Volume XXXI Issue 1 October 2017
Chronicle 9375 Cresthill Lane | Highlands Ranch CO 80130 | hrhschronicle.wordpress.com
BRANCHING
OUT
SEARCH AND SEIZURE:
News
Understanding the difference between reasonable suspicion and probable cause
Coach resigns
What Reasonable suspicion: When on campus, an administrator needs
Mark Robinson resigns after moving a student’s car prior to a drug search
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n Aug. 24, 2017, there was a K-9 drug search sniff operation in the HR student parking lot. Mark Robinson, head football coach, was seen moving a student’s car off campus prior to the search. The next day, he resigned from his job, and in the following days and weeks, the administration sent out several different statements regarding Robinson’s resignation. At around 9:32 a.m. on Aug.24, according to the police report, Officer Ryan Wood, school resource officer, sent a text message to Mark Robinson, letting him know that there would be K-9 units at the campus by 10 a.m. They were there for a sniff operation to search for drugs in the student parking lot. Between 10:00-10:05 a.m., Wood was taken aside by two security guards, and they told him they had seen Robinson drive off in a student’s car. The police report stated that Robinson said that he was leaving to put gas in the car and that he would be back. According to the report, the student involved said that they had given Robinson the keys to their car to get some “personal items like shoes and clothes or something”. Robinson returned to the student parking lot, but he had not brought back the student’s car. After the sniff operation had ended, the car was said to be found parked in front of Robinson’s house. A K-9 unit was sent to run around the car, and there was a positive hit. Officers checked for consent to search the student’s car, and there was consent given at first, but the student later changed their mind saying they did not want their vehicle searched. Robinson resigned from his position at HR the next day. There were no criminal charges, and the case’s status is closed, according to the police report. Four days after the incident, Robinson released a letter to the parent bulletin claiming he had been slipping as a coach. On the same day, an article was released by CHSAA (Colorado High School Activities Association), which included Preston Davis’s, athletic director, response that Robinson had accepted a new job. Then on Sept. 6, almost two weeks after the incident, Chris Page, principal, sent out a letter to HR families explaining that “there was
The police report obtained by the Chronicle for this case. Photo by Hannah Dyer an incident involving law enforcement.” Page addressed why three different stories were released to the community. “Interestingly enough, all three stories actually align,” said Page. “So when we met with the staff and when we met with the students, our football athletes, he did resign, and he did take another job, and that’s what we expressed to them. And that wasn’t going into personnel issues or explaining exactly what happened.” With several stories arising, much confusion rose in the community as well. “I just wish they would have said, ‘There’s been a situation with the coach,’” said Sandra Griffin, mother of a football player. Even on the team, confusion was also present. Jacob Riggs, football player, senior, said, “It was kind of weird because [admin] contradicted themselves, but overall, I think how they handled it was okay. They probably handled it the best they could.” Regarding how information was released by administration, Page posed a question, “The question that I would ask anyone is, how would you have wanted me to handle the situation if it was you instead?” Page continued his explanation. He said, “I think the situation was handled the appropriate way. What we did was we made sure to give a level of information so that people knew that a change was happening, but in order to protect our personnel, we didn’t get into some of the fine details of it. Just as much as I have to care about 1750 students here, and a hundred plus employees, I also have to think about the one employee who the transition is happening with.” The Chronicle made an attempt to reach out to Preston Davis, athletic director, but Davis refused to respond. The Chronicle also reached out to Robinson, but no calls were returned. As the dust settled, there was another concern that was brought up by the community, which was whether or not things like this had happened before. “Yeah, there were some things that happened that aren’t appropriate to happen, but that doesn’t mean there’s some dirty secret going on here at Highlands Ranch,” said Page. “If admin was moving cars or people were moving cars around this place all the time during drug searches, don’t you
Aug. 24
think someone would have said something well before right now? It stands out because it’s an anomaly to who we are and what we do. Even to Mr. Robinson, it’s an anomaly to him.” Many in the community felt sympathy for Robinson. “I don’t feel like it’s my place to judge or know, or understand. And I feel like if we did understand, it would just be for the sake of judging. I feel like he did kind of have kids in his heart. He just wanted to do the best for those kids, and he had a big heart,” said Vanessa Blum, English teacher. Some parents also shared this sentiment. “He’s a great man, and he made a bad decision. And I felt bad for him because he lost everything for one decision, trying to help a kid,” said Griffin. In the wake of Robinson’s resignation, the football team experienced a reportedly smooth transition. “The coaches that were there over the summer are still their coaches, so what I’ve heard from the boys is that there was no big change,” said Griffin. Some football players said that the incident’s effect to the team’s success was minimal. “I feel like we’ve done well moving on. We’re coming out strong off of such a bomb drop, and I feel like we’ll be able to continue with this success throughout the whole season,” said Riggs. In the end, there is the final truth that Robinson is no longer working at HR. Page said, “He moved a vehicle. That was the wrong move. We followed through on our end. At the end of the day, he chose to resign.”
