Cherry Creek High School 9300 E. Union Ave. Greenwood Village, CO 80111
Journal The Union St.
April 2018
Vol. 3 Issue 4
The walkout & the gun control debate On pages 10-13
IN THIS ISSUE.... USJ STAFF
NEWS Laptops.......................................................3 Solar Panel..................................................3 Power Week................................................4 CCIC...........................................................5 Profile: Jocelyn Nguyen-Reed...................5
STUDENT LIFE Profile: Bijan Chamanbahar......................6 Girls’ 21........................................................7 Eco-Action..................................................7 Subaru Review............................................8
FEATURES Walkout...............................................10-11 Gun Control Viewpoints....................12-13
ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT Overwatch................................................14 Money Heist.............................................14 Good Doctor............................................15 Logic.........................................................15 Top 5 Sports Movies................................16
SPORTS New CHSAA Sports.................................17 Profile: Coach Art Quinn........................17 Girls Lacrosse...........................................18 Boys Lacrosse...........................................18 Girls Soccer..............................................19 Baseball....................................................20
OPINIONS Working Mom...........................................21 Desensitization.........................................22 Staff Editorial & Letters to the Editor......23
Editor-In-Chief Cameron Barnard
Layout Editor Emilee Shoff-Olson
News Editor Gracie Lordi
Graphics Editor Ben Sampson
Student Life Editor Valerie Lombogia
Advisor Yoni Fine
A&E Editor Eliza King
Staff Writers William Anderson Addy Dodd Da’Nazjah Dorsey Camden Lashlee Skyler Matteson Ashley Miller Oliver Molberg Giovanni Machado Michael Ragnow Nikita Sluchak Christopher Tekavec Susan Zeng
Opinions Editor Jacob Ginsberg-Margo Sports Editor Brison Owens Photo Editor Ana George
Purpose The Union Street Journal is a student publication distributed to the students, faculty, and staff of Cherry Creek High School. The paper serves as an information source and a two-way communication forum for both the school and community. Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of Cherry Creek High School or the Cherry Creek School District. Letters to the editor Letters to the editor are accepted and can be submitted via email to new.creek.usj@gmail.com Letters cannot be anonymous and they may be edited for clarity.
Find more stories at unionstreetjournal.com
@creekusj 2
April 2018
NEWS
Creek receives new classroom laptops BY: CAMERON BARNARD Editor-in-Chief New Dell laptops will be introduced to classrooms in order to slowly phase out the five-year old Chromebooks. Admin rolled out the 1,408 new laptops
PHOTO BY CAMERON BARNARD
DELL-IGHTFUL: The new Dell computers function both as laptops and tablets.
on April 6, adding to the 1,800 Chromebooks purchased in 2013. The 44 carts were bought by the school district with money from the Bond and Budget Override 3A and 3B that was passed by voters in November of 2016. The Chromebooks were nearing their end, only meant to last up to five years, while these are meant to last around the same amount of time. They also expect to receive Microsoft Windows updates for a longer time than the Chromebooks did from the Google operating system. Criticism had been mounting over the old Chromebooks. “They are very slow and you can’t even use YouTube on them,” senior Madison Loya said.
Teachers and administrators were also anxious to combat the problems of wear and slowdown. “I might have been one of the more vocal people,” Assistant Principal Marcus McDavid said. “Those were never intended to go beyond five years, so we as a district knew that their shelf life was just about up. We really wanted to come up with a solution to support technology.” The Dell laptops come with the ability to flip the screen into a tablet with touch capabilities. “What’s interesting about education right now is that were trying to give kids an opportunity to access material in new and creative ways that make learning more effective,” McDavid said.
Engineering physics class installs solar panel BY: BEN SAMPSON Infographics Editor Senior Evan Breitkreuz was measuring the output of the solar panel after school. He was helping Dr. Clyde Oakley in improving the setup located in the parking lot between the West building and Stutler Bowl. The solar panel was an older one donated by Jeffrey Boyce, who teaches Astronomy and Environmental Science. Last year, Oakley’s CP Engineering Physics class constructed the setup from wiring and PVC pipe they purchased from Home Depot using money from grant proposals. “They had multiple teams,” Oakley said. “Some of them were electronics teams, and some of them were building the basic structure to hold everything up. Some were building a platform that would rotate, and some were buying the motors and fixing them so they could turn.” The solar panel is functional, producing 30 watts, but there is still work to be done
April 2018
before it is a functional charging staion for students. “We haven’t started that until we’re completely done with the technical work,” Oakley said. Most of the class had been seniors last year and graduated. However, the class had three juniors. Breitkreuz, who is in Honors Engineering Physics, are working with Oakley towards the goal of a device charging station for students. “We’ve been taking voltage and current and resistance measurements... seeing what happens to those measurements when we plug things in, and what we can charge with the output of a solar panel like that,” Breitkreuz said. The solar panel uses direct current (DC), which is stored on a battery, and converted into alternating current (AC) for use on everyday devices, such as cell phones, on an inverter.
PHOTO BY BEN SAMPSON
BRIGHT IDEA: The solar panel will be used as a charging station for phones.
Dr. Oakley is retiring at the end of this year, and Breitkreuz is graduating, so science teacher Dr. Keith Harrison will be in charge of the project in the future. Breitkreuz will be attending Colorado School of Mines in the fall and plans to major in Civil Engineering.
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NEWS
Creek switches from Wish Week to Power Week BY: VALERIE LOMBOGIA Student Life Editor Creek is moving in a new direction with didn’t have a Wish Kid this year.” that we would be losing in switching to fundraising for Bags of Fun, leading to a The decision was also based on Senate’s Bags of Fun. Power Week without a Wish Kid this year. interest in Bags of Fun. “It’s also important to focus on the Formerly known as Wish Week, Power “The entire Senate was in consensus needs of one person,” Liu said. “We get to Week is the school’s annual effort to reach about switching from Make-A-Wish,” Goknow them more personally.” a fundraising goal for a charitable organiThe overall response from students to zation. In past years, this was the MakeBags of Fun compared to Make-A-Wish A-Wish Foundation for which the school was mostly unchanged with one thing would raise money to grant the wish of a being different. child with a life-threatening illness. “From a money standpoint, it was This year, Student Senate made the about the same. We raised about the same decision to switch over to only Bags of amount of money as in years past,” Keogh Fun. The goal of Bags of Fun is to cheer up said. “I would say the most noticeable kids with life-threatening conditions by difference was the pep assembly.” -Senior Jane Pyastolova giving them bags filled with various toys Keogh explained that attendance at the and activities. mez said. “We were excited to work with pep assembly was low in comparison to In prior years, Power Week donations Bags of Fun.” previous years. were split between Make-A-Wish and Bags Although some students questioned “I think one of the reasons the turnout of Fun, but it was this year that all prothe disappearance of the Wish Kid, other wasn’t as good was because we didn’t have ceeds started going to Bags of Fun. students were unbothered. a Wish Kid,” Keogh said. This shift can be attributed to many rea“I didn’t think it mattered that much Keogh revealed that the start time of the sons, but according to Activities Director because we were still raising money for a pep assembly may be moved to the mornKrista Keogh, it is mainly due to how close good cause,” Senior Jane Pyastolova said. ing to improve attendance, but she doesn’t the organization is to Creek’s community. “A charity is still a charity.” believe Creek will go back to Make-A“What I really love about Bags of Fun There were also students that preferred Wish. is that it’s a local organization. It’s someBags of Fun over Make-A-Wish. “Organizationally, I really like how Bags thing that started here in the [Denver] “I like Bags of Fun more because you of Fun is run,” Keogh said. “But I would metro area,” Keogh said. “These were kids can help more people,” Senior Yvonne Liu love to know from students how we could that were in our community that actually said. make it a more personal experience.” received a Bag of Fun.” Liu also saw positives in Make-A-Wish Other schools in the Cherry Creek disThe founder, Tammy trict have also chosen to move Krause, attended Cheraway from Make-A-Wish tory Creek along with her wards a cause more meaningsiblings. Many students at ful to their own communities. Creek, including Student For example, Eaglecrest High Senate, have volunteered at School concentrated on the Bags of Fun. American Heart Association “They go over there once for their 2018 Wish Week afa week and they stuff the ter the passing of one of their bags, and they have let us coaches. go deliver the bags to the “I think sometimes compatients in the hospital,” munities are choosing to Keogh said. support causes that they see “Make-A-Wish did not are important to their comwant us to split the promunity,” Keogh said. “This ceeds from our Wish Week was something that I felt like with another organization. and my student senate kids Because of that, we decided PHOTO BY: CAMERON BARNARD felt like was something that to just go with Bags of Fun,” WISH WEEK: Student Senate helped Creek raise $23,000 had really given back to our Keogh said. “That’s why we towards Bags of Fun. immediate community here.”
