Lobo Vol. XXI Issue I
Legend September 2016
What’s the story?
Starting off the Season: Conifer beats
Frederick 37-6 in first home game of the season. Page 5>>
Running down the field with ball in hand, senior quarterback Matt Aceto dodges Frederick players. Aceto was tackled by Frederick and gained a down for the Lobos. Photo by Antoni Meyer Starting off the season Page 6>>
Summer in Spain Students traveled Spain with Trask in tow
Not BUSy Enough
Bus shortage is problematic for athletics
By Mackenzie Orr
By Audrey Hayes and Sierra Fortin
From Costa del Sol to Barcelona, from sandy beaches to centuries old castles, five students traveled to Spain this summer with Spanish teacher Maestra Melissa Trask. “It was beautiful, very fast paced, and a lot of walking,” Trask said. The students walked mile after mile, immersing themselves in Spanish culture and history. “One of Trask’s old friend’s family owns the oldest restaurant in the world, so we got to go in there and see that,” Julia Romero said. The trip sparked Romero’s interest in travel. Now, she’d like to go travel by herself more, rather than with a group since she likes to learn but learns better by herself. “I think I benefited just from learning about different cultures and I definitely got better at my Spanish,” Romero said. In America, buildings that are “old” are a hundred to two hundred years old at best. Whereas in Spain, a building from a century or two ago is considered new when standing next to a building centuries old.
The wheels on the buses are unable to go ‘round and ‘round due to the shortage of bus drivers in Jeffco. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average hourly wage for a bus driver in 2015 was nearly $20. The minimum age of bus drivers is 18. “It’s not enticing to people, for those positions, and so they’re going to get other jobs,” Angie Sanders, assistant principal and athletic director, said. This dilemma seems to only be occurring with sports teams but may begin to impact field trips. Students who ride the bus to and from home are not having any issues. “The problem is, when we go to games, it’s at the same time they need bus drivers to make the runs after school,” Sanders said. On September 2, the football teams realized they were going to suffer from this problem before their game against Glenwood. With the 2 hour and 45 minute drive ahead of them, the team needed to leave school at 11 am. Due to the lack of bus drivers, the bus barn had difficulty providing a bus for the football team to take to their game.
Spain Trip page 6 >>
Bus page 2 >>
Colorado 7 New league means new teams By Audrey Hayes Since 1996, the sports teams have played in the Jeffco League. “A” represents the size of the school. In the 2016-2017 school year, there are 833 students attending Conifer, which makes Conifer a 4A team. Last year, with 805 students, the Lobos were playing 5A teams, meaning the Conifer teams were playing against bigger schools. In the 2015-2016 year, because of playing 5A schools while being a 4A school in the Jeffco League, the game statistics suffered. In baseball, the Lobos won 2 games and lost 7. In boys’ basketball, the Lobos won 5 and lost 8. The only sport the Lobos won more games than lost was girls’ tennis with 6 wins and 3 losses. “Instead of just playing Jeffco schools, we will be playing schools like Weld Central [and] Fort Morgan,” Angie Sanders, assistant principal and athletic director, said. “The schools are similar in size enrollment.” Other schools in the Colorado 7 include Alameda, Arvada, Elizabeth, Englewood, Skyview, Weld Central, Fort Lupton and Fort Morgan. In the 2015-2016 year the Lobos played Evergreen, with 1009 students;
Golden, with 1289 students; Standley Lake, with 1344; Wheat Ridge, with 1307; and Littleton, 1383. “We had teams that were not able to compete against the bigger Jeffco teams,” Sanders said, “and we wanted to play schools that were more like us.” Although there are more leagues, the Colorado 7 is the best fit for the sports teams in terms of size and proximity. Denver Public Schools, as Sanders said, has a few 4A teams, but most play up to 5A. In the Colorado 7, the Lobos are expected to have much better stats competing against other 4A teams. This should result in an uplift in school spirit and team morale overall. Come out and support Conifer athletics this year.
