PUS CAM
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FUTURE
In November, CCSD voters will be asked to approve a measure to rebuild campuses across the district. But how will it work?
Cherry Creek High School 9300 E. Union Ave. Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Vol. Vol.109 Issue 13 October March 2024
Table of Contents News
4 - News Bites 5 - District Expands Food Infrastructure 6 - Six Months Later: Where Creek Stands on a Reshuffled Presidential Election
Features
7 - The ‘Challenge’ of Adjusting to Creek 8 - Social Pockets Around Creek: Where Students Find Their Place
In-Depth 10 - Campus of the Future: How the Mill & Bond Measure Could Allow For District Wide Campus Reconstruction
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Sports
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A&E
17
Opinions
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14 - Girls’ Flag Football Certified By CHSAA 15 - Field Hockey and Lacrosse Difference? 16 - The Essential Pre-Game Hype Music 16- Captains Work to Balance Athletics & School
17 - Remake or Original? Horror Edition 18 - Taqueria El Comalito: A Pricey Lunch Option 19 - ‘Girly Pop’ is Our New Favorite Playlist
20 - Everyone Can Benefit From Therapy 21 - You Should Be Hand-Washing Your Car 22 - Family Content Media Gone Too Far 23 - Staff-Ed: Kamala Harris is the Only Option
On The Cover
In November, voters in the Cherry Creek Schools District will be asked to vote on a bond measure, one that could lead to the reconstruction of schools across the district. The measure, the 2024 Mill & Bond, which is on the ballot as issues 4A and B, would allocate $950 million dollars to the district through a tax increase to update or rebuild multiple schools. At Creek, the bond would allow for the complete reconstruction of the West Building, and possible buildings in the future. Because the bond hasn’t been approved yet, our staff wanted to create a cover that would represent imminent change, and remnants of Creek’s old buildings being cleared away. We carried out a blueprint theme throughout, in order to represent new ideas being created.
ART BY ANGELA XU
Staff
SCHOOL SPIRIT: Senior Giselle Yokomichi greets Cherry Hills Elementary students. On Oct. 26, members of Student Senate, marching band, and athletics traveled to Creek’s elementary and middle feeder schools to spread school spirit. The program, Spirit Bus, aims to excite future students to come to Creek. PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK
Letter from the Editor
I’ve been coming up with ideas about how to write this InDepth for almost a year. Since I first heard about the possible plan to rebuild Creek’s campus from principal Silva last fall, I’ve been wanting to write a full-coverage story that discusses how the project would actually work. Now, the In-Depth serves as a voter-information piece that explains the legislation behind the measure that voters will decide on, the impact of the probable construction on student life, and the minimal plans for reconstruction. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to ‘dig in’ to this issue as much as I did, and I hope that the article serves
as a solid explanation for such a large and complicated project. Our Staff-Ed also addresses something related to the election; who would make a suitable choice for President. The Union Street Journal Editorial Board voted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris, on the basis of how her policies will benefit everyone, especially high schoolers. Additionally, we discuss the effect of coming to Creek from a non-feeder school, new curriculum changes at Creek, and the development of the girls’ flag football team into a CHSAA sanctioned sport. To the lovely staff of the USJ, you are all so incredibly talented. Watching you take on all of these complicated articles and write them extremely well is consistently impressive. I am so glad to spend everyday with you. - Editor-in-Chief Quinn Rudnick
Editor-in-Chief Quinn Rudnick
Asst. Features Editor Serenity Hurtado
Managing Editor & Design Editor Izzy Krauss
Chief Artist Angela Xu
Sports Editor Kellen Ringland
Staff Writers Cristal Garcia Pheonix O’Brien Havana Amanlou Emily Lambert Angie Wang Clay Biskner Rayna Moon Berkeley Bowler IV Collier Avery Exley Evelyn Laughlin Kazie Siegel Oliver Scala Elise Dougherty Jackson Sloan Peyton Champion Vera Costa Keagan Hong Aleena Gopalani Mae Murphey
Features Editor Sophia Hady
Advisor Seth Fine
News Editor & Outreach Coordinator Peter Philpott A&E Editor & Asst. Design Editor Rue Minar A&E Editor Anaiah Shahrukh Opinions Editor Jude Gorden Sports Editor & Video Editor Andrei Machado
Chief Photographer & Asst. Sports Editor Briana Flores
Purpose:
The Union St. Journal is the official online and print news source for Cherry Creek High School. We are a student-run publication distributed to the students, faculty, and staff of Creek, and serve as an information source and two-way communication forum for both the school and community. We welcome guest opinion writers. Content does not necessarily represent the views of Cherry Creek High School or the Cherry Creek School District. Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the overall views of The Union St. Journal, CCHS, or CCSD. Letters to the editor are accepted and can be submitted via email to usj.editorinchief@gmail.com Letters may be edited for clarity.
news bites
Littleton Public Schools Implements New Phone Policy BY PETER PHILPOTT
trict (CCSD).
With the new mandate, students are reNews Editor quired to have phones shut off and put away & Outreach Coordinator in backpacks or in phone pockets in all classhe Littleton Public Schools es. Regulations like these at Creek have only District (LPS) introduced a been made department-wide, never school or new phone policy for the 2024 district-wide. school year, stricter than pre-existing Many high schoolers in the district have expressed opinions towards the new poliregulations in surrounding districts, cy. “Some kids need to have their phones including Cherry Creek School Dison them [for] medical issues, family isPHOTO BY BRIANA FLORES sues, personal issues, etc,” Littleton High School (LHS) sophomore River Lasswell said. “Taking away their phones also means taking away communication from
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HIDE YOUR PHONES: According to Lasswell, some students, many of whom disagree with the new phone policy, have disobeyed it by simply hiding their phones under their desks.
anyone outside the school.” But according to LPS Chief Communications Officer Diane Leiker, parents and students haven’t shown noticeable objection to the new regulations. “Teachers helped shape the policy changes, and many had already implemented these practices last year. It’s my understanding that the policy implementation is going smoothly,” Leiker said via LPS’s press release on the issue. “Parents, teachers, and students were involved in the process.” LHS sophomore Julia Yusas has seen benefits with her peers. “I have seen a lot more engagement from people who I know previously would have just sat on their phones instead of listening to the teachers,” she said. “People are also almost forced to talk to one another instead of just sitting on their phones.”
ith many Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) students wanting more in the drama world, the district created a new Honors Theater program to recognize their talent.
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program will help her build more experience and help her for her college and career in theater. “Honors Theater will allow me to make new connections specifically with other schools and other directors,” Whitehead said. “It will give me the chance to work with [people] I haven’t worked with before, which will be an amazing experience.”
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Staff Writer
It aims to expand their horizons in theater by providing new opportunities to students, with the aid of mentors in the district. “We saw a need to add an Honors Theater, so our students have the same opportunities as some of their peers in the performing arts departments,” Honors Theater Playwrights Mentor Eric Eidson said. Junior Katie Whitehead hopes the
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Honors Theater Opens New Doors in Drama
Gifted and Talented Rebrands, Renames BY KEAGAN HONG
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he Gifted and Talented Program, created for academically accelerated students, has been renamed district-wide to the Neurodiverse Student Services.
Creek Counselor Renee Beck announced it through Schoology on Aug. 21. According to Neurodiverse Student Services
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Liaison Dr. Daniel Buehler, the new term helps the program define its students better, to accurately describe how, neurologically, gifted students are different from people who are neurotypical. “It empowers us linguistically to speak about aspects of the students we serve” Buehler said. Other than the name, the program itself is untouched . Some students are confused by the transition. “I never really thought of being ‘neurodiverse,’” sophomore Andy Bian said. “I think that I’m just a normal person and don’t need some kind of spe-
PHOTO BY BRIANA FLORES
GT NO LONGER: Neurodiversity counselors like Kacey Morgan helped introduce the renamed program alongside district administrators and Creek’s Neurodiversity Coordinating Team.
District Expands Food Infrastructure BY
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HOUSEWARMING: Demand for more CCSD meal production was met with 7194 S. Revere Pkwy, a vast new warehouse compared to the old facility.
BY ANGELA XU
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Chief Artist
he Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) purchased a $20.8 million industrial facility at 7194 S. Revere Parkway on May 8 to accommodate growing meal numbers and anticipated growth in student food demand.
