Sports Editor

When I was five, my dad gave me a new ball.

Q: What are your favorite sneakers to play In?

I like to play in either Kobe’s Myles Purchase Julian Hammond III (Nike Mamba Rage) or Kyrie’s (Nike Kyrie 5).

Q: What are your expectations for the team next year?

Q: What are your expectations for the team next year?

I expect us to be a real good team that should be one of the best in the state.

Next year we should be state championship contenders.

Q: Who is your favorite basketball player?

Q: Who is your favorite basketball player?

Kobe Bryant

Derrick Rose.

Q: What do you love the most about basketball?

Q: What do you love the most about basketball?

Just playing, I just love playing and competing.

I have fun competing and getting the chance to improve on my skills.

Q: What’s your favorite basketball move?

Hesitation.

Q: What’s your favorite basketball move?

In and out crossover.

Q: What’s your dream college?

Q: What’s your dream college?

I want to go to Syracuse or UCLA.

University of Colorado.

Name: Myles Purchase Q: What do you think you need Grade: Sophomore to improve on for next year?

Jersey: #5 Position: Point Guard My three-point shooting.

Age: 15 Height: 5’10” Q: Favorite basketball team?

Lakers.

Q: Favorite game this year?

Thomas Jefferson game where I hit the game winner and the Overland game at home.

Q: Besides basketball what’s your favorite sport?

Football

Q: What are your goals basketball-wise?

I’m looking for getting a free education through basketball and see where that takes me.

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Q: When and why did you start playing basketball?

Statistics

Games played: 27

Name: Julian Hammond III Grade: Sophomore Jersey: #3 Position: Shooting Guard Age: 15 Height: 6’2”

Statistics

Games played: 27

Q: What do you thing you need to improve on for next My ball handling and my decision making.

Q: Favorite basketball team?

Bulls.

Q: Favorite game this year?

Either the Regis game at Regis, or our third game in Texas.

Points per game: 13

Points per game: 20.5

Assists per game: 3.3

Assists per game: 2.8

Rebounds per game: 1.9

Rebounds per game: 6

Q:What are your goals basketball-wise?

Steals per game: 2

I’d like to play at a D1 school and either play at the NBA or play overseas.

Steals per game: 2.3

Q: Besides basketball what’s your favorite sport?

Football.

Mar. 2019

OPINION

Going ‘home’ for the first time in 16 years BY: GRACIE LORDI Editor-in-Chief Vietnam speak? Do they actually make spring rolls?

Dude, I know as much about Asia as I’ve learned from AP World History and Kung Fu Panda.

Even reminiscing about this, it still hurts. It’s not that I didn’t like being Vietnamese. It was the feeling of being an outsider and being different. I felt like my peers didn’t recognize that I lived a very similar middle-class, white, suburban life to theirs.

And other Asians definitely know this: if I engage in a conversation with them, it’s immediately obvious that I have no knowledge regarding Asian current events, traditions, and other customs.

This places me in the awkward in-between plane where Asian-Americans don’t know how to accept me, nor do white people.

Being raised in private schools with a very white family and primarily white friends, I knew just as much as the kids asking the questions.

Quite honestly, I just didn’t care.

And not for any malicious, dramatic reason. I was just never very interested in Vietnamese culture or my ancestral lineage, and my parents didn’t push.

In my mind, if I know about Vietnamese culture and southeast Asia, it would make me all the more different from my peers.

And since that shift in middle school, it’s been my subconscious habit to prove to others of my pure Western upbringing and show my peers I am just like them.

I am also absolutely in love with the life I have and have never had any reason to look outside it.

Even from an average, middle-class, white standpoint, my life thus far has been incredible.

My childhood was completely magical, my brothers are my best friends, I’ve traveled and seen and learned and experienced so much of what life has to offer.

This Christmas, my family and I went to visit my eldest brother, Ben, in Thailand. Because of proximity, it felt senseless to skip out on visiting my home country.

So, we booked the flights, and on Dec. 18, I found myself standing in the heart of Ho Chi Minh City, my homeland.

I feel like this is where I should insert my profound findings of discovering my heritage and finally being “home,” but honestly I was just overwhelmed.

It was like any other big city. I had fun, but I never felt any intense emotional catharsis.