Putting all of his energy into the kick, Ian Dahlen(11) runs up to the ball. Dahlen sent the ball flying to his teammates. “The opposing team took a shot and missed wide and I tried to send my team up field for a goal,” Ian Dahlen said. Photo by Mackenzie Orr
Summer in Spain:
Students’ adventures around Spain. Page 6>>
Kicking Off the Season: Boys soccer kicks off the season Page 5>>
Stop or Go:
Pokemon Go or Pokemon No Page 3>>
News Bus >> Throughout that week, the boys had to tackle many different obstacles. Originally, they did have a driver. Plans changed and it looked as though they were going to have to get themselves to the game. Principal Wesley Paxton even offered to drive a bus for them but then was unable to, which brought them back to the idea of driving themselves. Luckily, it all worked out in the end. “The bus was an extra bus from the bus barn with a last minute driver,” Andreas Sainz, a junior on the varsity football team, said. This was only one of a few other incidents that have occurred because of the absence of needed bus drivers. To solve the transportation problem, the district has allowed the school to call charter bus companies to transport sports teams. Since charter buses are expensive and only five companies are approved, the schools usually use regular school buses. “I am worried about running out of money in the transportation budget,” Sanders said.“The district said to just keep on using the transportation budget until we run out, and the district will then find out how to pay for it.”
Conifer’s Drought
Water shortage creates problems for students and staff
By Mackenzie Orr
Gallons upon gallons of water are used at Conifer every day. 2,500- 3,000 gallons of water, to be exact. The administration shut down the bathrooms on Tuesday, September 6, to help conserve water. “They had to do a complete removal and upgrade of the system,” Gene Smith, CHS Facility Manager, said. The plant has a holding tank at the school and purifies water for human consumption. From the start they knew the project would be delayed but no one thought it would be delayed this far. “They’re hauling in clean water to that plant because they have a big holding tank,” Smith said. From that holding tank, the water is pumped up to the holding tank behind the school that holds 7,800 gallons of water. Hopefully, the project will be done by the mid September. That 7,800 gallons of water goes pretty far until there’s only a foot of water left in the tank. “When we get to a foot of water, it’s done, there’s a foot of water in there all the time,” Smith said. That foot of water isn’t just stagnant water that sits in there
“There’s an aerator that circulates the water that’s in there,” Smith said. Although the tank is behind the high school, it also supplies water to West Jefferson Middle and Elementary schools. “Whenever they need water they take two or three thousand gallons,” Smith said. Both schools have holding tanks as well. On Monday, September 5, Conifer ran out of water. The custodial staff and the administration took preventative measures in order to keep water usage to a minimum. “Whenever [that happens] we try to isolate certain areas of the building,” Smith said. In the most recent attempts to conserve water, the upstairs and lower level bathrooms were closed. Even though this was upsetting to some of the students, it was for their own safety and well being. “[When we get low on water] the toilets don’t flush and get backed up, so it’s a sanitary reason,” Greg Manier, assistant principal, said. The well being of students is a top priority, so keeping the bathrooms closed when the water is running low is just another way the administration and custodial staff look out for the students.
7,800 gallons of water sit in the holding tank behind the school. The tanks had only a foot left of water on Monday, September 5. Photo by Ian Dahlen
There’s a Club for that
LINKS that Build Conifer
New clubs form as the year begins
LINK day builds bonds between upper and lower classmen By Felix Randol
By Mackenzie Orr Clubs are available for a variety of interests: Writing Club, Key Club, Debate Club, Board Game Club, as well as the Gay and Straight Alliance. The selection of clubs is increasing this year with the new ideas of students. “There are so many clubs at this school, I don’t know where I want to go,“ freshman Sean Spade said. This year’s class of freshman want to create their own clubs. This is the first opportunity for many of them to run a club. They all have their own ideas of what they want to do, and how they are going to do it. “I would start an art club,” Megan Taylor said. “We would discuss different genres of art and try to create a yearly masterpiece.” Ben Clark a freshman also has an idea of his own. “I would start a Dungeons and Dragons club. We already have a group, but if it was a club it could have way more members and more structure. We could discuss campaigns and eat cookies,” Clark said. Many of the freshmen are interested, but do not know how to start a club. Math teacher Rachel Bahl, who started the Board Game Club with math teacher, Kimberly Mizenko last year, shared the steps to creating a club.
