March 2024 USJ

Journal The Union St.

‘Most Victims Want to Stay Quiet and Hidden Away’ Two Creek Students Shine Light on Sexual Assault Cherry Creek High School 9300 E. Union Ave. Greenwood Village, CO 80111

Vol. 9 Issue 3 March 2024

Table of Contents

4

Sports

14

7

A&E

7 - The Power of Shared Experience: Why Students Self Segregate 8 - The Legacy of Mazen-Glish: 21 Years At Creek

17 - The Other Oscars 18 - The Rise of Femininity in Male Fashion

17

In-Depth

Opinions

20

News

4 - District Mandates Algebra 1 Curriculum 5 - Gen-Z Advocates in the Israel-Hamas War 6 - Creek Looks to 2024 Election

Features

10 - ‘You Never Really Heal From Something Like That’ Two Creek Students Shine Light on Sexual Assault

10

14 - Hayden Treter’s Path to USC 15 - Colorado Hockey Ranks Nationally 16 - Jake Howell “Makes Wrestling a Lot More Fun”

20 - Stop Telling Men They Can’t Cry 22 - Influencers Lead Consumers Astray 23 - Staff-Ed: Building Renovations We Really Need

On The Cover

An anonymous female student poses behind a bright spotlight, which conceals her face. The spotlight is symbolic of what many sexual assault survivors experience: the choice between sharing their story, or staying silent.

“As far as my own experience and others, a lot of the time you want to stay anonymous and we want to keep the other person anonymous,” junior Giselle Yokomichi said. “You don’t want to be reminded of it. I feel like most victims want to stay quiet and hidden away.”

Yokomichi dives into her recovery process, as well as her opinion on Creek’s assault policy. Following that, an anonymous source explains her assault, and how it changed her.

“I think for a while, I just blamed myself and I just really didn’t like myself. I just felt violated, I felt very raw,” she said.

Hear both of their stories beginning on page 10.

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

Staff Editor-in-Chief Alex Gribb

MR. CREEK: Seniors Brian Bowler (left) and Charlie Leonard (right) pose during a group dance performance for Mr. Creek, a popular event held during Power Week on Feb. 15. Senior Amro Ahmed won the competition.

PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK

Letter from the Editor

This issue is two years in the making. Originally, I sought out to portray a story much like the one you will read. But due to unforeseen circumstances, we were unable to. Now, I was able to speak with two amazing women: one anonymous, one not. These students went through the unimaginable, but there is such an extreme power in hearing their views on school support, mandatory reporters, and their own assaults. Their voices remain as unedited as possible to preserve what they went through, and I hope every reader finds it within themselves to truly listen to what they have to say. This article contains graphic recounts of sexual

assault, and readers who are sensitive to such topics are advised to proceed with caution. I am incredibly grateful and humbled to have been able to talk to two such incredible, strong, and resilient women.

Our Staff-Ed addresses another long overdue topic: Rebuilding the school. Rather than tackling a budget of 500 million dollars, the Editorial Staff compiled a list of easier fixes that would make student life all the better.

And finally, on our back cover, we highlighted the girls’ basketball team who had an incredible season. These women are fantastic, and were capable of persevering through a strenuous and tumultuous season.

I would like to thank my friends both in journalism class and further away. You all mean the world to me, and I wouldn’t be able to do half as well without you.

-Editor-in-Chief Alex Gribb

Junior Editor-in-Chief & Sports Editor Quinn Rudnick Managing Editor & Asst. News Editor Peter Philpott A&E Editor & Design Manager Katya Roudakov News Editor Amanda Castillo-Lopez Features Editors Jude Gorden Opinions Editor Izzy Krauss

Asst. A&E Editor Nick BeDan Asst. Features Editor Anaiah Shahrukh Asst. Opinions Editor Sophia Hady Chief Photographer Wryn Duepre Asst. Photographer Briana Flores Chief Artist Angela Xu Business Manager Gillian Neale

Asst. Video Editor Jonathan Lee

Staff Writers Jayna Baker Madalyn Hoop Serenity Hurtado Alisa Kovaleva Rue Minar Mae Murphey Lina Rakhmanova Kellen Ringland Ava Segale

Asst. Sports Editor Andrei Machado

Advisor Seth Fine

Video Editor Nour Kreishan Asst. Managing Editor Aram Bazarian

Purpose:

The Union St. Journal is the official online and print news source for Cherry Creek High School. We are a student-run publication distributed to the students, faculty, and staff of Creek, and serve as an information source and two-way communication forum for both the school and community. We welcome guest opinion writers. Content does not necessarily represent the views of Cherry Creek High School or the Cherry Creek School District. Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the overall views of The Union St. Journal, CCHS, or CCSD. Letters to the editor are accepted and can be submitted via email to usj.editorinchief@gmail.com Letters may be edited for clarity.