“
We were still raising money for a good cause. A charity is still a charity.
”
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April 2018
NEWS
CCSD opens a new school BY: GRACIE LORDI News Editor
Jocelyn Nguyen-Reed BY: NIKITA SLUCHAK News Editor
ILLISTRATION COURTESY OF DLR GROUP
INNOVATIVE: The school is expected to open this fall. Highley regarded math teachers Michael Degitis and Jocelyn Nguyen-Reed are leaving Creek. After breaking ground in January, the new Cherry Creek Innovation Campus (CCIC), located on S Chambers Road and E Otero Ave, is slated to begin its first school year in the fall of 2019. CCIC is going to provide the kids with new opportunities to pursue their interests and further their educations in high school so that they are better equipped to join the workforce. “We want to create an opportunity in the student experience that when you walk in the front door, you are going to see hear and smell a lot of different programs,” Principal Mark Morgan said. Morgan hopes to attract three specific types of students to the new supplementary program: The student that is going to college, the student that needs industry recognized certification or a skill set, and the student who doesn’t know what they want for their future. The school has seven different pathways targeting specific skill sets and career areas such as, Culinary/ Hospitality, Health and Wellness, and Infrastructure Engineering. For the 2018-2019 school year
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the individuals writing the curriculum, will be meeting everyday. All teachers moving to the new school are goin to be working part time their home schools. Degitis is one of the teachers who has been recruited for the group of individuals writing and planning the school. “A teacher like me will stay at their home school for 60% of the day, so I’ll teach 3 classes, then every afternoon I’ll meet with my cadre which is all the teachers at the new school,” Degitis said. Degitis made the decision to move to the new school because of his belief in the novel approach of teaching math. “I was feeling like I was ready for finding something that offered more to the students in terms of their ingenuity, their application - math outside of the math classroom.” A collaboration of both administration and students have devised this program striving towards providing students to further their experience in industry based jobs. “What we’re really trying to do is to give kids a real life experience in industries that are tied directly to a college where a next step could be a college or a next step could be career,” Morgan said.
Jocelyn Nguyen-Reed, computer science teacher, was honored as a Distinguished Teacher earlier this year. Now, she will be transferring to the newly built Cherry Creek Innovation Campus as one of the teachers who will design the special curriculum that will be taught there. Although she is leaving Creek, Nguyen-Reed has left a mark on hundreds of students during her time here, and many are not ready to see her go. “She’s a great teacher,” senior BJ Kim said. “She always tries to help, and without her there wouldn’t be such a large community of kids meeting in the lab everyday.” Cybersecurity Club and Tech Club, which used to be able to fit at a small table each, now consistently fill the computer lab Mondays and Wednesdays after school. Her efforts have enabled consistent top 5 finishes at the yearly national American Computer Science League and have sent a team to win second place at the Cyberpatriot VIII National Finals. “We come from humble beginnings,” Nguyen-Reed said, “but eventually [the program] started to grow so fast it became hard to keep up with.” Nguyen-Reed may be leaving the school, but that doesn’t mean her legacy will. “The important thing is that students are interested and never afraid; failure is essential for learning.”
PHOTO BY GRACIE LORDI
ALL STAR: Jocelyn Nguyen-Reed won the Distinguished Teacher award this year. 5
STUDENT LIFE
Bijan: the man, the myth, the meme BY: ADDY DODD Staff Writer
In the soft stage lighting of the Grandview High School theater, Cherry Creek High School Wind Ensemble elegantly makes their way onto the stage. About to perform at the Colorado Band Master’s Regional Festival, each student is dressed to the nines in their handsome tuxedos and classy performance gowns. The entranced audience gazes across each student until something catches their eye. One student is dressed perfectly head to toe - except for one thing. He doesn’t have shoes on. Senior Bijan Chamanbahar stands out from the crowd. Many students at Cherry Creek admire Chamanbahar for his humor and ability to make anyone smile. Senior Sarah Bordiuk believes he is funny, interesting, and energetic. “He is probably one of the funniest people I know,” she said. Part of his charm comes from his unique preferences in pop culture, such as in his taste in music. “I listen to a lot of different genres, from Minecraft rap parodies all the way to Moana Disney songs,” Chamanbahar said. Oftentimes he uses his whimsical music to amuse passersby in his 1989 420 SEL Mercedes.
PHOTO BY MONTY NUSS PHOTOGRAPHY
UNIQUE SENIOR PHOTO: Bijan Chamanbahar brought his own props to take an original senior picture. 6
PHOTO BY ADDY DODD
MADE BY HAND: Bijan Chamanbahar handcrafted the dolphin emblem attached to the hood of his car. “I have the Minecraft theme in my car actually, and sometimes when I drive by the middle schoolers when they’re walking, I just turn it up all the way,” he said. “He always is saying weird things,” Bordiuk said. ”But things like different memes and new memes. Always up on the new lingo. He is like the meme lord.” Although his reputation is mainly due to his comical personality, Chamanbahar possesses other talents that many aren’t aware of. “I play the trumpet, and I have been trying to get into saxophone for a while. I also have the guitar, which I’ve gotten extremely rusty at, but I peaked in freshman year,” Chamanbahar said. “I’m pretty good at the recorder. I can do ‘Darude Sandstorm’, the Mii theme song, and ‘Mask Off ’. I tried to play the slide whistle, but the one I got was absolute trash and that didn’t work out.” Keeping his goals reasonable, Chamanbahar would like to master catching grapes in his mouth. “Yeah, I’ve been working on it,” he said. “I can get it like seventy-five percent of the
time. Now, I’ve got the angle and everything.” Even this skill poses its difficulties. “You don’t even know. It’s so scary when a grape slides in too smoothly and gets stuck in your throat.” There is one skill Chamanbahar has already mastered and turned into a consistent hobby. “Sleeping. It’s got to be sleeping because it’s literally all I do. And it’s not night sleeping, it’s nap time. I go home. I just take a nap. I know I have stuff to do, but I do it anyways.” One of Chamanbahar’s friends, senior Nina Yee, will always remember Chamanbahar’s unique style. “In Marching Band on ‘superhero day,’ he wore this Batman hat, and I came up to him, and he came by me with this really smug, cool look on his face,” Yee said. “And he pumped the hat, and it could flap. I thought that was the most hilarious thing.” Often people ask Chamanbahar how to be funny, and he has one piece of advice. “If you try to be funny, it always fails.”