1. First, find a teacher who will be the sponsor. 2. Go to Mrs. Swanson, who is the assistant principal 3. Tell her that you want to start a club. 4. If Mrs. Swanson approves it, then you can start your meetings. The new clubs this year will provide a new culture and bring with it some more school spirit and fun.
With posters advertising clubs all over school it’s hard not to notice the different clubs. By the middle of September, must clubs were up and running. Photo by Mackenzie Orr Parker Girod and Brynnah Glas invite new members to the Writing Club. The club began last year with support from Kari Fortik and meets monthly in room 236. Photo by Mackenzie Orr
LINK leadership kicked off with a bang in August. The LINK Leaders spent five hours practicing activities, and discovering ways to truly connect with their freshmen. Their final goal: to form links and relationships that the freshmen could rely on in the coming years. As the activities wore on, the LINK participants started to form bonds with one another. The leaders met new friends, and learned new things about those whom they already knew. The first link of the chain was formed. LINK Directors Jessie McFadden, Christine Stricker and Joey Wilson, participated in the activities while teaching them to the LINK Leaders. The interactions formed bonds between the leaders and the staff. The second link was formed. On August 18th, the new freshmen filed through the gym doors, welcomed by the applause
of their LINK Leaders. The freshmen listened as school counselor, Justin Neuenschwander, explained the importance of having bonds with those around them in high school. The freshmen were then directed, as a large group, through a series of activities that allowed them to interact with one another, creating the third link of the chain. When the freshmen were sent to do their small-group activities with their Link Leaders, they formed bonds with their leaders. This provided them with someone to go to, and someone to rely on in the coming year, thereby forming the fourth and final link of the chain. “[The freshmen] met some friends through Link. I talk to my Link Leaders like once every day. We are considered friends I think,” Victoria Allendorf(9) said. The once comfortable balloon that rested between Emily Sainz(9) and Mike Mosey(12) exploded with the help of counselor Joey Wilson on LINK day. Sainz turned back to her teammates, shocked by the explosion sent through her body as the wall broke between. They formed a bond. Photos by Mackenzie
Orr
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Suicide Squad: Blockbuster or Bust
Opinion
By Chynna Stueber Suicide Squad lived up to its expectations without letting down any of the audience. Following the events of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the squad, Task Force X, as the secret government calls them, was set up by Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) to save the world from a powerful threat, the Enchantress (Cara Delevingne. With Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), hit-man Deadshot (Will Smith), ex-gangster El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), clever thief Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), and mutant Killer Croc (Adewale AkinnuoyeAgbaje), any villain could be beat. DC has never had a movie quite like this one. Each one of the characters has a fully developed back story that leaves the audience with a devotion to each terrible hero. Suicide Squad gives a detailed vision of what led each character to Arkham Asylum. Between the epic helicopter crash and the infamous clip of Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) falling into a tank of toxic waste, the special effects for this film were mind blowing. They fit perfectly into the storyline, and DC portrayed their worst heroes
By Jasmine Anderson
Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
defeating Enchantress in the most horrifying ways possible. Don’t leave out the incredible soundtrack. The film featured songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody by Panic! at the Disco, and Heathens by Twenty One Pilots. Each song enhanced the intensity of the scene in which it was placed. The hero-villains featured in the film have made many appearances in previous DC films, but never like this. This created a brand new face for DC. Suicide Squad lived up to its potential.