CCSD Mandates New Algebra 1 Curriculum

BY AMANDA CASTILLO-LOPEZ

A

News Editor

news

lgebra 1 is changing at Creek. Next year, high schools in the Cherry Creek School District (CCSD) will have to use a new Algebra 1 curriculum written by Open Up Resources (OUR), a non-profit organization with the goal of creating accessible, problem-based curriculum. Creek math teachers were notified of this change in Dec. 2023.

“It’s a lot of changes at once and it’s going to be ongoing for the next few years,” Department Coordinator Johanna Lewis said.

According to CCSD K-12 Mathematic Performance Improvement Partner Amber Gardner, the district decided to implement the OUR curriculum due to recent advancements in the field of neuroscience.

“We have a better understanding of how students construct mathematical knowledge,” Gardner said. “Historically, a lot of the things that we have done in math classrooms are counter to how the brain naturally learns mathematics.”

This new curriculum offers more hands-on activities and less daily homework than Creek teachers usually assign.

The program aims to make the math classroom more engaging and discussion-based, yet Lewis worries that some of the activities and review will leave less time for students to reach mastery of the material.

“I’m just concerned about what they

come away with knowing [and] what math classes, Lewis believes that it’s liketheir understanding is,” Lewis said. “You ly that teachers will have to supplement know how important algebra is when the OUR material. Lewis anticipates that you get to calculus and beyond.” next year, Algebra 1 students will receive Next year, Algebra 1 teachers will a combination of OUR and teacher-cuhave to follow the OUR pacing guide rated curriculum. which requires all Algebra 1 classes in “Creek will still have all our workthe district to take a test on chapter ma- books … we still will design a lot beterial in a two week window. Students cause that’s just who we are,” Lewis said. will have to take the same tests, regard- “We know what the kids need to do less of whether they are taking the CP or well in Calculus, Stats, or whatever class Accelerated class at Creek. they’re taking.”

According to CCSD Executive DiCP Algebra 1 teacher Christopher rector of Curriculum and Instruction Stirrup is willing to adapt to the changes Dominique Jones, this pacing is de- coming next year. signed to give all “It might be students access to a very successful every Algebra 1 thing, but…it’s concept. new, so we don’t “It’s a lot of changes at “[The OUR packnow,” Stirrup once and it’s going to be ing] is not about said. “It’s very ongoing for the next few being locked in and possible those rigid,” Jones said. kids are going to years.”

“Ultimately, it’s stumble and I’m about making sure going to stumble Math Department that every single and any teacher Coordinator kid that’s in Algeis going to stumbra 1 has the entire ble. That’s part of Johanna Lewis breadth of that conlearning.” tent.”

Math teachers OUR offers will attend disa curriculum for each of three high trict training over the school year, and school-level math classes: Algebra 1, over the summer, they’ll work on creatGeometry, and Algebra 2. Next year, ing a combined OUR and teacher-curathigh schools only have to teach Algebra ed curriculum.

1 using OUR, but middle schools will “We’re gonna have to figure out have to use the program for classes up to [where we] need to add some of our Geometry. According to Lewis, there is a own stuff to make sure that kids learn, possibility that high schools will have to because our ultimate goal is to make adopt OUR in higher level math classes sure that the kids learn what they need as well in the coming years. for future classes,” Principal Ryan Silva To prepare students for higher level said.

Current Model for Modifying Math Curriculum

Implementing OUR could affect math teachers’ involvement in creating and modifying curriculum.

About 30 years ago, math teachers at Creek started writing their own workbooks to complement the content in the textbooks they used, making the material more digestible for students and emphasizing key topics.