I wasn’t completely unaffected. I did finally feel that when people looked at me, they looked at me like I was normal and I didn’t have this obvious racial difference.

Which I guess is what I’ve always wanted - to be looked at the same as everyone else.

Learning more about Asian culture, has made me curious. I could be involved in a world where I would be treated normally.

My first night in Vietnam, my family and I went out to get some food at a street restaurant. Our waitress was a young girl, about my age.

She wasn’t my doppelganger or anything crazy like PHOTOS BY GRACIE LORDI that, but I couldn’t help but compare her to myself. I wait ONE OF THESE IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER: I’ve always tables at an Italian restaurant in America. She waits tables looked different, but for as long as I can remember, I’ve at a Vietnamese restaurant in Vietnam.

Now I can see how the simplicity of that comparison felt like an equal part of my family.

I’m not really Asian but I’m also not really white. If you look at me, I am most definitely whatever most people consider to be “Asian.” If you have a conversation with me, it becomes increasingly more apparent that I am whatever most people generally consider to be “white.”

From the beginning of my life to about 5th grade, I had never even really noticed that I was adopted.

That sounds really stupid, but it’s so true.

Nearly everyone treated me as if I were just Grace. I suppose that says speaks to the purity of youth, their lack of assumptions and stereotyping or something, but I digress.

What’s important is that I was treated the same way I would’ve been treated if my mom had birthed me from her womb and if I had been, well… white. I was surrounded by a loving supportive family, that treated me as if I looked the exact same.

But I didn’t, and as much as my family and I may forget it there is no resemblance.

This became increasingly more apparent in middle school when kids would get a little too comfortable in their understanding of the world and their position in life and started (insensitively) questioning the unknown.

What was Vietnam like? I bet the weather was warmer. Are you guys below the equator? What language do people from

Mar. 2019

URBAN HO CHI MINH: Although an amazing city, I felt no sense of connection aside from looking like those around me.

RURAL MEKONG DELTA: Going to Vietnam opened my eyes to the stark difference between my life and the humble lifestyle of the Vietnamese people. sounds pretty stupid, but my curiosity of how life may have been if I weren’t adopted was being satisfied.

I remember our time at the restaurant as one of my most vivid memories on the trip.

Not because of the slightly disappointing food or the plight of mosquitoes slowly devouring us, but because I began to understand why it mattered so much that I looked different.

I could have figured this out through deep self-reflection from the comfort of my own home. However being forced to face the facts helped me figure something out: although there are quirks to being stereotyped that may peeve me, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

And this can’t be just me. Everyone has been falsely judged at one time or another for one of their outstanding traits, but try imagining those people without those traits.

I know for a fact that I don’t want to leave my life here to pursue another one in Vietnam.

I also know that I would never change how I looked now because that would just be weird. Imagining a life where I did look like my family is nearly as crazy as living a life in Vietnam.

Neither of them are me.

21

OPINION

TikTok: weighed down by creeps BY: Cole Paterson Staff Writer People being creeps on social media is nothing new but a new platform is filled with these people and that’s not good.

TikTok has suddenly appeared on the social media spectrum and is catching millions of Americans’ attention.

With its simple video format, it makes it easy for people to be constantly sharing their new creations.

As TikTok’s followings have rapidly increased, many branches of people have been watching. Some of these people include the infamous teenagers, college students, and what society is most worried about; predators.

TikTok is currently a bad thing for society because of all the predators on the platform and all the inappropriate things that are taking place. These problems can and need to be fixed, but right now I think we need to be aware of the inappropriate things happening on TikTok in order to fix the app.

TikTok was originally launched in China as “Doujin” by ByteDance. Then ByteDance bought Musical.ly and now Musical.ly is TikTok just a different name but still same platform and concept. Musical.ly had quite a following before being changed to TikTok. People liked the app because they could lip sync to their favorite music or audio track and then upload it for all of their followers to see. Followers could view it in a way that they could not have done as easily since Vine, which was quite popular until its end in 2016.