“The entire [Food and Nutrition Service (FNS)] operation will move to the new facility,” Director of FNS Kim Kilgore said. “Due to the increase in the number of schools over the past 15 years and the 40% increase in meal participation due to Free Meals for All, we have outgrown our facility.” Alongside the new facility and extra refurbishments, new equipment will be purchased and moved to the new facility. All excess equipment will replace outdated appliances in schools across the district, in hopes of increasing efficiency as demand for free meals and more menu options increase. “I would be overjoyed if there was an additional amount of food options,” junior Carter Bell said. “Sometimes the single chef ’s choice item just isn’t enough.” The district hopes to increase menu options at all education levels, as well as adding more ethnic and cultural foods to meet the needs of student diversity. New recipes will be created, tested, and finalized on the new menu once the organiza-
tion moves into the new building in 2026. “It will benefit the students with higher quality products, more freshly baked items, and a larger variety of everything,” Kilgore said. Since the old building was made almost 20 years ago, there have been more than 20 new schools and 13,000 students added to the district, making space the main problem. The previous facility covered less than 25,000 square feet with no room for expansion, making the environment no longer safe to work in. By contrast, the new facility covers approximately 100,000 square feet of rentable building area, including four drivein doors, 32 delivery dock doors and parking, bakery expansion to make more items for the menu, kitchen space to train more than 350 new and existing staff, and a community pantry to shelf stable and perishable items. “For our staff, PHOTO BY BRIANA FLORES it will be a safe environment with plenty of space to operate with much less chance of injury and opportunities for more training, which will support the professional growth of my team,” Kilgore said.
Despite the hefty price tag on the new building, the purchase allows the district to stop sourcing commercially, which is incredibly expensive. They can instead buy ‘truckloads of food’ from vendors at a lower cost, at the same quality, and with increased variety for the students. The money saved can then be directed towards other school programs and activities, like catering programs that will be able to provide staff meals for work days, conferences, and other district events. “We can take full truck loads of food and can safely store additional products in the event of supply chain disruption,” Chief Financial and Operating Officer Scott Smith said. INCREASED NEED: With cafeteria food being free for all students, the upturn in meal demand prompted the renewing and upgrading of CCSD equipment and facilities.
October 2024
Six Months Later: Where Creek Stands on a Reshuffled Presidential Election BY PETER PHILPOTT
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News Editor & Outreach Coordinator
he 2024 presidential election, between March and now, the 2024 presidential election has become arguably unrecognizable. Pres-
ident Joe Biden, in an exceptional move, dropped out of the running. The Democratic Party almost unanimously rallied around Vice President Kamala Harris for the new nominee, taking the internet and the American political landscape by storm. Three polarizing debates shocked the polls. Senator JD Vance (R-OH) and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) stepped up as vice presidential candidates. Two assassination attempts and 34 felony counts all have been thrown towards Trump. All of this in only six months. “[Is the election] unprecedented in polarization? As a historian, the default answer is going to be no, because we don’t throw around ‘unprecedented’ easily,” said history teacher and Political Awareness Club (PAC) sponsor Thomas Michel. “But having a sitting president decide not to run for reelection after the primary process is over? Yeah, that is unprecedented.” In March, the Creek community supported Biden over Trump, but with a very thin margin, and “Other Candidate” was the most-picked option. According to the Pew Research Center, the matchup was unfavorable, and many Americans didn’t support either candidate. Since then, most respondents took a stance besides voting “Other,” and Harris took a tremendous lead, with 74 percent of a September USJ poll of the Creek instagram community. “Harris has re-energized a lot of voters towards being excited to vote,” junior PAC President Meryl Welsh said. “She is essentially the opposite of Trump and campaigning on a platform of change, which gives many people hope.” Senior Kimaya Kini has involved herself with the political world in many ways, including her presidency of the Creek Students Demand Action (SDA) club, interning on congressional campaigns, and testifying for bills for the Colorado General Assembly. PAC, SDA, and Kini all hope to not only
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inform students of the world around them, but produce more participation and voting, for those of age. “It’s important for people to form an opinion, because federal policy affects everybody…the two candidates are radically different and you should be aware of it,” Kini said. “Even though you are just one vote, if everybody thought that way, no one would be voting.” Welsh thinks that the candidate swap on July 21 not only pushed the polls blue, but also the general student viewpoint, persuading more people to participate in the election. “Harris is performing better in the polls than Biden on a variety of issues, and has the potential to move voters or student opinion over to a more democratic side,” she said. A huge sway for Gen-Z is social media, and it has played a crucial role in the campaign so far. According to Kini, Trump was beating Biden at the internet game before the president suspended his campaign. Since then, Harris has taken an online advantage, Kini says. “Joe Biden was always trending for all the wrong reasons,” Kini said. “And so when Harris’ campaign
came along, they made sure that she was trending.” But Kini emphasized that people, especially young generations, need to research their chosen candidate, not just hop on a viral TikTok trend to follow them. “I do think there is something to be said about when a campaign goes viral, people stop caring about the policy,” she said. “Being a charismatic candidate matters, but we should also be doing our best to educate ourselves on issues.” Whichever way people do sway, Michel believes that the election could be higher for turnout than previous ones because of the divide forced wider by social media. “This anger, hate, in some of the debates… now with [new] media, makes it so much easier to hear it over and over,” he said. “Social media makes it so much easier for the extremes, the far left and the far right, to be as angry as they want.”
-Democrat: Biden*/Harris *SUSPENDED CAMPAIGN ON JULY 21
-Republican: Trump -Republican: Haley*
*SUSPENDED CAMPAIGN ON MARCH 6
-Other Candidate USJ POLLS FROM THE CREEK INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY MARCH: 115 PEOPLE, SEPT.: 168 PEOPLE IMAGES: CREATIVE COMMONS
PHOTO BY BRIANA FLORES
FUNNELING IN: Some students from schools like Challenge struggle to adjust to Creek’s size, while students from West and Campus have an easier time.
The ‘Challenge’ of Adjusting To Creek BY BERKELEY BOWLER
hen students enter Creek as freshmen, many come from the school’s two main feeder schools, Campus and West Middle Schools.
These schools are where the majority of Creek students end up after elementary school, but people who don’t go to those mainstream schools instead go to Challenge School, which serves K-8. Schools such as Challenge, which has a smaller graduating class and has different curriculums including more focus on advanced learning and critical thinking, differ vastly from Creek’s typical feeder schools. The transition from middle school into high school can be challenging, but even more so for students coming from a non-feeder school student. “I’d say it was pretty stressful, but it was fun seeing everyone and making new friends,” freshman and former Challenge student Kate Farbish said. “I feel like I would have more friends if I came from a bigger school like [Campus or West].” When coming from feeder schools you might not already have friends they can count on. Students coming into Creek from West and Campus already have established friendships where as people from Challenge might not have that.
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“I feel more popular, I have more Farbish said. friends, and I’ve been socializing more,” Separation from groups of people freshman and former Campus student on campus can often lead to a more Vicky Yu said. anxious experience for new students, For students coming from smaller and many feel that the isolation might schools, entering Creek can be a more lead to further image and mental health isolating experience because they don’t problems. have as many friends on a brand-new “It was a lot more awkward and I was campus. In contrast, most feeder stu- more self-conscious about what people dents come into Creek with a large thought,” Farbish said. friend group, and often know the camFreshman and former Challenge pus layout. student Kate McKinnon felt incredibly “I can tell when people aren’t from nervous coming into high school not Campus, because I knowing people kind of knew everyor the campus, but one there,” freshonce she found a man and former good friend group “Some people seemed Campus student she started to settle like they just didn’t want Sela Kahn said. in. anything to do with me.” Although stu“There have dents like Kahn been a lot of friend were initially intimgroups that you’ve Freshman Kate Farbish idated, it was a good seen coming from and positive start the middle schools to the school year who are so close due to the original and have stayed friend groups made. close, and it doesn’t “It was kind of a hard week, but it seem like they’re willing to branch out wasn’t the worst,” Kahn said. to other kids,” McKinnon said. The key difference between coming This transition can be difficult for from Challenge and non-feeder schools any student, but it’s even harder when is that people from feeder schools know there’s a smaller pool of people you do people and already have friend groups know. But despite this, non-feeder stufrom the previous years. While, people dents do eventually adjust. from smaller schools like Challenge “Coming from Challenge was hard, may only be familiar with 5-10 people but it all turned out great in the end,” coming to Creek. junior and former Challenge student “Some people seemed like they jus- Simar Singh said. didn’t want anything to do with me,”
October 2024
Social Pockets Around Creek: Where BY SOPHIA HADY
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Features Editor
t a school with almost 4,000 students not everyone is lucky enough to find a specific group but those who do find friendships and community. Here are four stories of students who found a community within one of Creek’s many clubs.