Every week, the teachers that teach the same class get together to modify their math workbooks for the following year according to the changing needs of students.

Often, this is based on the Learning

Workbooks guide students’ note-taking, provide practice problems, and in some classes, include homework questions as well.

Objectives of AP classes students will have to take in the future.

INFOGRAPHIC BY AMANDA CASTILLO-LOPEZ

4 | News

Gen-Z Shares Fervent Advocacy in the Israel-Hamas War

BY PETER PHILPOTT

S

Managing Editor & Asst. News Editor

enior Ben Ginsberg-Margo has lost two cousins in the Israel-Hamas War, one soldier and one reservist of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). He remembered

learning about the Hamas attacks through a missile alert app called Tzofar on Oct. 7, when the Palestinian Hamas terrorist group struck Israel.

“Basically every single place in Israel was hit,” Ginsberg-Margo said. “I had no idea what was going on.”

Israel formally declared a state of war the next morning. The fighting has been ongoing since.

1,139 Israelis and 30,365 Palestinians (as of Feb. 28) over the course of the war have died.

Sophomore Camila Parsons, whose name has been changed for her safety, is a Muslim Libyan, who has been adjacent to the Israel-Palestine history her whole life. “I’m not in the fire but I’m standing right next to it,” Parsons said.

Young people have been at the forefront of this war, and they have primarily sided with Palestine. A January poll from YouGov showed a large difference between age groups. 30% percent of 18-19 year olds said they sympathized more with Palestine, compared with only 13% of those 45 and older who feel the same. But 47% over total respondents said they were about equal between Palestine and Israel, or they weren’t sure.

Those young advocates have brought the political fight back to the U.S., with Protests at the Denver Capitol being frequent since the attack. One movement, “Shut It Down for Palestine,” has organized many of these.

“We’re watching a genocide be committed… all with American funding,” Denver School of the Arts senior Skye said at a Nov. 9 “Shut it Down For Palestine” rally. “As an American citizen, I can’t stay silent.” Protesters like her are told by organizers to not give away full names.

Skye was one of the first speakers at the protest.

She led chants and criticized legislators for supporting Israel. Gen-Z, high school-age Americans like her, are one side of a sharp ideological divide between ages in the US. Senior Isaac O’Connor, whose name has been changed for his safety, said that the conflict at the high school level makes it difficult for him to speak out for Israel. Parsons said the same, but from her pro-Palestine perspective.

O’Connor, Ginsberg-Margo, and Parsons all agreed on one thing: social media was the driving

factor in the disconnect between generations.

Sophomore Ayushi Sah has advocated as well, often using Instagram.

“The things that are going on in Palestine are just horrendous,” Sah said.

“The number of Palestinians displaced since Oct. 7 are increasing day by day.”

She believes the significant age gap was due to the fundamental educational ideas of older generations.

“Their history books have been sugar coated,” she said. “Whereas today’s generation has social media. They have more access to other people’s opinions.”

O’Connor believes that adults support Israel more for the opposite reason: they know more about the history of the conflict.

“They understood what was going on in 1948, when Israel was established by all these nations [for Holocaust survivors],” he said.

Ginsb erg-Margo says many opinions are uninformed in the age of Instagram and TikTok. “They say, ‘we’re defending ourselves against terrorists that justifies everything that we do,’ or ‘we’ve been oppressed for a long time that justifies anything that we do,’” he said. “I don’t think the majority of people on either side have a nuanced opinion.”

For the minority of Gen-Z that supports Israel, Ginsberg-Margo said it’s difficult to support all of the IDF’s actions. “There aren’t PHOTOS BY QUINN RUDNICK & PETER PHILPOTT good sides to war,” he said. “I’m not going to defend GEN-Z FOR GAZA: Pro-Palestine everything that the Israeli government does, but I protesters at a Nov. 9 “Shut it do think that what is happening right now in Gaza Down For Palestine” rally raise is a direct effect of Hamas.” signs and shout chants. Polls According to Al Jazeera, pro-Palestine social have shown more young people media is being censored by some media networks, support Palestine than Israel, like Denver School of the Arts senior and pro-Israel endorsement is taking a downturn Skye (third photo down). She was in popularity. Despite Gen-Z’s efforts, even with a speaker at the protest. heavy waves of online advocacy, support for either side of the war not might be working to full success.