April 2018
STUDENT LIFE
Girls’ 21 takes Dublin BY: BEN SAMPSON Infographics Editor
Students in Girls’ 21, the auditioned women’s choir, had the opportunity to travel to Dublin, Ireland this March. They departed on Wednesday, March 21 and arrived back a week later, on the 28. Director of Girls’ 21 Adam Cave accompanied the group, and English teacher Emily Cave went along as a chaperone, as did Assitant Principal Kevin Uhlig and Activities Director Krista Keogh. The group had numerous performances while in Ireland. “We performed nearly every day,” senior Erin Becker said. “We performed with two different schools.” The three auditioned choirs (Girls’ 21, Troubadours, and Meistersingers) go on tours once every school year. Usually these trips are within the United States, such as their trip to New York City last year. Once every three years, however, Meisters and Girls’ 21 go on a trip outside of the US. In addition to the performances and exchanges with other schools, Girls’ 21 had the opportunity to have a clinic, where a choral expert listens to and critiques the group. Like every choir tour, the group also had the time for socializing and enter-
tainment not involving choir. 800 years old. Ireland’s historical buildings “We went to this Irish pub, and there and green landscape inspired Becker. was this band there, and they played Irish “It’s just green, and it rains all the time,” music, and there were Irish tap-dancers,” Becker said. “You just drive down the road Williams said. “We just got to eat dinner and there’s like a cathedral and a castle… and party with them.” and sheep. God, there’s lots of sheep.” Choir tours also provide the opportunity for those in the group to interact with one another and know each other on a level that may not happen during class. Becker says group interactions were some of the best parts of the trip. They also PHOTO BY KRISTA KEOGH performed in St. Patrick’s IRISH SPRING: Girls’ 21 performed at St. Patrick’s Cathedral Cathedral, on their trip to Dublin, Ireland over Spring Break. which is over
Featured club: Eco-Action BY: WILL ANDERSON Staff Writer
The goal of the Eco-Action club is to improve the environment through conscious local and global actions and work with others in order to keep the environment in a stable and enjoyable status. Their work is not limited to just the Creek community. Last summer, the club went to Pine Ridge, South Dakota and constructed solar panels on the top of a Native American war veteran’s home. Now, over this coming Memorial Day, the club will build solar panels over a different veteran’s house. “It’s the least we could do for them. Having these panels not only helps the
April 2018
environment, but it also helps with their retirement,” Science teacher and club sponsor Jeff Boyce said. “It gives our kids the opportunity to experience something more than our school could offer.” The club has been working in the Creek community for over five years and was created by Boyce. “Many of the students that participate in this club will go on after high school and study environmental science or other subjects related,” Boyce said. “I teach AP Environmental Science here, and I want the students to know its more than just a high school class. It prepares you for more,
and teaches you how important our ecosystem is to everything around us.” The club is also working on what they can do to help the Paris Accord, an international agreement to prevent global temperature from increasing two degrees Celsius. “People think that only big officials and politicians can change our environment and make an actual difference,” Boyce said. “But I say that anybody can make a change and, even if you’re in high school, you can make a huge impact and something that’s much bigger than any of us.”
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STUDENT LIFE
New Subaru STI, same old tricks BY: CHRIS TEKAVEC Staff Writer
It includes the new display interface for items such as the built-in boost gauge and other controls, which is a major part of the mid-generation redesign. Unfortunately, the new design did not carry over to the radio which can be temperamental at times and is difficult to use while driving.
The year marks a major anniversary for Subaru: their 50th year of business in the United States. Along with their anniversary comes a line of cars to match, complete with 50th anniversary badges and a unique paint color, Heritage Blue Pearl. For the STI, there are only 250 of the 50th anniversary edition being built, adding the element of rarity to the price tag and allure.
The 2018 STI has many upgrades including the new six pot Brembo front brakes, painted a bright green to set them apart. This year, Subaru also added nineteen-inch wheels with performance 245/35r19 tires to put its 305 horsepower to the ground, still using the symmetrical all-wheel drive and driver-controlled center differential.
As part of the 50th anniversary package, there are also some interior upgrades including specially stitched Recaro seats. The seats are surprisingly comfortable for people of all sizes; however, at first impression, they were not as good at holding you in as expected. I also suspect that on a long trip, they may become uncomfortable. The redesign on the new STI also included a minor facelift on the exterior, removing the option for fog lights and integrating the turn-signals into the new headlights. Another defining feature for the STI is only offering a six-speed manual transmission. This is Subaru’s way of committing their car to performance-oriented owners. One disappointment with the 2018 refresh is the EJ257 engine which it has had since 2004.
Another high-end feature is the Harman/Kardon sound system designed specifically for the STI. This upgraded system provides terrific quality audio and comes with a factory sub, great for any audio lover.
On the downside, the STI does come with a fairly high price tag at an MSRP of $37,542 for a base model STI and an MSRP of $44,320 for the 50th anniversary edition. A limited model falls on the higher end of that spectrum with an MSRP of $44,285 ($35 less than a 50th anniversary edition.) For that price, however, you do get 300 hp and a nice all-wheel drive system. The car is also great for the Colorado winters, nicely balancing performance and usability, as well as an all-around fun car to drive.
PHOTOS BY CHRIS TEKAVEC
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April 2018
April 2018
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FEATURE
Students participate in nation-wide walkout By: Eliza King A&E Editor As students from all grades began filling up the quad, signs were raised, chants were yelled, and a group of upperclassmen stood in front of the crowd, ready to begin spreading their message to those who chose to attend the walkout. The nationwide protest was both a memorial and protest action. Students and teachers across the nation walked out of their schools to honor the lives of the 17 people killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and press lawmakers to pass stricter gun control laws, according to EMPOWER, the group organizing the action. At 10:00 on the dot, hundreds of students stood up and streamed out of classrooms, not only in our school, but across the country on March 14 as part of the National School Walkout. “Kids in this country now go to school wondering if today will be their last day. We live in fear,” Senior Hannah Presken said. For some it symbolized the beginning of a new wave of teenage activism against gun violence, while for others the event wasn’t necessary. “I didn’t do the walkout because it felt disingenuous and the timing didn’t feel impactful to me,” Senior Deedee Brashers said. “A lot of people just used the walkout to get out of class or as an excuse to be late, even when they didn’t actually go.” The event was officially scheduled to last 17 minutes: one minute for each of the victims gunned down in the Feb. 14 massacre at in Parkland, Florida. “We are no longer willing to risk our lives waiting for someone else to take action, to stop the epidemic of mass shootings that have become all too familiar,” Presken said. Over and over, students declared that too many young people have died and that they are tired of going to school every day afraid of getting killed. With the chant “Enough is enough” echoing through the school yard, students
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called for measures Gun Control Legislation Throughout US History such as tighter background checks on gun purchases and a ban on assault weapons like the one used in the Florida shooting. “Two days after the shooting in Florida, I heard about this nation-wide walkout and anticipated it would come to Creek,” Principal Ryan Silva said. While the school itself could not endorse the walkout, the students participating were ensured a ‘safe zone’ where they were able to express their views. “We respect the rights of our students to exercise their First AmendINFOGRAPHIC BY BEN SAMPSON ment rights and way to protest things,” Freshman Patrick express their opinions,” Silva wrote in an Kruse said. “I feel like it would be better if email to parents and guardians on March you were to go to someone in power and 11. ask them specifically for it. But walking out “We also recognize that our students and taking time out of the school day does hold a diverse range of views and some not seem like a active and effective way to may not want to participate in a walkout,” protest something.” Silva also wrote in the email. Unlike at some other schools across the Although there were between 800 and country, Creek students weren’t punished 1000 students attending, according to for participating in the walkout. Silva, many students chose to sit out the “I think it’s important that students, walkout. teenagers, have a voice, ” Silva said. “And “I didn’t go to the walkout because I that’s part of the freedoms we have here.” don’t feel that walking out is an appropriate
April 2018
FEATURE
PHOTO BY BEN SAMPSON
STRENGTH IN NUMBERS: Students gathered in the Quad at 10:00 A.M. on March 14 as part of a nation-wide walkout movement by EMPOWER. The walkout came in response to the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida.