Theatre
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where competition is the key to success. Within Troupe 1730, students combine their talents and help others to create a cohesive set, play, and group of characters. “We all compete against each other to make each other better, and at the same time, once we are working together,,we just keep going and inspiring people,” Dann said. Dann has found her passion in theater. It’s where she can be herself while still doing something she loves, and she’s not the only one. The theater has become a comfort for hundreds of students at Creek.
Athletics
ost people think of theater kids as overly dramatic, constantly bursting out in song, and having some type of obsession with “Hamilton;” but this is far from the truth for senior Kate Dann. “You find that it’s a
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hen you think of athletes, you might think of a group of students who spend their entire day at the gym, building up muscle.
But for many student-athFor her, and letes, sports have become a place that you want most other theater way to find a community of to be, it’s [definitely] a students, theater friends. has become a secSenior Sydney Berry has safe space.” ond home. been playing for the Creek “You find that softball team since freshman Senior Kate Dann it’s a place that you year and is currently a varsity want to be, it’s [deficatcher. She has since found a nitely] a safe space,” close-knit community. Dann said. “It’s really easy to talk to everyone, and As the current president of Creek The- the coaches are also part of that small comater’s Troupe 1730, Dann has found that munity, so it’s nice,” Berry said. the group is extremely tight-knit; everyBerry and her team have won and lost one knows her name, and she knows ev- together, been through hard practices, and eryone’s names. Even though there is some have created a community together. divide between cast and crew, they all still “It does take a lot of commitment, but work together. The troupe holds occasional it also does reward you with a lot of really bonding days that bring together cast and close friends,” Berry said. crew, upperclassmen, and underclassmen, Being a part of softball has also given and allow students to create close connec- Berry a closer connection with Creek. Like tions. many other student-athletes, she feels pride “[Theater is] where I met many of my for being a part of a Creek sport. Because close friends because they all share the Creek has such a strong athletic culture, same passion as me. So it’s easy to become participating in sports helps students find friends with people who like the same stuff a sense of success and celebration in their as you,” Dann said. athletics. Theater also adds an aspect of healthy “I know what it feels like to put on a jercompetition for students like Dann. Be- sey that says ‘Creek,’ so I feel closer to the tween auditions for the cast and crew head school community,” Berry said. interviews, theater builds an environment
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STEM
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ome people view students heavily involved in STEM you think of nerds who don’t know what deodorant is. But at Creek, there’s an extremely wide variety of scientific and engineering pathways available.
Whether students are involved in programs like robotics, engineering and design, physics, biology, medicine, or chemistry, they are constantly finding groups of people to talk about their interests. Within these groups, these students are finding the opportunity to ‘nerd out’ with each other. “I’m kind of like the ultimate nerd,” senior Dylan Chen-Becker said Chen-Becker is not only part of the robotics club, which builds and programs robots, but also participates in Aerospace leadership, which has taught him a lot of aerospace principles and how aircraft work,. By being a part of STEM pathways at Creek, Chen-Becker has found a career path he hopes to pursue; aerospace engineering. As he’s fostered his interests in aerospace engineering through clubs at Creek, Chen-Becker has found that the experience has helped him come up with ideas about where to go to college as well. Over the years, him and his robotic team have become good friends. The robotics team have dinners together, as well as other activities that bring those involved closer together. Over the summer the robotics team was working on the T-shirt cannon and kept it stored at one of the member’s houses. As a result the robotics team would work on a project, while bonding as a group Chen Becker has also learned things from his STEM-oriented peers. When he doesn’t understand or is trying to learn something new he can ask others around him that know a lot about a specific topic. “Just through these clubs and organizations that I’ve been a part of doing that type of thing, you just meet a lot of people that are interested in the very same things that you are,” Chen-Becker said.
Students Find Their Place
Speech & Debate
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opular opinion on Speech and Debate kids says they’re too argumentative and invested in politics.
But when senior Lucas Barun entered the halls of Creek four years ago he kept to himself and stayed quiet. Ironically he had decided to join Speech and Debate, and this decision would soon alter his personality. “I was able to become somebody who’s much more extroverted than I used to be,” Barun said. In the three years Barun has participated in speech and debate he has meet many of his closest friends. His girlfriend participates in the program, and almost his entire homecoming group is in it as well. “It’s greatly positively impacted me because I’ve been able to meet a lot of new people and create a community,” Barun said. Not only has speech and debate given Barun a community at Creek, it’s also helped him in more academic ways. He’s had to develop critical thinking skills and develop the ability to create speeches on the fly. “It’s let me be able to think on my feet,” Barun said. To Barun, joining a group or a club gives you a community and friends. At Creek especially, with how big it is, the easiest and most effective way to find yourself in a sea of thousands is by joining groups and meeting people who share similar interests. “I think that it’s just something in general about Creek that getting involved in clubs gets you friends,” Barun said.
POCKETS OF CREEK: Finding a group at Creek helps to make friendships, and can provide a sense of belonging to many students. ART BY ANGELA XU AND SOPHIA HADY
October 2024
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w it o h and on of d n ti Bo c u & r t l Mil recons rict 4 2 e 20 ist h d t e h e g T rin ross th b d l cou uses ac p cam
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What is the 2024 Mill & Bond?
place a building that is seven years old, as opposed to keep putting money into it and keep trying to keep it open, which we have varying degrees of success with?” BY QUINN RUDNICK At Creek, many buildings, or parts of Editor-in-Chief buildings, have been added-on or rebuilt he Cherry Creek School Dis- since its opening. The IC building has been trict is currently asking voters updated, including the new space called the to approve a voting measure to IC cafe in 2022. HVAC and other ventilation systems in all allow multiple schools across the disbuildings are consistently being worked on as trict to be refurbished, added to, or well, but the differences in age between the completely rebuilt. systems often leads to vastly different classColoradans who live in the CCSD will room temperatures across campus. vote on the issue, which would include a tax If approved, taxpayers in the CCSD would increase, as part of the federal election ballot see increased taxes: each household would they’ll be casting on Nov. 5. But how does the see a $3 tax increase per $100,000 dollar valmeasure work, and what does it mean? ue of their home. “So if you own a half milA mill and bond election is broken up lion dollar house, it’d be $15 a month. If you into two parts: a $950 million bond, and a own a million dollar $30 million mill levy inhouse, [it] would be crease. The $30 million $30 a month,” Smith “Our citizens have invested will be reserved for school said. in these schools over years funding issues like teachAs part of the er salaries, maintenance, and decades. It’s our oblibond, Creek itself safety projects, regulating would hope to see gation to make sure that class size, and specialized the complete reconwe value that investment.” programs like ILC classstruction of its camrooms. Beyond that, the pus, along with the $950 million bond meacampuses of the BelCCSD CFO Scott Smith sure, if approved by voters, leview elementary will begin the process of and Campus middle reconstructing Creek, as schools over a threewell as other schools in the district. bond measure. If approved, this $950 million “We’re reaching a point, like many of our bond would pay for the complete relocation neighboring districts, where our post World of Creek’s administrative offices, and the tearWar Two buildings are just at the end of use- down and rebuilding of the West building. ful life,” CCSD Chief Financial Officer Scott “We’re having indoor air quality issues and Smith said during a presentation to parents other plumbing issues in the West building at on Sept. 11. “Does it make more sense to re- Cherry Creek that are just getting really, re-
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ally hard to keep those buildings on a day to day basis,” Smith said. By contributing the extra tax money, schools around the district would also see reconstruction or new additions. Laredo Middle School would be rebuilt, eventually replacing Smoky Hill high school. The Prairie Overland campus would see renovations to its Institute of Science and Technology building, as well as the addition of a pool and the expansion of its admissions office. The Holly Ridge (grades K-2) and Holly Ridge (grades 3-5) campuses, which are currently split into two different buildings – a 13 minute walk away from each other, would be combined into one PK-5 building. The Hollies campus would also see the addition of a new building, one dedicated to a ‘Living Learning’ facility for the CCSD’s teacher licensing program. At the district level, there’s hope that construction will extend into 2028 and 2032 with the passage of an additional two bond measures. If a bond measure is passed in 2028, the remainder of the Creek campus, along with the Campus and Belleview campuses, will be rebuilt in 2032. For members of the district, there are two motivations behind the passage of the $950 million bond. Fiscally, construction prices are consistently increasing, and if the construction was delayed further, the bond could cost upwards of $1.5 billion. Otherwise, many believe that it’s time for students in the CCSD to see updated school buildings. “Our kids deserve the opportunity to learn in schools that are 21st century schools,” CCSD Board of Education District A Director Anne Egan said during a bond proposal meeting on Sept. 11.