Reviewers face off to help readers decide
The long awaited villainous collaboration movie, Suicide Squad, turned out to be a bust instead of a blockbuster. After the loss of one of Earth’s beloved saviors in the events of Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, American government official Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) calls the forces of the good, the bad, and the ugly from the depths of Gotham’s penitentiaries to come together and defeat an evil entity known as Enchantress (Cara Delevingne). Suicide Squad started with a bang that led to the illusion that
the movie would be an absolute blast. However, after the first half-an-hour of the Squad’s back stories, the only characters that there is any sympathy for are Dr. Harleen Quinzel, aka, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) and her psychopathic boyfriend, Joker (Jared Leto). Thankfully, as the movie drudges on, a few emotions can be mustered for Deadshot (Will Smith), El Diablo (Jay Hernandez), and Captain Boomerang’s pink plush unicorn. Although the special effects were pleasing to the eye, the storyline wasn’t as appealing to the mind. The bits of the plot that weren’t covered in holes were highly predictable, and even though the premise of the movie was to combine the talents of the best of the worst in Gotham, the conflict of the story was resolved by the power of love and friendship. The idea of DC’s beloved villains coming together in a Justice League-esque team to fight the powers of evil sounds like a movie that could hang in the hall of fame next to movies like Rocky Horror Picture Show and Pulp Fiction. Sadly, Suicide Squad didn’t live up to it’s expectations and wasn’t worth the hype.
Pokemon go, or Pokemon no Reviving the game from childhood By Riley Patton One of the biggest announcements of the year for mobile, Pokemon Go has completely shaken the world. The Pokemon game series has been around for nearly 21 years. Nintendo has been extremely influential on the video game industry. But it’s never been as popular as it is now. The mobile developer Niantic, who has developed multiple other games, developed Pokemon Go. None of Niantic’s other games, or Nintendo’s Pokemon games, have been as popular as Pokemon Go. “The app has generated more daily usage than higher-profile apps, including Facebook and Snapchat,” USA Today reported. The app has many key elements that make the game special, but there are many things that Niantic can fix in further updates of the game. Recently, Niantic has had a problem with keeping servers and trackers working in the game. The game is fun, but unless you live in a heavily populated area, Pokemon are scarce. Another issue is the step counter for hatching eggs. The app doesn’t count steps over 35 miles per hour, which means unless you drive really slowly or choose to walk the five miles, your eggs will never hatch. Sadly, the game doesn’t have a
battle system besides gyms. Another downside is the app drains battery, which is extremely annoying. In the announcement trailer for Pokemon Go, Niantic said legendary Pokemon such as Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, and Mewtwo would be obtainable. Niantic has failed to deliver on those claims. The legendaries had to be cut to meet the set release date, or because of space reasons. Key elements are what makes the game as wonderful as it is. The team system provides a form of competition for those playing. While the poke coins are annoying to obtain, when you get coins it gives you a small sense of relief if any of your Pokemon have fainted. Players earn coins by beating gyms. The use of the camera to place the Pokemon, or Augmented Reality (AR) is used fairly well, but in it’s current state, is sadly still somewhat buggy. The other selling points are the Pokestops. The Pokestops are landmarks that serve as a refuel station for the needed supplies. Another element that’s implemented quite well is that rarer Pokemon are put in harder to reach places. If you are in a highly populated area there are an abundance of gyms and Pokestops for players to collect Pokeballs.
The game sends notifications when there is a Pokemon close enough to you to catch when you’re in the app. The game has many pros to it rather than just cons. Pokemon Go is an extremely innovative app and it’s been pushing records all over the world. It’s one of the most downloaded apps in history. Even though it’s pretty much just a fitness app for nerds.