PHOTO BY VALERIE LOMBOGIA
LOOKOUT: Athletic Director Jason Wilkins stands watch on the roof of the I.C. building. The entire campus had a noticeable security presence with police watching the scene also.
PHOTO BY BEN SAMPSON
PHOTO BY VALERIE LOMBOGIA
PROTEST SIGNS: Aside from honoring the victims of the Parkland shooting, the main points of argument focused around tightening gun laws. Students made their own signs which they held up at the walkout. Also, during the walkout, students began chanting, “Enough is enough.”
LEADING THE WALKOUT: Students stood on the planters in the quad, giving speeches about the need for gun safety and student activism. Then, most students stood silently as the organizers read off the names of those killed at Marjory Douglas Stoneman. Left to right: Senior Grace Gifford, Senior Andrea Arias, Senior Amailia Kamlet.
PHOTO BY VALERIE LOMBOGIA
April 2018
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FEATURE
The case for gun control BY: ASHLEY MILLER Staff Writer
After the shooting in Parkland, Florida on Feb. 14 where 17 people were shot down, gun control is finally being taken seriously. I’m not saying to take away our 2nd Amendment right. I’m saying to create common sense protections in order to make it harder to get a gun. The gun used in Parkland was an AR-15, a gun designed after World War 2 for its light weight build, rapid fire shooting, and for its ability to carry more ammunition than the average most commercial guns. Anastasia Bernoulli, a retired veteran who served in the Army as a land surveyor, has a blog where she talks about guns and what her experience has been with them. “These are not deer rifles. They are not target rifles. They are people killing rifles. Let’s stop pretending they’re not,” Bernoulli explained. These are the weapons that the US Army uses to kill human beings. “At this rate, it’s not if your kids, or mine, are involved in a school shooting, it’s when one of these happens every 60 hours on average in the US,” Bernoulli said. But it’s not a one gun problem. It’s an every gun problem. According to the Harvard School of Public Health’s Injury Control Research Center, America owns 42% of privately owned firearms in the world. Keep in mind, America takes up only 5% of the world’s entire population. Within this 5% America has 31% of the world’s mass shooters. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2016 there were more than 38,000 civilian deaths due to firearms. Many politicians argue that guns are not the problem- it’s mental illness. The NRA also supports this claim. They want gun violence to stop in schools and want to prevent mentally ill people from being able to purchase guns.
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During the 2016 election the NRA and counterpart NRA Institute for Legislative Action, donated $54 million to candidates that would fight gun control laws. Yet, the NRA has never donated money to any organization regarding the mentally ill according to the LA Times. I acknowledge that mental illness can impact a person’s likelihood of killing someone, but in 2016 the American Psychiatric Association found that only 1% of murderers who use guns annually are done by shooters suffering from a mental illness. Others suggest arming teachers with guns would solve this issue. They say that teachers should have guns to keep their students safe. Teachers don’t have experience with guns, it’s not their job to protect their students. Teachers are there to help us learn, not to help us learn how to be afraid. What we need are laws outside of schools to keep guns from being inside classrooms. I realize that other weapons like knives can kill people, so do drugs and cars, but the issue is when someone enters a school with a knife they will kill far less people than if they had a gun. People can outrun a knife, but they can’t outrun a gun, especially a gun like the AR-15. According to CBS News, an AR-15 can shoot 600 rounds per minute. It is too easy to purchase a firearm in the United States compared to other counties, it typically takes less than thirty minutes and only requires a background check. It is illegal to own semi-automatic and pump action firearms in the U.K., and registration to own shotguns is also obligatory. These laws were put in place in after just one school shooting in 1996. Since then there have been no school shootings in the U.K., however since 1996 in the US there have been over 200. Many people say, well that’s in other places, but that doesn’t mean it is going to work in the US. Yes, I suppose that is true, but mandatory psychiatric evaluations would keep
less people from having guns that aren’t responsible enough to do so. Raising the age to apply for a gun would keep less young adults and teens from using a firearm that could potentially harm others or themselves. We also need to ban assault-style rifles like Bernoulli said, guns like the AR-15 are for killing not hunting. Any step is a good step. I don’t want to wait until the next mass shooting to try and solve this issue. Do you?
INFOGRA
April 2018
The case against gun control BY: SKYLER MATTESON Staff Writer
I wanted to participate in the walkout on March 14th. The end of school shootings and gun violence in general is a dream that we, I hope, can all believe
in and work towards. The reason I didn’t attend is because the walkout would’ve been tied into the gun control movement, and I firmly believe banning semi-automatic weapons and guns in general would be hypocritical, pointless, and detrimental. Most gun control arguments stem around the banning of “only” semi-automatic rifles, and more specifically, the AR-15 (ArmaLite Rifle Model 15). As much as I’d like to ban one weapon and end all gun violence, that would be both wishful thinking and simply not true. The definition of “semi-automatic” is for every trigger pulled, one bullet comes out. By that definition, handguns would be considered semi-automatic, but no one talks about banning handguns. The supporters of gun control don’t like to bite off more than they can chew so to speak. Additionally, it doesn’t make sense that gun control activists would focus on weapons that don’t cause nearly as many deaths as other weapons. INFOGRAPHIC BY BEN SAMPSON
April 2018
Who in the their right mind with a clear conscious can say that 100 deaths individually are less important than 30 deaths in a short period of time simply because of the weapon used? In 2016, according to the FBI, murders with handguns numbered 930 compared to 37 murders using rifles in California. This ratio continued across all states. Where’s the zealotry against handguns? Mass shootings are, simply put, terrible. But according to a USA Today article in 2012 by Meghan Hoyer and Brad Health, mass shootings only accounted for 1% of all gun deaths from 1980 to 2008, so where’s the emotional response for the 99%? They’re people too, and I’m sure their families were just as devastated. Besides, we already had a semi-automatic weapons ban in 1994, inappropriately named the Federal Assault Weapons Ban. In a report by Professor of Criminology at George Mason University Christopher S. Kopher on the 1994 ban, he said that there was “really, very, very little evidence, almost none, that gun violence was becoming any less lethal or any less injurious during this time frame. So on balance, we concluded that the ban had not had a discernible impact on gun crime during the years it was in effect.” In other studies, results have been inconclusive on both sides. In essence, you had your turn, give us ours. As for the NRA, I’m neither with them nor against them, but I will say this. A lot of people like to say they have too much power in the government. I agree, there should definitely be a cap on donations, but in the 2014 Congressional Cycle, according to the Crime Prevention Resource Center, the NRA donated just under a million dollars. To compare, the former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’ foundation spent twenty-eight million dollars in the same cycle (also the Crime Prevention Resource Center). People like to point at other countries as examples or proof that gun bans could
FEATURE
work, most commonly Australia. But this is America, a country that was, in case you didn’t know, created out of the oppressive regime of its mother country. It’s not only part of our culture, especially in rural, small states, its written in our constitution that we have a right to protect ourselves. In contrast, Australia was formed without violence, with the simple movement of a pen across a page, the signing of a bill. Australia’s ban would not work even if it was enacted. Australia offered a buy-back plan for the gun owners, and 1 million of Australia’s estimated 3 million guns were taken away, a 33% turn out. That is doable in a small country of 24 million people. The US has around 326 million, and an estimated 270 to 310 million guns. A country-wide ban enacted by the government would be ineffective, and would give rise to countless black markets. This would harm not only the safety of responsible gun owners, but the economy as well. In an NBC article by Ben Popken, the gun industry accounts for 42.9 billion of US industry. Not only that, but it employs an estimated 263,000 people. Guns are scary. They should be. I would much rather prevent a crime by waving a scary-looking gun at a violent criminal than shoot them down. But I would put more trust in the speed of a bullet than the average 14 minute response time from the Denver police. I believe everyone of 18 years should be able to have a gun. In fact, they should have a gun. The reason being is simple; I believe more people are sane than insane, and those who are sane better have the right to protect themselves. In this time of confusion, because believe me gun control is not an easy problem to solve, I like to look at what our founders wrote and said. In regards to this problem, I chose this from one of the greatest men to ever live, Benjamin Franklin: “Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety”.