Bond Committee Planning Tech, Security Upgrades BY PETER PHILPOTT News Editor & Outreach Coordinator
Bond Buildings
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ecause building planning and architecture can cost millions of dollars for a project of Bond’s size, no official plans or blueprints are released. Regardless, supporters and
businesses involved in the project have visions for what the campus of the future could look like. Many plans have illustrated the four buildings centering around Stutler Bowl. “I believe the evolution of the Cherry Creek High School Campus to a state of the art, innovative edu-
cation campus will help enable students to excel in their education and personal growth experience while attending,” said Tom Gross, local realtor at Kentwood Real Estate and Long Range Facility Planning Committee member. For some community members, the goal is to bring Creek from a blocky campus representing the 20th century era it was built in, into a futuristic campus allowing students “enhance the education experience,” according to Gross. CAMPUS MAP: There are minimal
Tech & Security
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everal general outlines have been set out on the measure’s page for upgrades that could come with a mill levy and the bond funds, many including technology and security. Upgraded security cameras, ballistic window film, and higher funded security staff are all proposed, providing more
design plans of what buildings would look like, but rough designs like the ones above are available. The new campus would center around Stutler Bowl, on the corner of Yosemite Street and Union Avenue.
safety in the case of the rising risk of shooting threats. Students believe the district can do more to ensure everyday security, like the film which could make all windows bulletproof. “Safety is more important than convenience,” senior Mia Hausman said. “You want to feel safe at school.” As for technological upgrades, Gross
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thinks the tools at a student’s hand are just as important as the environment they work in. “Innovated education facilities with abundant natural light, state of the art technology and open interior and exterior spaces [facilitate] positive interaction among students,” he said.
What Does the Community Want? “I know a lot of people associate metal detectors with [danger]...but I think when you have them, it just clarifies that you will be safe.” -Junior Jacquelin Greene
“The Wi-Fi here is not as good as I think it could be, because I feel like a lot of students have problems with that.” -Senior Mia Hausman
“I am excited at the prospect of having brand new spaces and brand new technology.” -Tech Center Staff Jen Ford
“If we were to have some way to scan in with a [chip] ID, that will help...limiting who gets in.” -Junior Jacquelin Greene
November 2024
How Would Life On Campus Work?
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s the 2024 Mill & Bond plan has gained more circulation, more and more questions have started to come up about how life at Creek will continue during construction.
If passed, many students, parents, and members of the community have expressed concern about academics, student life, traditions, and the how Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC) will function during an ongoing construction project.
Academics & Student Life
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ith the potential tearing down and rebuilding of the West building starting in 2025, there’s the underlying possibility that students and faculty on campus will see interruptions, but most administrative officials believe that issues will be minimal.
“In the first phase, [students] shouldn’t be impacted as much because the West Building is going to be built where the administration buildings are, so it won’t impact day-to-day life very much,” Smith said. The reconstruction of the West building would primarily only affect the building site itself; which is currently planned to be contained in the administrative office building areas around Stutler Bowl. Because the building site is near parking lots like Stutler Bowl and West, there is the possibility of parking interruption. Beyond potential issues with parking, there is concern from parents and teachers that issues like noise and pollution could interrupt students. “Noise during construction would definitely be a distraction, and it could be tough having to deal with longer walks between buildings,” junior Sophia Stansbury said. “It just seems like a lot to juggle while still trying to have a normal school day.” Because the new West building is currently planned to be placed near the corner of Yosemite and Union Street, where the current administrative offices are, officials predict that the only major impacts will be to parking. “We would lose, I’d say, 150 to 200 [spots],”
12 | In-Depth
Principal Ryan Silva said. “The impact to instruction might just be that we have that many more kids who have to park off campus.” Despite the possible interruption of student life, there are minimal plans in place to help students find new places to park, or how to deal with noise pollution in the area. Because the district can’t create exact design plans for the new buildings until the bond passes, the specifics on how construction will happen is unclear – making it harder to look into how students will work around construction. However, officials designing the project believe that the project will have minimal impact on student life. “I can’t say it won’t at all, because it will be construction going up, but it won’t be impacting everywhere that kids are currently moving through the campus,” Smith said.
Events & Traditions
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reek hosts about 10 to 15 sport events every day, alongside multiple performances, club meetings, and other events throughout the school year.
For most students, having their campus bustling with activity is important, and because of that, there’s a rising concern that construction will disrupt Creek’s day-to-day life.
Important activities like sports games, especially those played in Stutler Bowl, might be interrupted by construction. Because the current plan would have buildings going into place around Stutler Bowl, there’s the possibility that increased noise could disrupt games. “When you think about our after school events that are in the stadium, whether that’s track or field hockey, soccer, football, most of it might be when construction is done [for the day], although I don’t know if, because they want to get it done as quickly as possible, if [crews would work later]; then those could be impacted with noise,” Silva said. In addition to sports games, graduation could also pose a challenge. At the moment, there are no plans, other than working around construction, in place to prevent interruptions. “The campus has a certain vibe that’s developed over the years, and if they completely overhaul it, we could lose some of that,” Stansbury said. Preserving artifacts and parts of the current campus has also been important to constituents of the projects, especially pieces of Creek’s history through its tradition of senior gifts. According to Silva, as many senior gifts will be incorporated into the new buildings, and there’s the possibility of a new ‘alumni hall’ being created. “This is not about throwing out 75 years of history and tradition,” Smith said. “It’s about honoring 75 years of history and tradition.”
INFOGRAPHIC BY QUINN RUDNICK
What are the phases of construction? While each phase of the construction plan would warrant the passage of an additional bond measure every four years, the CCSD is hopeful that voters will support the continued project.
1 2024-2028
2 2028-2032
Reconstruction of Creek’s West Building, and other schools in the district.
Complete reconstruction of the Creek campus, including IC, Fine Arts, and East.
3 2032-2036 Reconstruction of the Campus Middle School and Belleview Elemetary School buildings.
How Could Creek Stay Sustainable?
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Solar Energy
Natural Lighting
By implementing solar energy, either on the roofs of buildings or as a covered parking system, Creek could see lower costs in energy bills, while also sustaining the school on a new system of energy. “If you’re using solar panels, for example, you’re decreasing your carbon emissions every year,” science teacher Jeffery Boyce said. “You know that after five to 20 years, that you’re going to hit net zero.”
If more classrooms had wider access to natural light, there would be less of a dependency on artificial lighting across the school, decreasing the school’s electric bill significantly. Easily opened windows and strong sources of natural lighting will help cool down buildings, and provide more healthy lighting. “If every classroom had access to natural light, then you’re decreasing the electricity you need,” Boyce said.
Lunch Systems
Suistainable Materials
Transitioning to more sustainable sources of food could help Creek produce less detrimental waste from the lunch process. The use of more natural food, and the move towards more biodegradable materials in lunch meals, could move Creek towards a cleaner waste standard. “We’re not using styrofoam trays. Potentially, we [should be] having conversations about ways to source our food from local farms,” Boyce said.
Incorporating natural materials, like wood, instead of materials like concrete and metal, there would be fewer harmful chemicals sequestered in Creek’s structure. Clay, wood, and cork are all sustainable materials that could be used during the building process in order to lower the amount of harmful material on campus. “Within the manufacturing of the materials, you know that [different materials] release smaller amounts of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere,” Boyce said.
rom an environmental standpoint, the reconstruction of a school campus is an extremely complex process to manage.