TikTok was not supposed to be a dark app or the meme and joke that everyone has cut it out to be; in fact, the platform is quite user-friendly and the app was supposed to be a fun and inclusive place for people to express themselves in a very quick and easy way. When I say quick, I mean quick, unlike YouTube where you have to film and edit videos which could take hours, all you have to do on TikTok is film an idea for maybe a few seconds, add a filter and post. This has allowed people to get an instant response for their video, that they can’t quite get from on a platform like YouTube. On TikTok your video could be seen by thousands in a very short amount of time due to the amount of users on the platform and the fact that you could post 100 videos in a few hours.

Although this is a very efficient system, there is a problem with getting instant gratification for doing almost nothing. This instant gratification can cause people to create a fake exaggerated form of themselves that is crazy and nothing like their actual selves.

People creating a fake form of themselves is not a new concept on social media, but it has become extremely toxic on TikTok. Because of its toxicity, TikTok has led to a bunch of

22

people acting crazy doing a lot of bad things.

There is not one singular problem with TikTok, but a collective group of many problems that developed due to the mass amount of videos on the platform.

There are videos on TikTok that show underage girls and older boys kissing each other and while this is situation is not usually happening in America as much, these videos can still be accessed by anyone.

When users duet (a duet is when a user would record their own reaction/voice over to another users content and the two videos would be placed next to each other and this could be repeated many times) with each other on their videos there is a lot of things that go wrong because the filter is almost nonexistent except for obvious profanity and nudity but other than that someone could pretend to kiss another person on the other side of the screen and then post it.

This is the main thing that I don’t like about TikTok, it is hard for TikTok to monitor the site and ban users who are doing some very inappropriate things because of the amount of content being uploaded in just a few minutes.

TikTok has developed a lot of predators due to this problem. You could have an innocent little girl acting out a scene that is not typically sexual but you could have an adult just joining in and doing some creepy or even sexual gesture on the left side of the screen.

TikTok has cracked down on child nudity, but they can’t be all knowing of what is going on their platform and stop things that are not inherently “sexual” until you actually watch the video and see the true dark intent of the predators that many people are completely unaware of.

Some predators such as the user “Budday” have been accused of stalking young girls and watching them on TikTok and acting out “sexual” gestures

towards them in the duets he did with them.

While most of this is speculation, it can not be denied that in his TikTok videos he does some very inappropriate things such as acting out sexual gestures with underage girls in duets he did with them.

The Budday has also been seen in text messages with underage girls asking to meet up with the girls, and one text even shows a girl saying that she was 14, and even with this info, he persisted. Nothing more than these creepy messages or videos have actually been proven so whether he acted in a sexual manner to these underage girls is still unknown.

TikTok has allowed things like that to develop and it is unknown how much of an action they are making to stop these kinds of people on TikTok but one thing is clear, this sort of behavior cannot be allowed.

Even if teens and adults are doing something that may seem “sexual” it does not mean that it is okay to duet with them and do such a disgusting thing. A duet is when a user would record their own reaction/voice over to another users content and the two videos would be placed next to each other and this could be repeated many times.

for what comments they want to see.

I understand that most of these kids do not mean what they say on social media but that does not mean that these people are not emotionally hurt by these comments.

There needs to be a number for those who have been bullied on this site because while there are social media help sites, TikTok is pretty unique with how people can make fun of others because the bullying is less direct and usually not written.

I believe that there should be a way to consent to whether or not you want someone dueting your content, because, in the end, the content should be yours to own or at least have some ownership of.

TikTok is still savable, and while it will always be a place to find jokes and memes, I believe that if TikTok took a firmer stand on what sexual or inappropriate content they allow, then they would actually become the fun inclusive place that it was in China and on Musical.ly as well.

Most of these kids have not even matured completely and that’s why they still do these immature things, but it does not mean that you need to be as immature as them no matter your age.

Cyberbullies have also developed on TikTok. Users can mock what the other person is doing in a duet which can lead to some negative things being said or done.

What may seem like a joke can seem like something much worse to someone on the other side of the screen especially since they don’t know your original intent. This goes for all social media platforms and is something that everyone should have stopped doing by now.

Cyberbullying has not yet been fully dealt with however TikTok is starting to let users create custom filters

Sources: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children & TikTok Revenue and Usage Statistics (2019)

HANGING IN THE BALANCE: TikTok is not inherently bad, nor wrong, but it is up to the creators of the app to decide if the app will be a place of “family-friendly” fun or a place for bullies, pedophiles, and creeps. All the users can do is to try to keep their content clean, and their eyes out.