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AARTS
& ENTERTAINMENT
Overwatch: A new hero is here NEW GAME CHARACTER: OVERWATCH
BY: ELIZA KING A&E Editor As is custom for Blizzard, last month the company dropped a couple hints on Overwatch’s Twitter before announcing a new hero and immediately adding her to the public test realm. As of March, Brigitte has been added to the game across all platforms. Her reveal trailer showed her tinkering days as the oldest daughter of Torbjörn. With her father and godfather, Reinhardt, both being involved in the fight, the young girl follows in their footsteps and joins in. Blizzard faced controversy when first developing the game in regards to the sexualization of female characters. Bridgette is a new female character specializing in weapons as a skilled mechanical engineer. Before Brigitte’s reveal, game director Jeff Kaplan had described the new character as someone who was “very needed.”
Brigitte is a support character blending offensive and defensive abilities. While specializing in armor work, she throws repair packs to help heal teammates, and her Flail is capable of a wide swing and capable of striking multiple targets. When entering the fray, her Barrier Shield gives personal defense as she attacks enemies with Shield Bash. Brigitte’s ultimate ability, Rally, gives her a short-term boost of speed and provides long-lasting armor to all her nearby allies. As the 27th character to the game, Brigitte is proving to be one that has a lot of potential and a lot of Overwatch fans excited to play.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: With the capability of being a both offensive and defensive player, Brigitte is described as someone who was “very needed” by Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan.
Eight thieves and a lot of money BY: GIOVANNI MACHADO Staff Writer
BINGE-WORTHY: Netflix just released season two of Money Heist. 14
Money Heist, La casa de papel, is the new Netflix success that exploded in the beginning of 2018. The literal translation from Spanish for English of La casa de Papel would be The Paper House; however, the translators decided to name it Money Heist. Based in Madrid, the show tells the story about nine thieves who decide to rob the Mint of Madrid, taking 2.4 billion euros. The whole show is narrated by the character Tokyo, one of the thieves. The first episode starts at a slow pace; however, the director surprises the audience when the thieves invade the Mint. This is one of the highs of the series, the professor had already planned everything, even when it seems that the police are almost getting them, the professor is already one step ahead. The filming directions and the
TV REVIEW: MONEY HEIST soundtrack are simply amazing, and together, give the viewer a great experience. Even though the show is great, there are indeed some plot holes, a few script problems, and just some parts of the story that don’t make much sense. Inspector Raquel Murillo, the leader of the investigation, needs the most work. The biggest problem about Inspector Murillo, is that sometimes she is really strong and makes the right decisions, while other times during the heist, she’s distracted by her love life. Money Heist is definitely a show the audience gets to feel like they’re a part of. If you liked the movie Inside man, or if you like bank robbery movies in general, I would strongly recommend you to watch Money Heist, and if you speak Spanish, you should definitely watch it with the original audio in order to have a greater experience.
April 2018
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The doctor that’s taking America by storm TV REVIEW: THE GOOD DOCTOR
BY: ASHLEY MILLER Staff Writer With a 97% approval rating among Google users, The Good Doctor is taking America by storm. Freddie Highmore, who plays Shaun Murphy, has a particularly tricky role. The challenge is being accurate without being disrespectful. In this show Dr. Murphy, a surgeon with both Autism and Savant syndrome, uses his unique abilities to save lives. Shaun overcomes obstacles and challenges the criticism from the other doctors. Not only is the show centered around a doctor with a disability; the program has also touched sexual harassment, racial biases, and domestic abuse as well as other current issues. The a recent episode stars Sophie Giannamore as a transgender girl. What is special about this casting is guest star Giannamore identifies as a transgender MORE THAN JUST A DOCTOR: This actress in real life. It is unusual that a show takes care of a lot more than just transgender person plays a character who
his patients.
they identify with. In an interview with The New York Post, Highmore said, “I feel a great sense of responsibility to portray Shaun as authentically as possible. I’m aware of the fact that he can’t — nor should we try to make him — represent people who live with autism.” Writer David Shore also faces this challenge. In an interview with TVLine, he explained that his team did extensive research when creating this character. They consulted experts and watched documentaries. Although this is a medical show, it isn’t as gory as shows like Grey’s Anatomy and it has the same amount of heart warming authenticity similar to NBC’s show This Is Us. In my opinion, both Freddie Highmore and David Shore continue to live up to the difficult challenge of making the role both entertaining as well as believable and they continue to do so with every episode.
Bobby Tarantino II: Young Sinatra is back BY: CAMERON BARNARD Editor-in-Chief As Rick Sanchez exclaims on the intro track to Bobby Tarantino II, we are about to listen to the perfect in-between of mixtape and album Logic. Bobby Tarantino II is the follow-up to the 2016 album Bobby Tarantino. Released by Logic on March 5, the album has been met with praise by hardcore rap fans as a return to roots. For those who aren’t familiar with Logic’s past works, since his old Young Sinatra mixtapes, Logic has begun to focus more and more on political and cultural statements, especially with his most recent album Everybody with songs like “Black Spiderman” and “1-800-273-8255” (the suicide hotline). Bobby Tarantino II goes hard. His lyrical flow is back and at the top of his game.
April 2018
Even unorthodox for Logic, there are a few jabs at other rappers in the game. “Indica Badu” is the chilliest, viby-est track on the record. Featuring Wiz Khalifa whose flow is as good as prime Wiz, the song rides with a calm beat and flowing bars. “Midnight” features one of the best beat shifts in any modern rap song, shifting from calm and moody to emotional and energetic. It takes serious self-awareness to list yourself as a song feature, but Young Sinatra is back. “Warm It Up” is the most true to origin Logic song in recent years. When Logic switches to Young Sinatra it’s obvious something is different. His voice gets gravely and his raps get more boastful. For those who listened to
ALBUM REVIEW: LOGIC: Bobby Tarantino II
Bobby Tarantino II serves as a much needed return to form for Logic. There is no “Suicide Hotline” song, there is no “Black Spiderman” ballad, and it’s okay. This is a fun album that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
HE’S BACK: Logic released his newest mixtape on March 5. 15
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
The top five sports movies of all time
BY: WILL ANDERSON Staff Writer
2. ROCKY (1976) You know a movie is legendary when it What makes a great sports movie? It needs comes to represent a whole city, and even to be inspirational, about an underdog has a statue erected in front of the Philaovercoming an issue and brings a lesson delphia Art Museum, the site of one of the out of it. It needs to focus on the actual film’s greatest moments. A film that shows sport, not a movie with some scenes in that anybody can be great, it follows the sports but focuses on a completely diflife of Rocky Balboa, local Philadelphian, ferent issue. It needs to be realistic, and it who fights in the underground for money. needs to have a lasting impression on pop When word comes out that Apollo Creed, culture and history. one of the world’s best boxers, wants to fight a random American citizen, Rocky takes on the challenge. With one of the greatest montages in cinema history, the film builds up to be big fight: Apollo Creed versus “The Italian Stallion,” the people’s hero. The film has everything one could want: action, suspense, love and a great ending. A must-see in my opinion.