Who Police officers, school officials, and SROs are the people authorized to conduct the searches. SROs can be counted as police officers or school officials depending on the court’s views as to whether the officer is a school official or a law enforcement official.
When Individual searches can be conducted by school officials by the reasonable suspicion standard. Random or blanket searches are conducted as a preventive measure rather than individualized suspicion.
Why On school grounds, administrators need reasonable suspicion. SROs could be placed in either category depending on the court, so either of the two standards for search and seizure can apply to them. Police officers need probable cause or a search warrant to search you. “And as a police officer, we need probable cause in order to search [a] vehicle,” said Deputy Ryan Wood, SRO.
Where An item considered as property of the school can be searched without needing consent from the student. This includes desks and lockers. When off school grounds, administrators do not have the right to seach property. “When the vehicle is off grounds, admin can’t search it,” said Wood.
How Body or property searches at school by school staff must be
Kaylee Kirkwood and Caitlyn Tsukamoto, Editors in Chief A special thanks to Dom Dakovich, Erin Tuttle, and Mike Hiestand
justified when a search starts and reasonable in how it is done. “School officials and sworn law enforcement officers may conduct a search without reasonable suspicion or probable cause if the student voluntarily consents to the search,” according to ASCD.
Graphics by Kaylee Kirkwood
Aug. 28
The incident occurred on the HR campus
Aug. 25
SRO, Ryan Wood, text messaged Mark Robinson,
9:32 a.m. head football coach, reminding him that there would be a K-9 search at 10:00a.m. sniff operation
Robinson Resigns
Two security guards ask to speak to Wood about witnessing Robinson drive off in a student’s vehicle
Teachers and football players were informed that Robinson had taken another job.
10:00 a.m. Wood and Deputy Proulx (K-9 unit) on standby for 10:05 a.m.
only reasonable grounds that evidence of law or rule breaking will be revealed through a search. Probable Cause: Police officers in a criminal law case must have probable cause to search or seize property. Probable cause exists when facts and circumstances would lead a reasonable person to believe that a crime has been, is, or will be committed.
10:15 a.m. Sniff operation begins October 2017
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Robinson releases letter to parent bulletin Mark Robinson wrote in his letter to the parents of football players, “Falcon Parents, I want to let you know that I have made the decision to resign as Head Football Coach at Ranch. This past year I have gone through a lot of things and have noticed that I was slipping in my duties as the head coach.”
Sep. 6
Chris Page releases letter to HR families
Aug. 28
CHSAA releases article including Preston Davis’s, athletic director, response In the CHSAA article Davis stated, “‘It was a career opportunity with a life-long friend that (Robinson) just couldn’t pass up.’” The article also stated, “Davis said it wasn’t a coaching job, and that ‘there’s no hard feelings.’”
Sep. 2
9News Breaks the story 9News broke the story with an article titled “Highlands Ranch coach resigns after incident surrounding players and drug dogs” October 2017
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Chris Page, principal, wrote in the letter to families, “ As you likely know, there was an incident involving law enforcement on August 24.” Page went on to write, “While I am unable to discuss the specifics, I want to assure you that we followed appropriate staff and student processes. These issues have been fully addressed at this time.” He also stated, “I will be as transparent as possible about the facts of this matter, while still respecting both employee and student privacy rules.”