With 500 million average monthly users...

Percentage of kids sexually assaulted 5%

95%

Have experienced harassment Have not experienced harassment

Age demographic of TikTok Users 30+ (19.3%)

<20 (20%)

25-29 (27.9%)

20-24 (32.8%)

GRAPHIC BY COLE PATERSON

Mar. 2019

OPINION

Foreign to racism in America

BY: GIOVANNI MACHADO Sports Editor

Two years ago, when ple in Brazil are so close and share the same attention; when I saw groups of about eight and black people lived separately, but it was I moved from Brazil, culture. But like I said, it is not like Brazil is people, and every single person in that group something I’ve never experienced before. where I was born and this racism-free country that I used to think it was black. I remember when I saw it for the Still, I always compared to my home counraised, to the United was, actually, it is quite the opposite… first time and I was confused because just 13% try, which I judged as a racism-free country; States, it was basically It may sound weird, but just after I started of the population is black, but I just thought where white and black people lived together a whole new world, full noticing the racism problem here, that I could “well, it just occurred that they are all friends.” with no prejudice, and we all had the same of brand new experiences. Every single day see the problems in my country, and for the Then I saw that situation repeating over and culture, soccer, samba, capoeira, Carnaval, there were at least ten new things about this third time, I was astonished. Before reading over again. In some classes where there were bossa-nova, pagode. So I asked myself, “If new culture, language, and country I was the following sentences remember: more than three black kids, they just talked to each other. Brazil was the last country in the world to introduced to.

50% of the population in Brazil is black. Well, I really wanted to understand what was abolish slavery, why did we do such a good 70% of people who live in extremely poverty Of all of these new things I’ve learned, one going on because it was a completely differjob in having white and black people coming situations in Brazil, are black. Only one in really grabbed my attention, it was something ent reality from where I came from. Then I together?.. Or did we?” I started looking at that had never occurred to me in my life; I started to learn about American history and my country, and getting out of the bubble that four people with a college degree is black.

More than 50% of the black population do was not white. research it, so I could get to a plausible answer was the ordinary life I had in Brazil. not have access to internet (can you imagine My reaction towards this new reality was to of how the American society got to this point.