Graphic by Skylar Matthews
Pokemon spawn anywhere. Pidgey perched on a plate. Just remember, gotta catch them all. Photo by Kasey Conner
A picture of a picture. Riley Patton was captured with camera in hand as a Pikachu popped up in front of him. The Pikachu was successfully caught. Photo by Kasey Conner
Opinions
4A
The Lobo Legend Staff
Mackenzie Orr Chynna Stueber Editor in Chief Editor in Chief Jasmine Anderson - Opinion Editor Audrey Hayes - News Editor Felix Randol - Feature Editor Sierra Bartt Kasey Conner Trinity Foreman Sierra Fortin Luca Gorla Logan Hovey Parker Jones Ben Kellenaers
Grace Link Parker Wyatt Berit Manser Skylar Matthews Taylor Mitchell Riley Patton Seth Wood
The staff of the Lobo Legend has selected an open forum under which to write. Articles will be printed according to this policy. The purpose of the Lobo Legend is to inform, entertain, and educate school readers as well as readers in the community and give an opinion of students’ interests on local, state, and national issues. The staff will take full responsibility to thoroughly investigate and report all sides of all issues with an unbiased and objective viewpoint. The material, ideas, and opinions expressed in the Lobo Legend do not necessarily reflect those of the adviser, administration, or individual staff members. They are the sole product of the paper’s staff. The Lobo Legend staff will refuse to print any article with material containing libel, obscenity, writings that promote self-destructive behavior, or that which promotes the material disruption of the school process. Letters to the editor are encouraged and may be dropped off in the high school office or sent to: Lobo Legend Staff c/o Conifer High School 10441 Hwy 73 Conifer, CO 80433
Staff Editorial
In almost every high school movie, school spirit is romanticized. There are always huge pep rallies and football games, and everyone wears clothes to match school colors. Yes, it could be argued that school spirit is just a thing you see in one of those movies, and no one really experiences it in their four years at high school. But, at Conifer, we should be able to make it more than just a concept in a movie, and bring it to life. Students should experience all of those pep rallies and football games, and should be able to say that their high school experience was made even better by all of the school spirit. Where is that school spirit here at Conifer? Sure, the first day was full of (somewhat boring and unnecessary) activities, but it all seemed a bit fake and forced. We could make that spirit authentic by bringing more attention to all of the great things the school has to offer. Students seem so worried about how they’re perceived by others that no one is willing to step out of their comfort zone for fear of making a fool of themselves. Freshmen are timid to join in for fear of not fitting in. The few kids who do participate have lot of whispers behind them when they don’t sit down. People groan at the idea of standing up and moving. We are in high school for heaven’s sake stand up. The school spirit, however, has tons of potential. We live surrounded by mountains with cool and enthusiastic people at the school and there’s no reason for school spirit that isn’t overwhelming with how pumped everyone is to be a part of Conifer. If more students participated and threw themselves out there to support their peers, be they athletes, band or drama, it could improve student life at Conifer. If someone feels like they are supported and cheered for, they might perform better themselves, and that would also improve the performances of those who represent our school in competitions. We still have students unwilling to try and participate in school activities. It all comes down to who wants to be cool and what that means when it comes to “pep.” We just gotta love our school and teams more than we actually do. School spirit may not be everyone’s thing but when we play Evergreen and we get all excited or for the Homecoming Game, stand up be proud of who we are. We are all Lobos. Get up and be proud to act like a fool because you’re only going to be in high school once so make the most of it and have those crazy goofy memories for the rest of your life.
Corrections
If you find an error with a story, fact, graphic, or a point needing further clarification, please contact the staff at: Lobo Legend Staff c/o Conifer High S 0 0chool 10441 Hwy 73 Conifer, CO 80433
Sports
4B
Serving up Tennis
Stealing Home
The end of a great tennis season
Lobo softball nears the end of a great season
By Trinity Foreman
By Taylor Mitchell
The Lobos boys tennis team started off its season with much excitement and a victory. Fans cheered on the players as they played hard. They played Englewood on September 9, 2016, despite the number of players being uneven. Conifer won every match. The scores were 6-1 and 6-0 by Ryeson Bernie, 6-4 and 6-2 by Sean Crosby, 6-4 and 6-1 by Cole Hollander, and 6-0 and 6-2 by Lander Turner and Hunter Lawson. Team members who didn’t play lined the court to support the players.