News
Branching out across the globe
Refugees in Syria
Explore current events happening in the world
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yrian president, Bashar al-Assad, is known for using violence and chemical weapons to try to control his people, and because of that, many Syrians have turned to seek refuge in countries all over the world. ISIS has not helped matters either; its presence creating more pressure. Syrians continue to flee, and in some instances, find home here in the U.S. Alyson Kleinman, social studies teacher, believes that it is important for us to have empathy for refugees and their situation. She said, “It is hard for us to relate because many of us have never been in a situation like that, but maybe try relating it to something that we can grasp, like in Houston and Florida.”
Taylor Means, Online Editor
Douglas County School Board Elections
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chool board elections in Douglas County are filling many headlines all over the state. The main topics up for debate are vouchers to send kids to charter schools and altering teachers’ pay based on their teaching subject and test scores. Many people seem to have very strong views one way or another. According to Colorado Public Radio, “In September, parents waving signs lined busy roadways during a week of rallies.” Emily Muellenberg, social studies teacher, urges students to still get involved even if they can’t vote. Muellenberg said, “You can volunteer to campaign. If kids feel connected to one slate, they can show up, pick up the phone and call, or even go door to door.”
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urricane Irma first hit in Barbuda as it raged towards Florida and made landfall Sept. 9. Many were unsure of how much damage the hurricane would cause and precautions were made just in case. According to 9News, Jeffco School District welcomed any families seeking help after the hurricane. Some surrounding schools received students after Hurricane Katrina and would be willing to do it again for Irma. Also, some students at HR took great measures to help out family and friends Hurricane Irma devastating Cuba. The hurricane moves who knew they would get closer to Florida where it will continue its damage. hit by Irma if they stayed. Photo courtesy of Flickr Josh Raval, freshman, brought his grandparents to Colorado to get away from the hurricane. Raval said, “We flew them out because in a previous forecast, their house was in the projected path of Hurricane Irma, but the only flights left to Denver cost $2,100 total.” October 2017
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The community slate members (from left to right) Anthony Graziano, Krista Holtzmann, Kevin Leung, and Debra Schor in student-run forum held in the HR auditorium. Senior, Samson Leyba monitors the forum. Photo by Jordan Rust
The Chronicle
Threat of War between North Korea & U.S.
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he U.S. and North Korea are experiencing major conflict. According to a New York Times article published on Sept. 2, “North Korea’s detonation of a sixth nuclear bomb on Sunday prompted the Trump administration to warn that even the threat to use such a weapon against the United States and its allies will be met with a massive military response.” While Trump is confident about America’s safety, other people like Haena Kim, sophomore, have a sense of fear. She went and visited South Korea recently. Kim said, “The thought of being at war with North Korea when we were in the city and countryside was inevitable. Everyone seemed to avoid talking about the North Koreans and were extremely on edge about the conflicts.”
U.S. Presence in Afghanistan
Hurricane Irma in Florida
Syrian refugees make their voyage to surrounding countries to escape unsafe conditions in Syria. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
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resident Donald Trump has made a plan to aid in the world’s continued fight against terrorism. According to the New York Times, “The defense secretary received the authority in June to send as many as 3,900 troops to AfghanSoldiers are airlifted and head into combat in istan so that the United Afghanistan to defend against terrorism. States military could expand its efforts to advise Afghan Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons forces and support them with American artillery and airpower.” This is in reaction to the conflict caused by 9/11 attacks 16 years ago. According to Fox News, the local government of Afghanistan only controls half the country due to the Taliban’s terrorist factions.
North Korea’s military transports weapons. Photo courtesy of Flickr
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3D PRINT TRY IT SOME THING NEW LEARN
Kathryn Lopez, Staff Reporter
quiet. Up in the sky, it’s calm, but also exciting. “Everything is smaller, so it really puts things into perspective for me,” she said, “It’s kind of exciting to see everything from above and see people going about their day.” Smith is following in the footsteps of her father and grandfather, who both flew planes as well. Her interest in flying was first peaked in middle school, when she decided to look into planes after hearing her father talk about it so much. As her dad previously worked at a small airport nearby, he knew some people, and he was the one to help Smith actually get into a plane to see if she still liked flying. Long story short, she did. Smith said, “I just want to put out there that it’s pretty hard to get a license, and I don’t want to seem like I’m some great person just because I went on one flight.”