March 2024

Creek Looks to 2024 Presidential Election Who would you vote for in 2024?

SOURCE: 270 TO WIN AS OF FEB. 6

“I’d vote for Biden because he is the least problematic candidate running. I want [Kamala Harris] to take over for him.

I believe she’d make wise decisions for the country.”

-Sophomore Ingrid Carlson “If I had to choose a candidate then that would be Trump because he does really care about his people and does end up making better decisions not only for the USA but also for a better international connection.”

Democratic Safe Republican Safe Democratic Lean Republican Lean Too Close To Call

-Junior Safia Subir “Nikki [Haley] because we need more women representation in politics.”

-Sophomore Devyn Michelson

“None because all the candidates are either extremely old or have extremely problematic policies.”

-Sophomore Chloe Morris CREATIVE COMMONS INFOGRAPHICS BY PETER PHILPOTT INTERVIEWS BY PETER PHILPOTT, ALISA KOVALEVA, & MAE MURPHEY

POLL OF 115 PEOPLE IN THE CREEK INSTAGRAM COMMUNITY

Senior Voters Offer Opinions on Their First Ballot Why are you voting in the election this November?

PHOTOS BY PETER PHILPOTT

“If my vote could change everything and if it could help, I’m obviously going to do it.”

-Sara Klapperich 6 | News

“Everyone should have a say no matter their opinion, I think voting...helps people think for themselves.”

-Lina Schroeder

“We live in a democracy and we use the power of said democracy to influence our government.”

-Oliver Burkholder

“Some things from other sides could work out... different political parties might put in a new law that might help you.”

-Ben Mendenhall

features

The Power of Shared Experience: Why Students Self-Segregate

BY ANGELA XU

E

Chief Artist

very cheesy high school movie starts the same. An overwhelmed shy girl is shown the school cafeteria via a map handed down by newfound friends.

Jocks in one corner, nerds in another, and the popular cheerleaders all on their own. Although humorous and oddly dystopian, this perspective has a real life basis.

Students at Creek can be seen grouped up everywhere, but instead of the stereotypical football fanatics, it’s by race. Teenagers can be seen gathered around and making friends with people that they physically relate to, in and out of school. It’s a subconscious decision we make because we’re psychologically drawn to people that are similar to us.

“Me and my friends have a lot of shared experience, from our culture, to home lives, to experiences in general,” junior Angie Wang said. “We get along well because of it, and we have a lot to talk about with each other.”

This concept, people being

drawn to others who are similar to them“I became friends with most of that third selves, is called homophily. It played a big role [of Hispanic friends] while I was living in in early history when people were focused on Miami because of the demographic,” junior increasing the chances of surviving. By form- Valentina Lazardo-Bracho said. “With the ing communities, people could eliminate any few Hispanic people I’ve become friends with chance of outsiders infiltrating their home. here, it’s been mostly due to similar culture.”

This type of behavior remains within ourSince survival isn’t as difficult as it used selves and has continued in our society. to be, people tend to group up more out of “Probably a good 70% of my friends share a sense of security and familiarity than anymy race,” junior Elliot McGrath-Imbert thing else. With Creek being a predominantly said. “Out of my closest white school, with 64% of friends, I would still say students being white, stumost of them are my own dents of color instinctive“Me and my friends have ly reach out and connect race.”

According to a surwith people most similar a lot of shared experivey done by the Nationto them. ence, from our culture, al Longitudinal Study of “If I had to describe [my to home lives, to experiAdolescent Health focusCreek experience] in one ing on middle and high word, it would be lonely,” ences in general. schools, the average odds Luzardo-Bracho said. “I of teens listing friends feel that our cultures difJunior Angie Wang of the same race is two fer a lot in how open we times more likely than are with each other, which the odds of them listing is why when I first moved friends of a different race. here, I had a hard time making friends.”

“I accept that being a non-white person In the beginning, most minority students in America will mean being surrounded felt left out or alienated from the rest of the by white people that I’ll struggle to identify student body. The majority wasn’t where they with,” Wang said. “I’m thankful that Creek is fit in, so they form their own little groups and more diverse compared to other schools I’ve find familiarity and comfort with each other been in.” so that the feeling of loneliness becomes one With Creek’s student population of about of indifference.