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4. 42 (2013) The true story of Jackie Robinson and his emergence into history, 42 follows the events of Jackie’s life from getting into the Major League and breaking the color barrier of baseball forever. Played by Chadwick Boseman, the role shows off so much emotion and brings every struggle of dealing with racism as the only black man in the entire league at that time. There is a scene though with an opposing manager using racial slurs against Jackie, it is an all-around great film and something to any baseball lover would enjoy.
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5 1. REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000) My all-time favorite sports movie, Remember the Titans brings the issue of high school football in 1971 Virginia. Newly appointed head coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is tasked with bringing the school’s football program back to power. Only one problem: the players and town do not approve of the use of black athletes. A film about diversity and what it means to be a team and a family, it touches up on racism after the civil rights movement and the acceptance of black players into high school sports. With outstanding performances by Denzel Washington, Will patton, Ryan Hurst and a young Hayden Panettiere, this film has an ending none will soon forget. The emotion that this film brings is incredible and has moved so many people, including myself.
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3 3. FIELD OF DREAMS (1989) “If you build it, he will come.” Chills. And it is not only the quote, but the whole film that brings goosebumps. Field of Dreams is a 1989 American baseball film. Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) is a farmer from Iowa. When a mysterious voice calls out to Ray, he builds a baseball diamond outside of his house. Afterward, the ghosts of great players start emerging from the crops to play ball, led by “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. But as Ray learns, this field of dreams is about much more than bringing together former great baseball players. The film is an alltime great and something everybody should watch at least once in their lives.
5. THE SANDLOT (1993) When Scottie Smalls (Thomas Guiry) moves to a new neighborhood, he befriends a bunch of kids who play baseball at the “Sandlot.” When Scottie steals one of his dad’s baseballs to use during a game, it is hit over the fence and into a backyard of Mr. Mertle. Only one problem: the ball was signed by “The Sultan of Swat,” “The Great Bambino,” Babe Ruth!! The kids take on the challenge of taking the ball back with contraptions and machines that all ultimately fail. The film, in the end, shows that you should trust a person more than what they appear in your mind.
April 2018
CHSAA Sanctioning three new sports
SPORTS
BY: CHRIS TEKAVEC Staff Writer
CHSAA, The Colorado High School Activities Association, is considering sanctioning 3 new sports, Boys Volleyball, Girls Wrestling, and Unified Bowling. The path to sanctioning begins with getting approval to pilot the sport from CHSAA. Once approval is gained the sport can begin piloting. “It goes for a two year cycle, so they pilot it for two years, then CHSAA will vote on it,” Assistant Athletics Director Mark Goldsberry said. He also mentioned that if a sport makes it to the pilot stage it usually passes and becomes a new official sport. “Them alone getting into the pilot program is huge,” Goldsberry said. Many other states currently sanction volleyball and 7 others are currently considering it along with Colorado. “Boys volleyball is sanctioned in most states, so we’re kind of behind the curve on that,” Goldsberry said.
Some changes are also coming with the pilot seasons. “We will be a creek only team instead of a district team,” Boys Volleyball Coach Mike Degitis said. Girls wrestling is currently sanctioned in six states and three others have indicated an intent to sanction it according to the CHSAA website. As these sports become more popular, schools expect more and more people to go out for them. One of the big parts of becoming a sanctioned sport is the gain in popularity and authenticity. “To get girls wrestling, how awesome is that,” Goldsberry said. According to CHSAA, in the 2017-2018 season girls wrestling was not a sanctioned sport however they were allowed to compete on the school team alongside boys and there were a few girls-only matches. If the legislative council approves the new sports in 2019 Boys volleyball would begin play in 2020 and girls wrestling
would begin play in the winter of 2020-21. Unified bowling has not yet released a timeline for it’s pilot season.
PHOTO BY CHRIS TEKAVEC
PILOT SPORT: Boys volleyball is on track to become official in 2020.
Coach Art Quinn wins TIA Coach of the Year Award BY: CAMERON BARNARD Editor-in-Chief
Head Tennis Coach Art Quinn was awarded the National High School Tennis Coach of the Year award by the Tennis Industry Association. During the Power Week pep-assembly, Quinn walked out to accept the award. “It was a tremendous honor,” Quinn said. “I was excited and happy not for just myself but the team and program and everyone that came before me.” The tennis program itself continues to achieve, winning eight of the last ten 5A state championships. “It’s a marker and an acknowledgement of the program’s achievements at large, and certainly I’d like to think I’ve done my part,” Quinn said. Known for emphasizing success on the court, in the classroom, and everyday life, Quinn wants his players to be good
April 2018
PHOTO BY CAMERON BARNARD
ACE: Coach Quinn received his award during the pep assembly on March 9.
people in every aspect. “Somebody is looking, even if you think they are not,” Quinn said. “Even if no one was looking, in your heart you would know.” Quinn is a Creek alumni and was also on three state championship teams during his time here as a student. Quinn took up the reigns for the varsity team after legendary head coach Kirk Price retired in 2015. In his three years as head coach, Quinn coached two teams to State Championship wins, one in 2015 and another in 2016. Creek lost last season to Fairview in the state tournament by a five-point team score difference. Coach Quinn will continue in his position as head coach of the tennis team for the foreseeable future.
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SPORTS
Girls Lacrosse looks to come out on top this season BY: ANA GEORGE Photo Editor
The Creek girls lacrosse team has been to State the past 4 years and lost, but this year they are hoping that it is going to be different. Head coach Bailey Zerr is confident of this thanks to this year’s seniors. “I think our senior leadership is the best part of the team this year,” Zerr said. “More than anything everyone is really hungry to win it.” Katie Collins, junior midfielder, notices the differences between this season and past seasons. “I think the team dynamic this year is off the charts. We are so much more connected than we have been in the past few years,” Collins said. Senior goalie Meghan Patrick shares her teammate’s confidence in the team this season. “I have so much faith in this team,” Patrick said. “We have so much talent.” Even though the team is changing, senior midfielder Pearl Schwartz cites change for the better.
“This whole team - everyone contributes and everyone is a part of it. That’s a huge difference and I think that really PHOTO BY ANA GEORGE helps make GOALS AND WINS: Senior Pearl Schwartz fires the ball for the us better,” Schwartz goal on March 13 in an 18-3 win against Palmer Ridge. said. For freshman attacker Sophia HashimoThe team also experiences virtually no to, the coaches are unlike any she has had skill level changes despite having a lot of before. new members according to junior mid“I’ve never really had coaches that have fielder Emma White. been so invested and supporting of a “This year we got to pick up right where team,” Hashimoto said. we left off last year,” White said. “ When Three seniors are committed to play we put in new people there is no drop lacrosse in college; including Schwartz at off, we pick up right from where the last University of Colorado at Boulder. whistle was.”