Over the course of the design process, however, admin have created work groups and collected information from people across the district to aid the process. As part of a meeting in spring 2024, science teacher Jeff Boyce, who specializes in environmental science, met with Cooper Carry, an architectural firm, to discuss how Creek could work towards a more sustainable path. “I told them that my classroom faces where this construction is going to happen, and every day for the next, however many years that they’re building, I’m either going to be in my classroom talking on a daily basis about how Creek got it right, or I’ll be talking about how Creek got it wrong, because we’re so focused on saving as much money [as possible] right now,” Boyce said. Building sustainably encompasses many factors, including energy sources, lighting, materials, noise and material pollution, and more. When balancing the overall cost of a building project and how to create something new in a healthy way, there are often envi-
INFOGRAPHIC BY QUINN RUDNICK
ronmental grants that companies can apply tainable campus: solar energy, organic and for; where they would receive funding aid in natural materials, electrifying buses, making return for meeting a specific environmental heating room-specific, and more. Many of standard. these changes are built around the goal of The Leadership in Energy and Environ- reaching ‘Net Zero’ for all buildings on the mental Design (LEED) Certification is a campus, meaning that the entire campus balrating system and grant ances out its emissions to program that focuses on reach net zero waste. creating sustainable con“There’s a bunch of net “We have to stop struction standards. The zero categories,” Boyce pretending that our program, led by the U.S. said. “We can talk about impact on the planet Green Building Council, net zero water, and we can aims to create “healthy, talk about net zero enerisn’t significant.” highly efficient, and gy, and we can talk about cost-saving green buildelectricity, and net zero Science Teacher ings, which offer envicarbon.” ronmental, social and While planning at the Jeff Boyce governance benefits,” acdistrict level is still mincording to their website. imal, due to the fact that According to Boyce, the bond has not yet been partnering with programs like LEED could passed, officials are hoping to focus on envihelp the 2024 Mill & Bond Measure receive ronmental standards while building. more funding. “[If we don’t apply for grants,] “We will do everything to the highest we’re leaving money on the table,” he said. standard that we possibly can,” CCSD Super“We’re leaving opportunities on the table.” intendent Christopher Smith said during a Besides meeting specific environmental Sept. 17 meeting with the community. “One standards, there are many small changes that of our organization’s core values is whole well Creek can make in order to create a more sus- being, and we take that very seriously.”
October 2024
Girls’ Flag Football Certified by CHSAA BY EMILY LAMBERT
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Staff Writer
t’s now official. Girls’ flag football is now a part of the Colorado High School Activities Association’s group of certified sanctioned sports.
sports
Girls’ flag football will become the 33rd sport sanctioned by CHSAA, and be the 18th sanctioned sport for girls in Colorado, compared to the 27 boys sports sponsored by CHSAA. Through their approval from CHSAA, the team feels appreciated and as though they are a part of something bigger. This growth in acceptance of girls’ flag football has left the team feeling like their sport matters. “It just feels more serious. It feels more real,” assistant coach Jonathan Johnson said. CHSAA’s acknowledgment has encouraged the team members to take the sport more serious and the team feels more connected than ever before. Because the players know that there’s real appreciation for their sport, it’s more exciting to play. “It’s making the girls feel like they’re in a real sport, which they are, but now it’s, ‘for real,’” Johnson said. The players on the team also believe the sanctioning will create a bigger community around the sport and drive more engagement.
PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK
14 | Sports
“More media will eventually come, student sections. and more people will be attracted to “But with most things at Creek, the the sport, which gives more opportuni- involvement from the student populaties [to us],” senior wide receive Molly tion is limited,” Dorighi said. Dorighi (#6) said. Tackle football, which is more comBeyond the high school level, flag monly played by men and is arguably football has also been chosen to be a part the most known type of football, leads of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, which to more people knowing the rules, complayers on the team pared to women’s hope will help future flag where the rules engagement and are different and “They got to feel like support, compared aren’t as familiar. In they’re part of something to more ‘covered’ girls’ flag, there is brand new, which they sports. less direct contact are, but it just feels real.” “Because flag compared to tackle football is going football. The flags to be an Olympic around the waist are Assistant Flag Football sport, and the next used as a tackling Coach Jonathan Johnson Olympics are in the method; after the United States, that’s flag is pulled, the definitely drawing a ball is marked dead lot of attention, beand the person is cause before that, there was no club flag marked down. football,” Dorighi said. “People confuse the rules of tackle As the players adjust to the new CH- football and girls flag football all the time SAA rules and the upcoming attention, at games,” Pilkington said. the members on the team also wish for Because of the recent CHSAA sancmore school support and media coverage tioning, changes in game play around from Creek. things like blocking and the length of the “It just doesn’t get the [same] all playing field have also led to the develaround excitement as normal football,” opment of the sport. Many players feel sophomore blocker Tallis Pilkington (#3) like these new changes only improve the said. “But in the future, I do think the at- game’s visibility. titude will change.” “This year we are playing the full field, The girls on the team enjoy the new whereas last year we didn’t. The new rules rules and regulations, but they also wish do make it feel more like tackle football, for more support when it comes to the which is intriguing,” Dorighi said. Not only do players get to experience home games, they get to enjoy more standardized equipment and game style that will provide some similarities to tackle football. “We got used to not blocking. Now we have blocking. The equipment is more standardized. Every girl has to use the same belt flag, so it’s all three flags instead of the pop flags. Pop flags are exactly like the name, they pop off when you pull on them. They’re connected to the belt,” Johnson said. As the sport itself begins to grow alongside the support from Creek and CHSAA, students have begun to make the team feel more appreciated. “It’s a chance for the girls to feel like ABOVE: Senior Sophia Baal it’s more real. Now, with it being CH(#14) jumps to catch thrown by SAA, it feels more official,” Johnson junior Addie Beck (#4) during said. a game against Pomona on Sept. 4.
How Are Field Hockey and Lacrosse Different? BY KELLEN RINGLAND, ANDREI MACHADO & SOPHIA HADY Sports Editors & Features Editor
“People often mix [field hockey and lacrosse] up due to the similarities in being team sports played with sticks and balls.” - Senior field hockey and lacrosse player Grace Manning
Field Hockey Strategy In field hockey, there are 6 major roles, 3 for offense and 3 for defense. The offense’s main job is to facilitate passes and keep the ball by creating space and repositioning so that passes won’t be blocked. As for defense, their main job is to steal the ball by creating less space and cutting off passes between players. Spacial awareness is crucial to field hockey strategy. “We talk about looking at the field first, and knowing where you’re going to pass,” girl’s field hockey head coach Tori Karsten said.
BELOW: Senior attacker Gracie Kindy (#15) passing the ball to a teammate again Denver East on April 17, 2024.
Practice Building player’s endurance is key to their success in field hockey. During both practices and pre-season players use interval training to build stamina. Interval training is a series of sprints and rests throughout allotted times. This helps athletes greatly improve. “Interval training is very much a field hockey game,” Karsten said.
Equipment Field hockey requires turf shoes and ‘candy-cane’ shaped sticks for actual game play and shin guards and mouth guards from field hockey sticks. While Field hockey is not considered a contact sport protection is still required to protect against both the field hockey stick and ball.
PHOTO BY KELLEN RINGLAND
PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK
ABOVE: Sophomore middle Regan Talega (#2) moves the ball down the field during an Oct. 8 game against Kent Denver.
Lacrosse Strategy Girls’ lacrosse strategies are fast and precise. Offensive strategies include quick ball movements and accurate passes. One common strategy in girls’ lacrosse is the ‘Give and Go’, where players pass the ball and then instantly make space to make a return pass. Defensive strategy is based on footwork and positioning. Girls’ lacrosse often uses man-to-man and zone defense to prevent the offense from passing and scoring. “Lacrosse is more dynamic with fast transitions, using quick passes and movements to create scoring opportunities,” senior lacrosse attacker Grace Manning (#3) said.
Equipment In girl’s lacrosse, players are required to have eye goggles, a mouth guard, cleats, and a lacrosse stick. Lacrosse sticks, or crosses, have a string basket used for catching and passing the ball.
Practice Lacrosse, like field hockey, trains for endurance, even running laps around the field. Practices can include scrimmages and other drills to help maximize success in games. Some drills are used to help with crosse control while others focus on practically defensive tactics.