4,000 kids, students tend to group up togethAs people continue to seek out those most er according to their physical appearance, re- similar to them, societal segregation can resulting in voluntary social segregation around main. For some students, grouping with othschool. That doesn’t mean diversity doesn’t ers of their same race is a way to find commuexist within social clusters, but there is an nity and people to connect with. apparent pattern.

“Finding those who share experience with you gives a sense of closeness and comfort and brings people together,” Wang said.

GROUPS OF COMFORT: Students often group up through shared experiences and interests, often resulting in gatherings of the same race or ethnicity.

March 2024

The Legacy of Mazen-glish: 21 Years at Creek

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

WHAT DO CREEK STAFF AND STUDENTS THINK OF MAZENKO? 8 | Features

"Mr. Mazenko is not merely a mentor. He brings joy and inspiration in our lives."

Sophomore Natalia Byler

“Mr. Mazenko will continue impacting generations of Creek students.”

Social Studies Teacher PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK Eric Gallagher

BY SERENITY HURTADO

W

Staff Writer

hen Michael Mazenko started teaching English 31 years ago, the top charting song was “Whoomp (There It Is)” by Tag Team. The NBA champion was the Chicago Bulls led by Michael Jordan. The NFL champion was the Dallas Cowboys led by quarterback Troy Aikman. Now, after a career of classroom teaching, admin work, guest writing, and mentoring students, he plans to retire at the end of this school year.

“It’s definitely melancholy, but I also know it’s time to move on. It’s time for me to go to the next place on my journey,” Mazenko said.

Mazenko has filled many roles in his time at Creek, and his impact has spread far beyond his English classes.

As an administrator for eight years, he helped with planning events like speaker assemblies and hosting the talent show.

“Working with Dr. Keogh on graduation for eight years was just one of the true joys of my experience here because our graduation is so special. I loved working with the performers,” Mazenko said.

Last year, Mazenko started looking into writing fellowships, where he could write a book and teach a few classes at a university. When that didn’t work out, he THE END OF AN ERA: Creek teacher Michael Mazenko came to Creek 21 years ago. He’s leaving this year after a career of teaching English, mentoring students, and working as an administrator.

“Mr. Mazenko not only made me a better reader but also made me rethink how and why I read.”

Sophomore Brennan Brown

made the decision to teach English for one This unique approach had an impact on final year at Creek.

Creek Social Studies teacher Erick Galla“I’m actually really glad, ironically, that I gher too. In the early 2000s, Gallagher sat didn’t get those fellowships last year because down in Mazenko’s AP English Language I love my classes this year,” Mazenko said. class not knowing that Mazenko would Once his kids had moved to the East write a college letter of recommendation for Coast for college, he and his wife decided him, and certainly not expecting to teach that it was time to move on to the next ad- alongside him one day. venture. “[Mazenko] challenged me to be a better “Right out of college, [my wife and I] version of myself and gave me a lot of relived abroad for five years. We graduated spect for teachers for the impact they have,” college and taught English in Southeast Gallagher said. “[He] forced me out of my Asia and we’ve thought about maybe doing comfort zone and to be excited to do Enit again.” Mazenko said. “Now that we’re in glish.” our 50s, it’s kind of like our 20s.”

Teachers and administrators will also Mazenko’s high school experience dif- have to adjust to the loss of Mazenko. fered from the average Creek student’s.

“His knowledge [and] his passion [are] “I went to Cathogoing to be missed here, lic school. It was very but I’m so excited for strict, [and] there him, to be pursuing his “Be willing to be vulwasn’t a lot of emopassion and doing what nerable with the kids. tional connection.” he wants to do for himBe a human being to Mazenko said. “[You self,” Assistant Principal the kids.” have to] be willing to Jessica Robinson said. be vulnerable with the Mazenko’s departure kids [and] be a human is bound to be emotionEnglish Teacher being to the kids.” al for some students and Michael Mazenko As a part-time staff. As a result of the journalist writing lasting impact Mazenko pieces for the Villager, has on their lives and the 303 magazine, and the Denver Post, Mazen- school, they will have to transition from seeko has taken his passion for writing outside ing him in the hallways and classroom five of Creek classrooms. This has affected his days a week, 36 weeks a year, to not at all. teaching dynamic by allowing Mazenko to “I have already felt so empty without use his own passion for writing in his class- him. He brings something so special to the room lessons. table,” Junior Giselle Yokomichi said. “[My past student said] I teach MazenAnd as these students continue on, losing ko’s version of English, and she called it Ma- Mazenko as a part of their support system, zen-glish.” Mazenko said. things like senior year stress can feel worse.