New tennis member and freshman Geremy Giles said, “I think we played really well and we could go pretty far this year.” This year the team has a shot at state being first in their league 5-1.
With ball in hand, David Wachtl (10) prepares to serve in a singles match against Arvada on September 8. Photo by Sarah Wood
From home runs to running home, the girls’ softball team is sliding into the thick of their season as fall continues. With eight wins and no losses so far, the Lobos are in first for the league they recently joined, the Colorado Seven. After crushing the Evergreen Cougars, the team, led by captains Jessica Elliot (12) and Melissa Vance (12), continued to conquer when they marched on and clobbered the Skyview Wolverines with a score of 24-1. The girls take on Denver North at home on September 17th, followed by Skyview again on September 20th and Thomas Jefferson on September 21st. Come out and support the Lady Lobos as they finish strong with the rest of their season!
Hannah Sundquist (10) slides home during the Golden game. Sundquist’s run advanced her team to win the game 13-12. Photo courtesy of Leslie Thompson
Cole Hollander (11) serves the ball during a match against Arvada. The team won 7-0 against Arvada on September 8 at home. Photo by Sarah Wood
After winning the Evergreen Conifer softball game, Angela Giles(11) hugs Jaden Cates(10). Conifer won against Evergreen 10-4. Conifer is currently first in league play. Photo courtesy of Leslie Thompson
Sports
5 Starting Off the Season Conifer beats Frederick 37-6 at first home game of the season By Mackenzie Orr The last second of the Conifer vs. Frederick game. Frederick attempted a touchdown. The buzzer sounded and the game was over with a 37-6 win for the Lobos. On Friday, September 9, the Lobos dominated the first home game. Starting off the game the team stuck with their game plan. “Our game plan was to come out throwing, spread them out and that’s what we did,” Coach Larry Fitzmaurice said. After shaking hands with the opposing team at the end of the game, the boys ran off to congratulate their teammates for an “amazing” game. “I think we really worked as a team to absolutely run over these people,” junior and running back, Bret Walters said. Not only did the Lobos work together as a team to beat the team, they also improved their win from last year. “Last year we only won by three points and this game was just phenomenal,” senior and running back Jack Pretner said. While the team likes to focus on one game at a time they also
look forward to the games ahead of them. “We take it one game at a time, we know and everybody knows the evergreen game is coming up,” Fitzmaurice said. Looking short term rather than long term Fitz and the team look forward to the games coming up next week as well as the Evergreen game. The Lobos took on Rifle Friday September 30 at 7:00 pm and came away with a loss, 32-20.
While the defensive line gets in position, quarterback Matt Aceto (12) looks to his teammates to see that they’re ready before the snap. Aceto threw the ball down field for a complete pass to cornerback Mason Meyer (12). Photo by Antoni Meyer
After the snap, quarterback Matt Aceto (12) took a step back to find the best angle to throw the ball down field to his team. The pass flew down field to teammate tight end John Paulus (12). Photo by Antoni Meyer
Holding their helmets high in the air, the Lobos celebrate their victory against Frederick on September 8. The Lobos beat Frederick 37-6. Photo by Ian Dahlen
Mason Meyer(12) takes to the air in order to complete the pass from quarterback Matt Aceto (12). Meyer hit the ground with ball in hand and the referees called the pass complete. Photo by Antoni Meyer
Kicking Off the Season Boys soccer kicks off the season By Mackenzie Orr Under the lights. Fans in the stands. The first home game. The Lobos soccer team kicked off their season Thursday, August 25, against JFK High. The brand new team walked out onto the field to see a few brave fans standing against the fence, waiting for the game to start in the 40° weather. “We saw stuff we want to keep doing and we saw stuff we need to improve on,” Bowen Taylor, junior, said. Taylor, the varsity goalie is always on his toes. Even though JFK had some lucky goals, Taylor knows how important it is to be prepared for the shots to come. “Even if they get that first goal in, you’ve got to keep your head up, because there’s going to be another shot right at you,” Taylor said. With the season ahead of them in mind, the team saw some good things from the game. “First half we played extremely well,” said Andrew Dickson, sophomore. Although the game resulted in a loss, Dickson and Taylor both agree that they noticed things that benefited the team and will be tools for their success in the games ahead.