What Do Athletes Listen To Before They Compete? BRIANA FLORES & CRISTAL GARCIA Chief Photographer & Staff Writer
Noah Renyolds
T.I Umu-Cais
Katie Degenhart
Artist: J Boog
Playlist: Warm Up Hype
Album: “The Heist”
“This artist inspires me because they are very successful Polynesian people, and as a Polynesian I look up to him.” - Junior Football Player T.I Umu-Cais
“It changes my mindset to be focused but not stressed and to have fun.” - Senior Volleyball Player Katie Degenhart
“It helps me get out of my head so I can perform my best both mentally and physically” - Junior Volleyball Player Noah Reynolds
WASH HOUSE MUSIC INC
MACKLEMORE LLC
SPOTIFY
PHOTOS BY BRIANA FLORES
Captains Work to Balance Academics, Athletics, and Team Building BY RAYNA MOON
C scenes.
Staff Writer
reek sports have begun, and as onlookers we don’t know about every detail there is behind the
Over the course of their sport’s season, captains have to put in more work than most; between balancing classes, the team, and their extra responsibilities in organizing the team, it can be more difficult to be a captain than what most people think. Not everyone wants to take the role of captains due to the extra work. “It’s sometimes hard because the goal is to make everyone pretty happy but sometimes not everyone is gonna be happy, so I think people try not to be captains,” girls’ volleyball senior captain Ava Ross said. Captains are often in control of warm ups, giving the team the team spirit as well as making sure that the team will not lose hope after
16 | Sports
a major loss after a game; they not only have to lift and deal with their own burden of emotions but also deal with the team’s emotions from a loss or from low energy after school. “[I have to] not only help lift myself up during stressful situations but lift up others on the team. I also have learned how to problem solve,” Ross said. Creek captains are given higher expectations from coaches and team members, and often, they are chosen by their personality. Captains are supposed to be the ones who set the tone for the team in a positive manner, and they are supposed to keep the team in line but also the coaches in line as well. “Who will put in, who will do more work than anyone else?” girls’ flag football coach David Knoeckel said. Coaches expect captains to have characteristics of trustworthiness, altruistic, and good communication skills. “[Captains need] to be someone that encourages the team, has good communication with the coaches and the team, someone who can lead with playing
and can lead with words. Someone that will help others get better,” Knoeckel said. Being a student and captain at Creek is not easy, you have to bear responsibilities as a student and the expectations as a captain. “I struggle a lot with managing my stress of being a Creek student, making sure my grades are good enough for me to play, because if you have bad grades you risk letting your team down if not being able to be there for them,” Ross said.
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ART BY ANGELA XU
Remake or Original? Halloween Horror Edition BY IV COLLIER Staff Writer
NEW LINE CINEMA
Out of all the movies reviewed for this, this one was by far the most violent and gory, but sadly, that was one of its biggest downfalls. For the last 40 minutes of the movie it was just gore and chase scenes. And, don’t get me wrong, I love a good chase scene, but these were so unnaturally long. Neither of these movies have anything in common
NEW LINE CINEMA
In the 1984 version, the writers really tried to develop their ideas into creating a cohesive story. But, with that, came lots of plot holes. In Kruger’s dream universe he wasn’t in total control. If the person was woken up then they were taken out, all Fred could do is wait for them to fall back asleep. This is the reason
Nancy Tompson (the main character) knew that if she set a timer she could attack Freddy without it becoming a suicide mission. But in the 2010 version, there is never a point that the characters learn the logic of the dream universe, instead Nancy happens to just think that’s how it would work with no evidence backing it up.
except for, surprisingly, the blatant sexism throughout them. With the 50’s version, I’m not surprised, but the sexism in the 2005 version surprised me. Randomly in the middle of the movie, the guys will make crude comments about the women, and they’ll stand there and giggle. Both movies would be better without all of the sexism. WARNER BROS.
MGM ENTERTAINMENT
WARNER BROS.
20TH CENTURY FOX
Both movies portray death in a very easy to understand way, and in both, the actors are very well chosen. A lot of times in films the child actors are just annoying, but in both of these movies I feel that the children’s participation works very well. The personalities in the
1982 version are a big reason why this movie is memorable. The characters are weird, with strange personalities, accents, or habits that make each one stand out individually. In the 2015 version though, the characters aren’t very strange.
October 2024
Taqueria El Comalito: A Pricey Lunch Option The restaurant replaced Creek favorite Boba Plus and offers many Mexican options RUE MINAR
T
A&E Editor, Asst. Design
hungry than you can got a fast burrito get the tacos. once and it tasted he new Mexican restaurant The restaurant has phenomenal, but it that replaced Boba Plus, is way made options for stuwas pouring grease too expensive, with prices that dents that are reasonout and made the could pay off student loans. ably priced, like the burrito soggy. The new Mexican restaurant, Taqueria El fast burrito. This is But one thing Comalito, is a family-run business that startso beneficial because I do appreciate is ed its journey as a business near Creek on Jan half of the students how nice the family 14. For the past few months, I have been visthat go to the Creek is. I’ve only talked iting the restaurant, ordering food, talking to can’t drive to Taco to them a couple staff, and understanding what their business of times, but in is all about. I have concluded that I would go Bell or another mexican restaurant, so bejust those short there again for a quick snack and a drink but ing able to buy somemoments I can tell other than that, I just don’t like how expenthing super cheap and that these people sive it is, the portion sizes, and the fact that a quick walk away is were good-heartthe overall vibe is just off. astonishing. ed. Especially for a My biggest problem with the restaurant is It’s understandbusiness that’s just the extremely high prices -- it does not take able why not everystarting, they didn’t into account who might come and spend thing is perfect there, seem like they were money there. Most students don’t have $20 given that they just in distress. I’m a PHOTO BY RUE MINAR to just spend on food every day. It brings up started and are trying huge supporter of whether quality over quantity is better, and AGUA DE JAMAICAN : The Agua De Jamaican to make a profit, but small businesses tastes good but not great it felt like Mexican not knowing ruins my day. The main thing some things just feel and seeing families candy mixed into water. the restaurant seems to be focusing on is too expensive. come in to drop off quality, and I will say that the food is good, The second problem I have with the restausupplies, and trade spots working, was an exbut the amount of food you get for the prices rant is how little of their sauce they give you. perience that I hope goes well for them. just doesn’t add up. Another plus side of the place is the I paid almost 20 dollars for one bland Ma- To cope with the mediocre food, It would be helpful to have some drinks. The Agua de Fresa, which is a strawchete De Alambre; type of sauce to acberry-flavored drink, exploded my taste which is like a long commodate for the buds because of how appetizing it is. Espetaco and nothing else blandness. But they cially their horchatas like strawberries, mancame with it. When only give one small goes, and regular ones are divine. It has been spending so much cup of guacamole, a so long since I tasted a good horchata, and money, I would exsmall cup of salsa roja now there’s a new place that sells it down the pect at least to get a chile, that is a spicy street. It was reasonably priced, only paying free side of chips and sauce made up from 5$ unlike some of the food there is a deal. salsa. de arbol chilies -it One of my last complaints is that the atSome other exsimply isn’t enough. mosphere is depressing and not welcoming; amples of the other Along the same it feels like everyone there would rather keep prices include a group line, I wish they could to themselves. How do they expect to get of tacos, which come add more seasoning business if they don’t even do a small greetin fours, for $15, one to the food. Some of ing? The decor is simple, but it doesn’t give quesadilla for $6, and the food was deli- off the authentic Mexican restaurant vibe. a fast burrito for $6. cious, and others were Seeing the cheap decor made my day gloomy, These prices are more just mediocre. And and when I first walked in I thought a child reasonable than the even if the food tasted decorated it. tacos, but the quality PHOTO BY RUE MINAR heavenly, like it came I’m a sucker for good Mexican food, and of the food is medi- CHICKEN TACOS: The tacos look extremely from Gordon Ramsey El Comalito has some good options but defiocre. I would recom- appetizing, but only the bitter flavor of disaphimself, then it would nitely could improve. If you’re looking for a mend getting the fast pointment is what I get from them have had something nice place to get some Mexican food, come burrito or the quesaelse wrong with it. I here if you have at least $20 to spare. dilla if you are more
18 | A&E
‘Girly Pop’ is Our New Favorite Playlist Female pop music is taking the music industry by storm BY KAZIE SEIGEL Staff Writer
Billie Eilish’s whispery sorrowful voice adds the right amount of gloom
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illie Eilish started her music career in 2016 with her viral song “Ocean Eyes.”