TO FLY
Kathryn Lopez, Staff Reporter October 2017
he gift of creativity and artistry isn’t something that comes into the possession of many people throughout their life. Ryan Salvador, junior, uncovered his talents in middle school and has been doing everything he can to experience art and advance his skills even further. For the majority of the last two years of Salvador’s life, his time has been mostly devoted to making art. This started in middle school when he drew many anime “doodles” in his notebooks but has progressed to something much larger and detailed within the past few years. His work has transformed from small pieces that he didn’t really care about, into great abstract works of art. Many people who see his work for the first time may be left confused and not know exactly what is going on. This is the same way Salvador starts his pieces. “I don’t have a definite idea in my mind when I start something. My creativity flows through my body into my hand, goes
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Photo Courtesy of Anna Smith The Chronicle
through my pen, and comes out into whatever it wants to be,” said Salvador. What started as a way to pass time has quickly escalated into a business that Salvador has been trying to start up. He showcases many of his pieces on his Instagram @hoeinater, and many people come to him to either buy a specific piece or have him draw something specific for them. Through this, Salvador has made upwards of $500. “My art has no barriers and I want it to be timeless. I want to impact people’s emotions whether it be today, or ten years from now,” said Salvador. The biggest clients that Salvador receives are rappers that are looking to use his art as a cover for their album or single. As well as being an artist, Salvador is also a rapper on Soundcloud @TKM Balbadore (aka whoodini ). Similar to his art, Salvador started rapping to help pass time and used it as an ironic joke to make his friends laugh. It’s quickly become
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plane flies across the sky. It’s small and average looking, no different than the near hundreds that make their way across the heavens every day. No one would think anything of it, but they don’t know that this plane is special. Freshman Anna Smith is commandeering the enormous machine, and has complete control of the pedals. For a few minutes, her life and the life of her pilot is entirely in her own hands. For a few minutes, she has become a true Falcon. Most people would be breaking down. Their hands would be sweating, and they might even be frozen with fear at the thought of being up so high and actually controlling a plane. Smith didn’t have that problem. While there might have been some nervous thoughts before the flight, once she got in the plane, everything went
Awesome, last year, and started making fidget spinners in the hopes of being able to sell them and make some money. Soon he realized that this printer could make anything he wanted, and not just for profit. “I just use it to print some really cool things. I can sell them if I want, and I can make whatever you want from it,” said Martinez. He sells his creations, which can be special ordered, or bought from a pre-made selection he already has. Each item costs around two dollars. However, very few know about his printer, so he has gotten few requests, and has just started making things for himself. From something as small as a plastic coin, to realistic faces, to fashionable clothes, Martinez’s printer can make whatever he dreams and much more, and all with only a heated nozzle and melted plastic.
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n uncommon machine whirls to life. What looked like the huge skeleton of a cube with a hollow center is now a tool of imagination. It illuminates the room with LED lights, and waits as it gets ready to create. As a file is uploaded to it, it starts to pull in plastic from a roll nearby, melt it, and dispense it onto a build plate. “You can think of it as an old paper printer, where you can hear that mechanical belt move, and you can hear the clicks and beeps. It kind of sounds almost like a version of techno music,” said Noah Martinez, freshman, who owns a printer himself. Layer by layer, the melted plastic is used to build something. The machine works slowly and methodically, taking hours to create whatever its master wants. When it’s done, the machine has made something magnificent, rough and jagged in texture, but beautiful nonetheless. Martinez got the printer, named
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BECOME A YOUTUBER
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much more serious to him. Even within his last few releases, it’s easy to see how much time is being put into the songs. Salvador compares himself to, and looks up to Lil Dicky, Denzel Curry and Ski Mask The Slump God. Salvador said, “I still want my music to be fun and ironic but with great delivery and a stronger flow.”