“Everyone passed and moved the ball great, and defensively we looked good,” Dickson said. When looking to the future, Dickson hopes the team could get a win or a draw, which would greatly improve the team spirit. Even though they didn’t do as well as they had hoped, the team now has a better understanding of what things they are good at and what they need to improve on for the upcoming season.
As a Wheat ridge player lines up to kick the ball Sean Murphy(12) lines up with members from his team. Their objective was to block a the shot from Wheat Ridge. Photo by Sierra Fortin After JFK kicked the ball out of bounds on August 25, Graham Dickson (9) ran up to the ball kicking it in to his team in an attempt to get a goal. Dickson lined up his kick and sent the ball flying to his teammates. Photo by Mackenzie Orr
After Evergreen kicked the ball out, Tyler Miaocco (11) threw the ball in to a teammate. Conifer ran down the field on offense until Evergreen got a touch on the ball. Photo by Mackenzie Orr
With ball in hand, Bowen Taylor, (11) prepares to punt the ball down field to his teammates. Taylor’s kick helped his team gain distance on the field. Photo by Sierra Fortin
Features
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Spain Trip >> “It was really nice to see how everything is really old,” Macy Wallace said. Wallace was one of the five girls who went on the trip. Sometimes the girls had guided tours and other times they were free to go and explore as they please. “It was really cool to see how even though they were [such an] early civilization they were still able to make huge castles,” Wallace said. Not only were the girls immersed in the culture they were immersed in the language as well. “It was a lot easier to speak the language when you’re there,” Wallace said. Trask gave a few of the girls the option to boost their grade if they frequently used their Spanish while on the trip. “We didn’t get any school credit but I’m thinking of writing one of my college essays on [the trip],” Romero said. The trip wasn’t just tours and learning. The group also did a few fun activities. “We visited castles, we toured cathedrals,but we also went to the beach,” Trask said. The group also had the chance to go to the Gypsy caves to see flamenco dancing. While in Madrid, the group went to an art
museum and got to see famous Picasso paintings. The entire trip was to include an excursion to Morocco, but due to safety issues, all trips to Morocco were canceled. Collectively, the girls decided to use their extra day at the beach. “I was really excited to go to Morocco because we were going to ride camels, go the markets and get our hair done, but we couldn’t go because of terrorist issues,” Romero said. Trask will be taking a group of students to Peru spring break of 2017. The trip is lead by Christine Mann, Gail Bonner, and Melissa Trask.
While on the trip, Tessarose Gurnsey Izzy Arnold, Kaelyn Wheaton, and Julia Romero pose in the streets. The girls were on the way to their hotel in Madrid. Photo Courtesy of Melissa Trask
Follow CHS Student Media For... CHS student media creates a social presence By Audrey Hayes 2016 has become the year of disappearing news. The Lobo Legend is no longer exclusively on paper. It is also on Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. In the past, Lobo Legend has had a Twitter, but it had never been used much. With new staffers and a fresh school year, the school newspaper staff has now rebooted Twitter, and created an Instagram and Snapchat. The Instagram account, @chs_student_media, will feature game updates, pictures of games and school updates, as well as feature stories about the students. Adding the Lobo Legend Snapchat, @chsstudentmedia, students can follow for videos of games and student body spirit. Themed games, spirit weeks, and news will be added to the public Snapchat Story of the Lobo Legend. All home games will be put on the Story, with score updates, short 10 second videos of the players, and school spirits shown by the students in the stands. Adding Snapchat will enable students to be at the game without being at the game. The Lobo Legend Twitter will tweet out game score updates, game dates, home games and any news updates. The new school year means new ways of getting news out to the student body. Along with a monthly paper, updates on social media are now part of the CHS Student Media effort.