Since, she has been topping charts and winning many Grammy awards, for multiple songs and albums. “Her messages through her songs are really great,” freshman Peyton Creenan said. Eilish has been attracting her viewers since she began releasing music, and is now one of
the most well known artists in the modern music industry. Eilish’s newest album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” introduced some new hits that fans enjoyed, like “Birds of a Feather” and “Lunch,” which both reached number five on the Billboard Hot 100. In the past year, Eilish has been able to work on the soundtrack for the “Barbie” movie and received a Grammy award with her song “What Was I Made For?”
Sabrina Carpenter has proven the ‘Disney kid’ curse wrong, and is growing up with the audience that she gears towards
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arpenter first starred in a Disney Channel show, “Girl Meets World” but her dream was to sing, so later moved on to begin her music career, and I’m glad she did.
“She’s an icon. She’s a blonde icon,” freshman Erica Choi said. Her first album, “Eyes Wide Open” was released in 2015. She found more success with her album “EVOLution” released in October of 2016, having an early hit with her sin-
gle,“Thumbs.” Carpenter recently gained popularity with her song “Nonsense” off of “Emails I Can’t Send.” She now features the song on tours, and customizes the outro for each city she visits. She has recently released her sixth studio album “Short N’ Sweet” which has gotten her first Number One song on the Billboard Hot 100 with “Please Please Please,” and her other TikTok hit “Espresso” reached number three. ART BY QUINN RUDNICK PHOTO: CREATIVE COMMONS
Chappell Roan shines a bright light on LGBTQ+ community and leads the future for the pop industry
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oan started making music in 2017, and didn’t make a big splash, but with her 2023 album “Rise and Fall of a Midwestern Princess.”
“I really like how she’s making a lot of queer culture and whatnot, and [making it] more mainstream,” sophomore Finch Carothers said. She blew up the internet with a song she released in April of this year, “Good Luck, Babe” received recognition from all over the world and has made a rise on the Billboard Hot 100; peaking at number four, her highest reach
on the list. She has provided a way for the LGBTQ+ community to be seen with her music by creating awareness through lyrics and advocacy, and by telling people to be themselves without caring about how others feel. Roan has stepped into her personal style which is drag inspired, avant-garde and elaborate. Fans of the newly found icon have taken a liking to her music because they can similarly express themselves. Fans have found themselves with her music, and many queer people have related to her because of their similarities. Some others have just enjoyed her music because of its synth-pop and 80’s sound, and her unique voice.
October 2024
opinions
Everyone Can Benefit From Therapy ART BY ANGELA XU
BY AVERY EXLEY
W
Staff Writer
hile therapy may not be your definition of a fun afternoon, it is incredibly helpful, and it can give you insight into things you would have never thought about. Learning these communication skills now can better you for the future. According to Denver Therapy, about 17 percent of American teens have looked into therapy treatment. That means there are about 83 percent of teens who have not. The percentage of non-therapy-goers should be exponentially lower than the current stats. “I do go to therapy. I’m able to talk about my emotions and anything that is currently going on,” junior Jackie Newman said. Everyone goes through tough times, especially teenagers. Teenagers experience heightened hormones and physical and mental changes, which can be hard going through by yourself. While you could talk to a loved one in your life, they can be biased depending on what you are talking about. “It was an unbiased view on my life, and [my therapist] didn’t have anybody to go tell,” sophomore Colfax Hamilton said. Experiencing emotions can be hard, especially when you are handling it by yourself. Therapy is not only for sadness it can also be used for anger, embarrassment, fear, and guilt. Having a therapist will help you process how to handle these and many more emotions. While therapy is often thought of as a way for people to talk about their depression, that is not the only use for therapy. If
20 | Opinions
you have mental illness, of course not just beneficial for everyone is problem theradepression, you have probably considered py. Everyone has problems and would like it. There is tons of research being done a way to solve said problems. proving how helpful it is. It takes so much willpower to seek help Therapy is used to effectively treat if you are struggling mentally. Many peomany mental illnesses, but so many differ- ple who are struggling choose to suffer in ent people who are not dealing with men- silence, whether that’s because they are tal illness go to therapy too. Yes, therapy embarrassed or feel like nobody will ever is extremely beneficial for people dealing be able to help. That is not something anywith mental health issues, but it is not one should be alone with. only for that. In a Danish health study reported by Say you just got fired from your job John Hopkins comparing two groups of or your best friend no longer wants to people who had previously attempted suibe friends with you and you are finding cide, patients who received therapy were it hard to handle it. 27 percent less Nobody would claslikely to attempt sify you as mentally suicide after a year. “I think [therapy] would ill, but you still feel After five years, benefit most [people, and] the need to talk to the treated patient someone about it. group had 26 perif not, it should at least be I know it may be cent fewer suicides tried,” hard to intimately than the untreated talk about your feelgroup. ings but trust me, as Just because at Junior Jackie Newman someone who has one point you went been in therapy for to therapy, you do over two years now. not need to stay It has helped me trethere forever. It is mendously with being able to connect to not a long-term commitment. myself. Nobody will fault you if you try therI have learned better communication apy out and you decide that it is not for skills and how to set clear boundaries you. But whether you continue or not, it’s which is something that we all should im- still important to try. prove on. Seeking help is not weak, and you I truly believe that everyone should try should never try to struggle alone. it at least once, because the benefits comThere are people out there for you pletely outweigh the negatives. You do not so don’t be afraid to reach out for help, have to stay for the rest of your life. If you whether it’s talking to family and friends feel like it is not benefiting you, you can or seeing a therapist. freely cancel at any time. “I think it would benefit most [peoAccording to Patient, an online health- ple, and] if not, it should at least be tried,” care directory, one therapy that can be Newman said.
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Opinions Editor
aint scrapes, discarded license plates, forgotten “my kid is an honor student” magnets, soap scum and water spots.
No, these blemishes aren’t the result of a head-on collision with a fire hydrant, but common results of going through an automated car wash. All this could be easily avoided by taking ten minutes to hand-wash your car. Drive thru car washes give you a worse wash for a worse cost. Just like you wouldn’t go back to a hairdresser who gives you a choppy cut, you shouldn’t be going back to machine operated car washes after seeing how well they really wash. Just like you wouldn’t be happy with botched balayage, you shouldn’t be happy with soap scum and scratches. I worked at an automated car wash one summer, and it was traumatizing to see the reality behind the felt flaps and spinning scrubbers. When cars go through the water sprayers and soap shooters, they’re really getting the murky backwash of the car in front of them. There’s a common theme among fast food workers and car wash attendants: they don’t use the product themselves. After all, they know how the mystery meat is made. They’ll be the first to tell you not to partake in that late night nugget craving (or quick car wash visit.) The very first time I drove through an automated car wash was the day of my interview for the job, which will also be the very last. While your car is being pulled along a track, your precious pearlescent paint job (or worse, your already peeling, thousand-dollar wrap) is being battered with sharp sticks stuck in the felt scrubbers, and blasted with pine needles in the blow room. Conversely, self-automated car washes will
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BY JUDE GORDEN
only do as much damage as you, the washer, let them. So unless you beat your car with random sticks from the road and pelt your car with pebbles, I guarantee you won’t get the same effect. The return on investment of time and money is off. I can hand wash my car in five minutes, and do it better than a track-operated car wash. And, for much, much cheaper. Many car enthusiasts, busy parents, and new drivers alike rely on automated car washes for their convenience. Monthly car wash subscriptions also advertise ridiculous ease of use and cost savings. But what the car wash disciples don’t realize is that this supposed convenience discrepancy between a drive-thru car wash and hand washing a car isn’t really all that. The oh-so-difficult “wow you must really love your car, I would never do that” process of hand washing your car can be simplified into four steps. Water, soap, rinse, and dry. Sound time consuming now? And you don’t need any fancy-schmancy self-operated car wash to get it done, you can do all this on any old street or driveway with a bucket of soapy water and a rag. The ever-praised ease of use of automated car washes is as follows. Pay upwards of ten dollars. Don’t forget to roll up your windows. Stop at the sign. Put your car in park. Mindlessly scroll on your phone as you get pulled on a track through sprinklers and rainbow soap-sprayers. Drive off after being blasted with oversized blow dryers. Shake your head in disappointment as you watch the water beads roll down your windows. All that and you still end up with water spots and bugs left on your windshield. You could be washing your car for less money and get a better result, and the solution is ditching drive-thru car washes for self-oper-
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If You Love Your Car, You Should be Hand-Washing it
ated ones. I’m not the typical driver. I hand wax my car after every wash, whip out the vacuum upon witnessing one singular crumb, and clean in between my air vents with q-tips. But you don’t need to take car care to the extreme to retain your car’s value. Just simply put in the effort and elbow grease to wash it yourself. INFOGRAPHIC BY EMILY LAMBERT
SHOPPING LIST: Automotive care shops can be overwhelming if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Here’s a list of my recommendations for a cheap, at-home car wash.