Photo by Kyle Lynch, Artwork courtesy of Ryan Salvador
insley McHenry, sophomore, has her own YouTube channel, which is called Kat Rose, and is named after her middle names, which are Kathryn and Rose. In her content, she plays music of other songs and sings covers, and is attempting to get herself out there in order to get more recognition. Her channel was started when she decided that, after listening to other people play and sing covers for so long, she should give it a shot herself. After setting up her mom’s professional photography cameras, buying random editing software, and having her guitar and ukulele ready, McHenry’s channel Kat Rose was born. “It actually wasn’t that hard for me to start up, but I know, for some people, it could be if they don’t have the right resources,” she said. “But, I would say, ‘Don’t let that stop you!’ because you can use your phone and just not make the best quality, at first. And then, eventually, it will get better.” McHenry gets around 100 views and currently has around 40 sub-
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Kyle Lynch, Social Media Editor
scribers, but like even the biggest YouTubers, she deals with the self doubt that comes with putting yourself out there. “I think, in general, people are pretty supportive of me, and I just have a lot of really good friends,” who promote her channel, said McHenry. However, unlike many YouTubers, she has a music channel, which, in McHenry’s opinion, requires a lot more work than a normal channel, as music needs to connect with the listener on a personal level, which is difficult to convey through a video. McHenry hasn’t received salary from YouTube yet, as she first needs to allow ads to pop up at the start of her videos. This action of placing ads is called “monetizing”, and is part of the reason that some YouTubers can make making videos their full time job. McHenry has a ways to go before she really gets famous off her videos, but her success shows that anyone, so long as they have the dedication and the equipment, can become a YouTuber as well.
Kathryn Lopez, Staff Reporter
Review
Bone Chilling Story ‘To the Bone’ review A
norexia nervosa: an emotional disorder characterized by an ob -sessive desire to lose weight by refusing to eat.This disorder is something many people suffer from. Many people who suffer from anorexia do not survive as it is the most fatal mental illness, according to Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders. Oftentimes in the media, being extremely skinny is seen as the best a person can look, but when does it become dangerous? Netflix’s “To the Bone” depicts a realistic story of a 20 year old girl named Ellen and her ongoing battle with anorexia. After going in and out of different treatment centers throughout her teenage years, she decides to sign herself up for a group home that treats all types of eating disorders. The doctor who runs this facility is known to have controversial means of treating patients. He encourages Ellen to face her disorder and to choose life. Something that makes this film extremely realistic is the amount of weight that Lily
Collins, who plays Ellen, lost to play the role. Although she decided to keep the number of pounds she lost to herself, she talked about working with a nutritionist to safely lose the weight. Another factor that makes this film realistic is the fact that Lily Collins struggled with anorexia herself during her teenage years. “I did consider that talking about my struggles with an eating disorder would overshadow my accomplishments as an actor, but I also knew this was something I needed to do to move forward as a human and an actress. I needed to let go,” said Collins in an interview with People. In the film, anorexia is not glamorized. It shows all of the negative side effects that come along with the disease. This is a good thing because, oftentimes, people don’t realize how ugly this disorder can be. For example, Ellen has bruises on her back from doing so many sit ups and passes out when she’s at the airport from going so long without eating.
At the end of the film, Ellen finally realizes that she needs to get better. Unlike many other films and TV shows that are centered around mental illness, the main character decides to get well at the end. This is also really crucial to the message of this movie which is that there is not just one way that someone can get over anorexia; it’s different for everyone. Unlike the typical movie that’s based around young people, the film never turns it’s main focus to romance. There is a young man in the treatment program that shows an interest in Ellen; however, because of the severity of Ellen’s condition she is unable to return the same feelings. The fact that Collins, along with other people involved with the creation of this movie, struggled with eating disorders, combined with the realness of the disorder throughout the film, “To the Bone” makes for a realistic and emotional watch. If you’re looking for an uplifting and emotional story about recovery, then I would highly recommend “To the Bone.”
Paige Martin, Staff Reporter
Eating Disorder Statistics One in 200
American women suffer from anorexia.
One out of 3 people who suffer from anorexia seek out treatment
3% or 8 million
“To The Bone” is a movie based on the “To The Bone” book by Lily Collins. Photo courtesy of TheMovieGuy
U.S. citizens suffer from an eating disorder of some sort
2-3%
of all women will experience an eating disorder at one point An estimated
10-15%
of people with anorexia or bulimia are males Graphic by Evan Naemura Source:Mirasol inc.
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