Graphic By Chynna Stueber
New year, new perspectives By Jasmine Anderson An eager freshman take her first steps into the Commons on Link Day. She looks around at the green and silver painted walls, swallowing the lump that formed in her throat from the uncertainty of what her first day of high school will be like. Among the unfamiliar faces around her, she looks frantically for her friends, for some sort of reassurance that she’s not alone in this new environment. Teachers skirt the commons, waiting excitedly with large welcoming smiles as they watch their new pupils fill the commons. Just like the freshmen, many of these teachers are nervous to start their first year at Conifer High School to teach their new students; to make an impression. Every year floods of freshmen and new teachers join Conifer High School. Although the Conifer Lobos do their best to welcome the newest additions to the pack, joining a new school, meeting new people, and adjusting to high school life can put loads of stress and pressure on the shoulders of both freshmen and teachers. However, optimism and excitement lay beneath the stress and uncertainty, setting the stage for an amazing first year. “At first, Conifer was terrifying,” Mykenzie McDermott, freshman, said.
”It was very shocking, but it gradually became more comfortable.” “[Like the freshmen,] I’m lost finding rooms,” said David Shirk, Conifer’s new algebra and geometry teacher. “It’s really hard to get a grasp on the layout of these rooms and the room numbers. But [this year] is going to be excellent! I feel at home already and everybody is so nice and helpful. I feel like I’ve just fallen right into the groove.” “I’m pretty comfortable,” Ellison Girod said, another student beginning her first year at Conifer. “I know a few teachers already, and I really like it here, so it’s a lot easier. It seems a lot better than middle school and I feel like [the school year] is going to go well.” “This will be my first year with Conifer; my second year teaching,” John Shipley said. He is the newest member of Conifer High’s athletics department. Shipley coaches basketball and Level 3 football. “I’m very excited to be a part of this school, staff, administration and the great community.” As the school year continues and the newest members of the CHs community become more accustomed to the swing of high school, it’s the job of the sophomores, juniors, and seniors to help make this the best year possible for all the new Lobos.
Ms. Jessica Frankel explains an assignment to her students. Frankel, new to Conifer this year, teaches psychology and government. Photo By Kasey Conner
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L E G E N D S
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“Something I regret about high school is that I used to work too hard and worry too much about my grades. I didn’t take many risks and it didn’t make me happy, because I was working too hard to be perfect. No one can be perfect. If I could go back, I would definitely have more fun and worry less about being flawless. That way I could make more of my high school experience.”
Ben Powell
O F C O N I F E R
Parker Girod “... As bleak as the future might look now, if you just push through it, one way or another, things will work themselves out once you decide that you want them to work out and that no matter who you are there’s always someone out there that cares about you and is there for you.”
Gail Bonner “Don’t give up. Tomorrow is another day, and it always, always, always gets better. Find someone. There are a lot of people, even though you don’t think there are, that care about you. Find someone and talk to them. And never give up.” “My mom was very liberal, open minded to a lot of suggestions. ‘Enjoy life, be yourself.’ My dad lived off the idea that this world is just a terrible place, and you’re just going to be beaten up. My mom, on the other hand, said if you’re not happy, you can change [your life.] Since I kind of was raised with two different opinions, I would probably end up being really chill with [disagreements.] I think all opinions matter. You’re there; you’re a human being. All people should have a voice. I think the world needs to understand we’re all here and we’re all people; if we could just get along and respect our differences, the world would just be a better place.”
Brynn Carter
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