October January 2024 2024
Put YourContent Phone Creation Has Gone Too Far Family Down and Pick Up Your Mental BY ELISE DOUGHERTY
H
Staff Writer
ow would you feel living your entire childhood with an audience of faceless, nameless peo-
ple? Everything you say, think, or do, with
a camera shoved in your face. Imagine every birthday, holiday, family dinner with thousands of strangers watching. Imagine growing up and finding thousands of suggestive comments about your six year-old self. Imagine having to confront your parents about the content they posted about you when you were just a child. Until recent years, having an entire career based around the internet was never an option. But with the ‘creator economy’ now being valued at 250 billion dollars, according to the Washington Post, this lifestyle is a fast-growing business. Thousands of people are switching over to a life in front of the camera in order to make a quick buck, and it doesn’t seem like a horrible idea. Who wouldn’t want to have a seemingly easy job, while making thousands of dollars, and getting praise from countless online fans? But, like everything on social media, the line between good and bad is blurred and unpredictable. One of the main outcomes of this sudden need for internet fame in the past decade is the ever-rising number of accounts
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run by parents. They are impossible to avoid, ing their children on social media is that it no matter what platform you are on. Fami- exposes them to predators against their own lies like “The Dougherty Dozen” and “Not will. The people who would usually have to Enough Nelsons” are only a few of the doz- go through many stages of persuasion and ens who have devoted their lives to exploiting grooming to get the images they want from their children for profit. young kids don’t have to do anything, these These families share virtually everything accounts just provide them with it for free. with their online followers, trying to provide Some parents posting online know this, relatable, funny content. But not everything and they purposely make content to provide needs to be shared online, and some of these to these predators in order to get more views. parents have a hard time protecting them- Even slightly regulating these parents could selves and their kids. result in a huge decrease in the amount of Some creators like “The Labrant Fam” kids exploited on the internet. and “Ten Kids in 10 Years” are not only an Recently, a social media mom has been invasion of privacy, but just outright sketchy, exposed online for creating content directly making uncomfortable content that doesn’t catering to online predators. “Wren.eleanor” seem as innocent, and yet goes unregulated. is a Tik Tok account with almost 17 million I have never enjoyed seeing accounts like followers. It features Jacqulyn, a young mom these while I’m using sowho posts videos of her todcial media, and I wouldn’t dler, Wren, doing extremeImagine having to think many teenage soly suggestive things. Her confront your parents cial media users would. comment sections are full It seems most of the of faceless accounts leaving about the content viewers of these families vulgar, inappropriate comthey posted about you are not the demographic ments and the most suggeswhen you were just a they are catering to. tive videos have thousands Very few regular peoof thousands of saves. child. ple would enjoy watchCurrently this account ing videos of children has no videos, but there isn’t who are obviously being any way to know where they exploited and sexualized. The scariest thing have gone and if they are still accessible. Banabout these accounts is that even the ones ning this account was positive but these vidappearing the most innocent and lightheart- eos were up for too long in the first place. ed are still providing a stream of content for Parents like these are the reason regulachild predators. tions should be put in place against these acIt is so easy for this content to reach the counts. It is difficult to pinpoint the intentions wrong audience, of parents when it comes to social media, but ART BY ANGELA XU and there is very it isn’t hard to predict what predators will do little that can be with content that is posted. It is one thing to done to regulate put yourself in a position to be sexualized, it where what we is entirely different putting an innocent child post goes. Par- in the hands of thousands of predators on the ents should al- internet. ways assume that Online moderators should flag these their content can sooner so harmful accounts can be shut down and will reach the before they reach a dangerous audience. wrong people. While we can’t stop parents from making this One of the content, we can stop it from getting into the main problems wrong hands. with adults postBEHIND THE SCREEN: Art depicts how everything posted online is manipulated to appeal to an audience and viewers never know what is actually happening behind the scenes.
Kamala Harris is the Only Option for America
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s the time rolls around for another presidential election, Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz are the right choice.
Harris and Walz are no doubt the best option, not only because of Harris’ ideas and plans, but also due to the concern of Trump returning to office. Both Harris and Trump have plans for America, but with many high schoolers gaining the ability to vote in this election, we found it necessary to highlight main points covered under Trump’s and Harris’ policies. While economic plans are vital, issues such as abortion, LGBTQ+ rights, and environmental issues affect voters in ways that can swing a voter’s decision in an instant. Harris’ viewpoint on abortion, as well as her work cosponsoring abortion legislation on the Biden campaign after the passing of Dobbs v. Jackson (2022), had a huge impact on the number of young people’s votes. According to a Gallup poll, more than 55% of Americans identify as pro-choice. With more than half of Americans supporting abortion rights and Harris making plans that would directly support that freedom, she has the chance to pull voters towards her and make the decision that would be best for all Americans. “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe,” Harris said in an interview that aired on Wisconsin Public Radio. “We need
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to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body.” Education is another policy hot topic that will directly affect students within Creek, but also within the wider CCSD district and the entire nation. Access to schooling regardless of financial state is absolutely necessary, and having a well rounded education prepares students for adulthood and forming their own opinions. According to Trump’s “Plan to Save American Education and Give Power Back to Parents,” which is posted on his website, he plans to cut federal funding for any school or program that involves Critical Race Theory, gender ideology, or other inappropriate racial, sexual, or political content on our children. While the idea of not ‘pushing’ any ideas on students sounds great, the reality is much more worrisome. By doing this, students would not be reading books with queer characters or about racial injustice, and would be sheltered from important social issues. Without content covering more diverse topics such as critical race theory, queer people, and political history, students are put at risk of becoming less socially aware. If students are exposed to all issues at an age where they are digestible, it will set them up to go out into the world with ideas of what they believe.
This is an opinions piece written by the Editorial Staff of the Union St. Journal. Staff-editorials serve as a way for members of the magazine to give commentary on a community wide issue. The views expressed represent the opinions of the editorial staff, not those of CCHS or CCSD. The president is someone that Americans should look up to, and that should represent America in a way that citizens feel is correct. Trump is not that. By placing a man that focuses on supporting the wealthy rather than the lower and middle classes, has 34 felony charges, and has made countless derogatory comments towards minorities, we are setting America up to be viewed as a joke. As children we were taught that people in power were supposed to be respected. When people like Trump are put in power, we cannot expect children to look up to them, let alone want to be like them. Harris’ time as District Attorney of California and a prosecutor set her up as a strong leader who creates a voice for others, which is exactly what we need as citizens right now. As Americans, we need someone who is willing to fight for the voices of those who cannot fight on their own, and someone who represents the core values of what we believe.
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The USJ’s Editorial Board voted on the subject of this Staff Editorial.
ART BY IZZY KRAUSS AND BRIANA FLORES
GO TEAM BLUE: Kamala Harris’ strong policies, plans for education and reproductive rights, and likeable personality have us excited for the future of America.
October 2024
Q&A With The Quarterback: Question 1
What got you into football?
“It was Question kind of 2 early on in my life. I was three years old the first time I played flag football. I did a lot of sports growing up, but kind of football was my favorite because of the team bonding, and being a leader. Being able to play as a team and win as a team was my favorite.”
What’s your most memorable moment in football? “The State Championship last year. [It was] obviously a great learning experience because of the way it ended. 3 ButQuestion the environment and being able to actually be on that field was amazing, because growing up, I would go to all the state championship games.”
Who’s supported you the most? “My mom and dad have always been there since literally the first day. They brought me to practices. They did everything and anything I needed. They would be there to help me out. It would be a lot of times where I’d be like, ‘I don’t know if I can do this; it’s hard on my body,’ but they’re always there. They try to push me because they knew what I could be able to do, so they allowed me to be where I am today.”
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