Boys Lacrosse living up to massive expectations BY: BRISON OWENS Sports Editor
The Boys Lacrosse team won the state title last season. Now they are looking for a repeat. At Creek, when it comes to athletics, it may feel like championship or bust in every sport, but especially in lacrosse where the program has enjoyed great success. The team has won 12 State Titles in their history, and are looking for lucky number 13 this year. So far they have gone 5-2 and are ranked sixth in the state. Their only losses came against Regis Jesuit and Mountain Vista. Senior Scott Ransum believes that the team is more than talented and prepared for a playoff push in 2018. “We have multiple people on the championship team last year, but also most people have played in big games before, so I believe we do have the experience,” Ransum said. There are new faces and new talents on
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PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PATRIOT
TEAM WORK: Boys Lacrosse has won 12 state titles, including last year.
the team and they are still getting used to each other and how they play. One new player is Sophomore Dante Orlando who transferred from Valor Christian High School to Creek this year. “It’s been a pretty good transition actually,” Orlando said. “Everyone on the team was extremely welcoming, and we’re off to a very good start.” The only thing in their way is themselves, and possibly their biggest competition, Regis Jesuit High School. “Every team we play is very good and is always looking to push us, but if I were to pick one, probably Regis with all the battles we have against each other, there’s nothing better,” Ransum said. Their next game is against Arapahoe on April 18 at Littleton Public Stadium. They finish the season on May 3 against perennial powerhouse Kent Denver.
April 2018
SPORTS
Girls Soccer gearing up for revenge
BY: GIOVANNI MACHADO Staff Writer
This year’s tryout season for soccer saw Most professional and college soccer season. We are doing good!” Gill said more player cuts than usual. teams do the same thing, but most high “We are really excited the season, and “It is a very difficult and painful process, schools do not, according to Schneider, we expect everyone the come to our and we take it really seriously,” Assisstant putting Creek one step ahead of the adver- games,” Grimm said. Coach David Gamelin said. saries. In previous years Creek was one of Over the last six years, Creek has always “The advantage is the girls have the the favorite teams to win the league as made to the playoffs, and has won one chance to receive video instruction, much well, but they didn’t achieve their goals. league title. This year, the teams is off to like college players do.” Schneider said. “Last season, we were never beat, but a 5-2 start, and the expectations are not Another aspect of a great team is a great we lost on a penalty kick shootout, and different. captain or captains. Juniors Sophie Grimm that was our only loss,” Gamelin said. “Our normal expectation is to make the and Ellie Gill believe that the captain spot “We performed brilliantly and were unplayoffs, and we’d like to go deep,” Head gives them a special kind of responsibility. defeated,” Schneider said. “Unfortunately, Coach Jim Schneider said. “[The other players] look up to you we played an average game in the second To do this, the coaches have to make a little bit more, but it is great to have a round of the playoffs and got eliminated hard decisions. leadership role,” Grimm said. from the tournament.” “We’ve got to make this team the best “It is a little different to, but we are all The team started April with a tough, team possible,” Gamelin said. still the same,” Gill said. last-minute loss against Cherokee Trail, The varsity girls soccer team usually has Even though Grimm and Gill made the but they came back in their next game to players from all grade levels. team as juniors, the cuts were not easy for beat Overland 7-0. There are only four seniors on varsity them.” “For this year we have the same goal as this year. “It was a little stressful because there last season, win the league, and winning “Usually we have about three to five were girls all the time coming to us and state would be fantastic,” Gamelin siad. freshmen that make it to the varsity team saying ‘Are we going to make the team?’ While they clearly want to win, Schneieach year,” Schneider said. because they look up to us, and it was a der and Gamelin also love what they do. This idea of making the team as strong little stressful to us. We felt bad,” Gill said. “Coach Gamelin and I feel really blessed as possible is one of the main factors that Now that the tryout part of the season is to be a part of these girls’ lives, to be able makes Creek one of the top soccer teams over and the players are now focusing on to coach them and spend so much time in the state. the season. with them, and every day is a good day for But sometimes it leads to cuts. “I think that we are going to click this us in coaching these girls,” Schneider said. “We try to create as many spots as possible for kids to play, keeping in mind that we can’t carry teams of 25 players, and we can’t have enough playing time for such a big team,” Schneider said. “We’ve had a couple of years that we had no cuts, and we’ve had years that we’ve had three to four cuts, and this year we had six, which hasn’t happen for a very long time,” Schneider said. In order to make Creek the best team possible, Schneider has also implemented other tactics that not all schools do. “We record the games so we can evaluate how individual players and groupings of players are performing,” he said. “After every game Coach PHOTO BY GIOVANNI MACHADO Gamelin and I select 5-6 film clips we PUTTING THE PRESSURE ON: Freshman forward Abbi Copp pushes the ball up feel will provide valuable feedback for field against Boulder on March 14 as Coach Schneider looks on. the girls.”
April 2018
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SPORTS
PHOTO BY MIKE RAGNOW
FOCUS ON THE MOUND: Senior utility player Tyler Schultz stares down to the catcher as he waits for the sign.
Creek baseball working hard to make playoff run BY: MICHAEL RAGNOW Staff Writer
With eight state championships under their belt, and thirty pro players produced, it is undeniable that the Cherry Creek baseball team has developed into a solid, dominant sports team. Led by Head Coach Marc Johnson, Cherry Creek is off to a strong start this season with a 8-3 record. Building such a successful sports program starts months before the first pitch is thrown in Spring. “We’re playing baseball all summer to prepare for the spring,” Josh Weissberg, head coach of the sophomore team said. “We’re also working with players during the off season as far as in the weight rooms, at winter workouts”. “We are hitting a lot of cage work, a lot of hitting in the cages, and a lot of throwing off the mound for pitchers. It’s a lot of drills and a lot of swing mechanics.” All of this preparation comes to a head during tryout season. Tryouts are “a full week long of evaluations on arm strength, hitting ability, swing mechanics, throwing
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mechanics and a lot of scrimmaging live scrimmaging to see them play in live situations,” Weissberg said. A number of factors, from hitting contact to baseball knowledge to player character, are taken into account. “We always try to consider all aspects of a player before making a decision and we always try to do what’s best for not only the player but the program,” Weissberg said. Veterans of the Varsity team, like senior Tanner O’Tremba, expect the most out of the team, “I think this team knows that at any point a team in baseball could come out and beat another team on any given day. We know that everyday we are going to see the other team’s best so we never take anyone lightly knowing we have that target.” This mentality is mirrored in the team’s attitude on their Spring break tip to Arizona this year. “The purpose when you go on a trip like that is to develop and as baseball players
we take our jobs seriously,” Sophomore Jack Moss said. “It enhances chemistry and ability when as a program you take a week to focus on baseball only. Everyone embraces it. It’s a grind and a process that we all buy into to give us the best shot at success” Creek’s baseball strategy is to “take each game one at a time but to ultimately win a state championship together,” according to O’Tremba. Teamwork is heavily emphasized throughout the program. “We love each other like brothers and embrace the target of being Cherry Creek baseball players together,” Moss said. O’Tremba knows how important leadership is to varsity baseball.“Being on varsity for four years I definitely feel like a leader,” O’Tremba said, “but I know that everyone on the team needs to be like a leader to win. I just do what I can to help my team to win.” The Bruins won a dramatic, come-frombehind game against Mullen on April 10. They play Grandview at home on April 21.