I noticed that all this time I was mistaken. that?) I could go on and on with all the inbe really confused, I mean, how is it possible (Remember, I was not born here, and never The U.S. is not that different from Brazil at for my skin color to change? All my life I’ve equalities in my country, but that would make learned about American history, so that is all. Even though I still think that Brazil is been known as being white because In Brazil this article about five pages long. why I was so astonished with this situation.) less racially separated than from the U.S., we what defines if a person is white or black is Now you are probably thinking, “Okay, I Thus, I started to understand more about never had laws saying that segregation was only and exclusively your skin color, if it is get it, but what is your point?” This story has American history, and while talking to some okay, and more than 50% of the population lighter it is more light you are white, if it is two main points. One is to show to myself black friends, I was surprised. I had never is black. I guess that helped a little. I also darker you are black, and if it is kind of a how blind I was, and how I chose to be blind heard about segregation, how black people believe that soccer and music brought us middle term between both, you are pardo. At about all the racial issues in my country. were treated right after the Civil War, and together a lot, since Cartola, the most famous the same time I didn’t care much about this Secondly to tell people to not be blind as well. the constant struggle of black people to have sambista during the 70’s, was black, and the sudden change on my ethnicity. I thought to Both the U.S. and Brazil are countries with most famous soccer player from the 50’s to equal rights. It was something I had never myself, “It literally doesn’t change anything in major racial problems. Yes, the U.S. is a racist the 70’s, Pelé, who was treated like a God by come across before. my life. Why would I care?” country, and if you try to argue against that, the Brazilian population and is still treated as I also learned that black people here had a I was just being introduced to this new you probably never were a victim of racism, such, is black as well. But of course, I am not complete different culture from white people. culture, so I didn’t know a lot about American It isn’t that surprising to me, considering that or you never had this reality check I had. So a historian, those are just assumptions I came my advice to you who think that racism is not history and how race works here. Let me give up with to explain why white and black peoat this point I knew that for a century white a problem in this country, you some background inforplease, get out of your bubble mation. Where I’m from more for just a minute, get out than 50 percent of the populaof your comfort zone and tion is black or pardo, which is notice the issues that aren’t the equivalent of black here in in your bubble, issues that America. I was born and raised do not affect you, but affect surrounded by black people in those around you every day. my school, my family, and in the I believe that this is the first society in general. step to end racism not only Actually in Brazil I was in the U.S. or Brazil, but in considered “too white” even by the world. Not only racism, white people, which is ironic I believe that taking a look considering that I am not white at the other side of the wall, in this country. and see the reality of it, and I didn’t really care about it seeing how your grass is way because, at least in my country, greener than the neighbor’s is that doesn’t matter at all (at least the key to make the world a that is what I thought… I’ll go better place. There is no losback to that later). ing on admitting that the reFor a long time I didn’t care ality you live in is not perfect, about it. I was discovering a and to change your opinion whole new country. I didn’t even about it, actually, when you think about race. But soon I understand the other side, started noticing clear differences you are just helping someone in friend groups composed by to win with you, not against white and black people. When you. Just how I realized that there was a group of white peothe reality I lived on was ple, it is really rare for black ART BY FAITH MCCURDY people to be with them. Which AN OUTSIDE PERSPECTIVE: Moving to the U.S. from Brazil as a teenager, Giovanni Machado was struck by not exactly how I thought it was, I think you can do that is not that surprising considwhat seemed to him to be tense race relations and a fair amount of segregation between black and white too. Well, I guess I can say ering that more than 77% of people in this country. While he grew up thinking that his native Brazil was free from such prejudice, he is that I have a dream... the population is white. But here is what really grabbed my realizing in retrospect that there was more racial tension back home than what he was aware of as a child.

Mar. 2019

23

WINTER SNAPSHOTS

SECOND IN THE NATION IN LARGE GROUP CATEGORY

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

POMS: “Poms are just a group of passionate, dedicated, hardworking people who, like any other sports team, strive to meet their goals and ex-

pectations while also carrying ourselves in a way that is for the school, as role models,” Senior Elise Nisonoff said.

STATE CHAMPIONS

REACHED QUARTER-FINALS

FOURTH IN STATE PHOTO BY SARA ABBEY

SWIM AND DIVE: We were undefeated this year, won all of our dual meets, got 2nd place at the Coaches invite, and won two of our other invites and won A-leagues,” Senior Sude Yilmazturk said. “We had a few relays that got the All American Consideration times. We got 4th place at state which is a big deal for us and anyone who is familiar with high school swimming would know that it’s a big achievement for us.”

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

GIRLS BASKETBALL: “Having a feeling

that you are contributing to the team at that big of a stage, at that big of a moment is an amazing feeling, just knowing that you really helped out your team,” sophomore KaCee Kyle said. “I love my team, I wouldn’t ask for anybody else to play with, or anybody else to coach. It is a bond that will never be broken between us.”

PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI

BOYS BASKETBALL: “I feel like we have

definitely had our ups and downs and I think we knew we were gonna hit a bump in the road,” Junior Sebastian Cole said. “State championship [is the goal for next year]. I feel like the teams now are senior heavy and we are a really young team. I wouldn’t settle for anything less than state championship.”

REACHED QUARTER-FINALS

PHOTO COURTESY BY PIERCE REISINGER

WRESTLING: “In duels we have 10 wins

and 7 losses. We forfeited three to four weights every duel, it’s tough to beat good teams when you’re giving them 18 to 24 points in forfeits.

PHOTO BY COLE PATERSON

HOCKEY: “We won two play off games,

but we lost to Regis in the Quarter-Finals,” Coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “I’m just happy with the players. It’s a good character team, a good academic team. They competed all the time. The kids didn’t leave anything on the table. They played hard.”

PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO

CHEERLEADING: “I think this was a huge year for Creek Cheer. We competed in the game day division for the first time ever and did incredible. We definitely have created a new cheerleading program here at Creek. I am extremely proud of the hard work and perseverance from my teammates,” Senior Emma Yang said.