April 2018
OPINIONS
Living with a working mom BY: CAMERON BARNARD Editor-In-Chief
As a kid, I didn’t know about sexism or gender inequality. People were people, and everything was
normal. My family was unusual, my mom worked while my dad stayed home and took care of me and later my brother. Who was I to know that they were out of the ordinary? As a guy, having my father home all the time was awesome. We talked and watched sports. I had a role model that played golf and skied during the day and was a father at night. Kid-me thought that was the best life; I even would say my dream job was to be a stay-at-home father. But what I didn’t appreciate enough was that my mom was on the verge of history. According to the U.S. Department
BOSS MOM: Guess which person my mom is at this business dinner? Until I grew up, I didn’t realize that it was so unusual to have a woman in business, let alone function as the family breadwinner.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON BARNARD
DAD TIME: My dad always took me out to do things during the day while my mom worked. April 2018
PHOTO COURTESY OF CAMERON BARNARD
of Labor, only 11 percent of households with children under 18 had mothers as the primary earner in 1960. Today, that number has risen to 40 percent. My mom was part of that growth of women leading the family workload. Though, there was an unseen effect of these trailblazers’ legacies. She was always the smartest person in my family, the one up late at night helping me do my math homework. I never questioned the intelligence of women because I learned from one. I grew up having a dad able to teach me how to be a dude, but I equally had a mom teaching me how to succeed. I didn’t question a woman’s chance at success any less than mine because one taught me. Today large numbers of women are on the path to success with 34 percent of women getting bachelor’s degrees compared to only 26 percent of men according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
We are now seeing female presidential candidates with Hillary Clinton. According to NPR, one in two workers is a woman compared to one in three in 1972. All the effort and progress that the women of today make, sets the future through the minds of their children that look up to them. People growing up today with moms that are breadwinners will grow up without the mindset of gender discrimination. If women teach and lead us, then why will we ever question them? There are still sexist old men in influential positions today, but as they retire and leave, men and women like me will fill their position. Generation by generation, sexism will die and fade away. All it takes is an influential role model of a mom. So thank you, Mom, for raising me to never question the ability of somone based on gender.
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OPINIONS
Desensitization: seeping into our culture BY: ELIZA KING A&E Editor
Have we, as people, real change in how violence is distributed once again forget about the event. become so accusand received. We’ve become less affected by senseless tomed to violence Most will accept a few small changes as violence, less shocked. Unless directly and death that we enough. hurt, most people aren’t affected. Because now are desensitized A little more money spent on mental we choose to believe it’s not our reality. to it? illness, a little tweak in laws revolving We always recognize that lives are lost. As events like the Las Vegas ambush and around background checks for buying We empathize with the families affected. the Parkland High School shooting occur, guns, adding a few more automatic locking We then move on. I’m perplexed and dismayed at how many doors in schools. So what do we do to make sure we still of us have become desensitized to this Once we’ve set our minds on what’s feel something? violence. ‘helpful’, we can just change the channel We choose to stop accepting the vioIn short, we live in a society in which and go on with our lives. lence that plagues our country, our state, people going on killing sprees now means Our response when violence strikes our homes... and we understand that it’s little or nothing to us. has eroded over time. Our emotions have our personal responsibility to see that our At best, we might make a few shallow numbed towards violent occurrences. We society once again becomes humane. changes due to an event, but we continue might say “it’s horrible,” but within time we to fail to take a closer look at how the society has hardened itself to such slaughter and refused to even ponder how deeper changes are necessary. I believe much of our desensitization has transpired due to us being surrounded by the brutal images pushed on us. How many times have we seen and heard automatic weaponry going off on our TV? How many kids are taking pleasure murdering others in video games? How many times have we been provided with news on things other than tragedies? We may see this all as normal, but this bloodsoaked imagery has seeped deeply into our culture. Because many of us have been forced on this “media diet,” in which brutal and gratuitous violence is the norm, naturally we will tolART BY ELIZA KING & SUSAN ZENG erate high levels of it in our BLINDED BY A BARRAGE: We have become so used to the constant bombardment of society. Although most of us awful images , that we can no longer see with the brutality that surround us. will not insist on any sort of
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April 2018
OPINIONS
Letters To The Editor RE: “Not Our Type? Creek Struggles to Donate Blood” (March, 2018)
RE: “The other Asians: Not all of us are Chinese” (March, 2018)
RE: “What it’s like to be in Pit Orchestra” (March, 2018)
In the last edition of The Union St. Journal Mike Ragnow refers to Creek’s inability to donate blood even though we have the largest student population in Colorado. It is a sad sight to see Creek struggle to help our community. We raised $25,000 for Power Week, but Chaparral High School in Parker raised over $80,000 dollars for their week, even though Creek has about 1,000 more students. We need to Creek to get more involved in our community whether it be through blood drives or fundraising, something needs to change.
As an Asian reading this article. I cannot stress the importance of not assuming everyone who looks Asian are Chinese. I’ve experienced the same reaction when people ask me where I am from because they are surprised I’m not Chinese also because they have never heard of my country. Some people take it too far when they first infer what nationality I am, they say “are you Asian or Chinese?” Such statement is not only insulting to me but it also ridicules the person who said it. I believe Westerners should learn their geography and educate themselves on what they view as “Asian”.
This is year, I had the privilege of participating as a violinist in the pit orchestra. Before auditions, I was hesitant whether I should try out or not because of all the time commitments. Although it took a lot of practicing for us to perfect our parts, I personally really enjoyed becoming closer to other orchestra members, and Mr. Libby was constantly cracking jokes. A week before and the week of the show are very difficult weeks, with long rehearsals, and 6 shows in total. However, it was totally worth it to be a part of something this amazing, even if it meant having the songs from the musical stuck in my head for more than 2 weeks after the musical was over.
-Adam Honig Frand, Junior
-Khuslen Gantumur, Junior
-Hannah Jung, Junior
Staff Editorial: Social media privacy Everyone from your best friend to your grandma has a Facebook. According to Facebook, there were 2.13 billion active users in Q4 2017. With the world population currently 7.3 billion, that means almost 2/7 of the world uses Facebook. Due to its large user base, Facebook has now become the next political battlefront with Russian propaganda, fake accounts, and data mining. Recently Facebook was caught allowing Cambridge Analytica to harvest 87 million users’ data. Cambridge Analytica had helped get President Donald Trump elected in November 2016. Within the same year, reports have arisen showing the mass amount of Russian bots and propagandist posts during that same election. Now we face a time where people must be wary of what information they put into
April 2018
and get out of their social media. To combat these current issues, people should check their privacy settings and be more selective in what they share. Your social media page is not a private folder of photos, but one that other individuals and organizations will view. Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, has been seen with tape over his laptop’s camera, alluding to his distrust in technology and its violation of privacy. He also recently stated that he was affected by the Cambridge Analytica data mining during his second day of testimony. During his testimony to Congress, Zuckerberg said that changing the default privacy settings would be “complex.” Facebook abuses its user base by exploiting that exact default privacy settings to gather unknowledgeable user’s data. Usually scammers The same can be said for the many terms
of service agreements to which we blindly click “accept.” Cambridge Analytica’s Facebook survey application stated in the terms of service that it would collect data on users and their friends. We need to be more aware of what we are accepting rather than letting these corporations manipulate us. Being aware should also be true for any other social media platform, whether it is Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, etc. Social media has reached a point where it transcends moneymaking and can now be used to garner influence and power. While industry regulation may or may not be “inevitable’ like Zuckerberg says, the people using it need to be more cognizant of what they enter into these sites. In an age where our president constantly tweets his thoughts, there is no way to avoid social media. Instead, we must learn how to use it smartly and safely.
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WHO is creek?
Everyone has a unique story.
Emmett Miller Senior
“I can do a Rubik’s Cube blindfolded... I’ve actually owned two businesses. I own one - it’s called Connect Social Media Marketing. That’s just what I do in my free time.”
photo and interview by Gracie Lordi and Ana George
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