Mazenko made it a priority to bring real “[It’s] heartbreaking to not have him selife into the classroom in his lessons, using nior year, as a mentor and someone to look personal anecdotes and props. up to,” Lukasch said.

“It was refreshing to learn For Mazenko it is bittersweet leaving literature through the form Creek: his kids grew up on this campus and of art. He once used a prop in Creek has been a huge part of his family life. his lesson making it more en“I can remember coming my first year, gaging, and it made me more my son was two years old, and my wife and excited to learn.” Sophomore I were holding his hand and walking into Natalia Byler said. these hallways,” Mazenko said.

Many students even considCreek has been a monumental part of er Mazenko to be their mentor, Mazenko’s life, so naturally, moving on is coming to see him during their going to be a huge shift for him. However, free time for advice and just to he remains confident that his memories simply talk. and experiences at Creek will stay with him “He’s such a deep person,” wherever life leads next. junior Payton Lukasch said. “I “I know that wherever I go, I’ll always be have learned so much about a Bruin. And I’ll always take a little piece of him and life and more about Cherry Creek High School with me.” Mamyself.” zenko said.

March 2024

‘You Never Really Heal From Something Like That’ Two Creek Students Shine Light on Sexual Assault

BY ALEX GRIBB Editor-in-Chief

Trigger Warning: the following article contains graphic content depicting sexual assault

‘Victims are scared to share...We need to have way more discussions about sexual assault.’

-Junior Giselle Yokomichi Why didn’t you choose to be anonymous? I think it’s important that I don’t stay anonymous, so that Creek can see [that] one of the Bruin Consent Coalition (BCC) board members has experienced this and is shining light on the experience.

What’s your opinion on mandatory reporters? As far as my own experience and others, a lot of the time you want to stay anonymous and we want to keep the other person anonymous.

10 | In-Depth

It’s a hard experience to go through that. You don’t want to be reminded of it. You don’t want to make it something huge and big and give all the attention to you. I feel like most victims want to stay quiet and hidden away. So then when a teacher does hear something, it’s really scary.

I think it’s great in the sense that the teachers are trying to help and trying to protect, but I feel like your boundaries are kind of hurt.

How did your assault make you feel? My experience was different than a lot of other victims. It wasn’t [as] physical [as other assaults]. I think the worst part about it was that a lot of people didn’t believe me. So then when this experience happened to me, everyone was just kind of like, ‘did it really [happen]’ and that was something so hard to go through.

March 2024 January 2024

What did that lack of belief, especially red flags to me. from your friends, do to you?

Do you feel like there’s a lack of supIt felt like my story wasn’t import- port for victims? I think sexual assault ant [in comparison] to other people’s. is something hard to talk about. Again So then it feels like, ‘I feel bad about especially because jokes are so normalthis now, but other people have gone ized now that when you talk about your through worse. So my story isn’t signifi- own experience, it becomes uncomcant. And what happened to me isn’t as fortable when it becomes too serious bad as what’s happened to other peo- to have a discussion. I know a lot of ple.’ It just made me feel insignificant my friends don’t know what happened and small and unheard. to me and I’m fine with that, because Have you had an experiI don’t feel comence with slut shaming? fortable talking to I think the worst Slut shaming has become my friends about more of comedy than [it] it. It’s almost easpart about it was is actually calling someone ier to tell people that a lot of people out for what they’re wearI don’t know as didn’t believe me. ing or what they look like well so they don’t or the activities they do, really change which is equally as bad. I their perception dress more modestly, but of me. Whereas if I’ve heard things that guys I tell someone I’m say about girls and what they’re wear- really close to it’s harder to [think] ‘they ing or what girls say about what a guy think of me differently or they want to looks like, and it’s so gross. protect me.’ But I think peer-to-peer After your assault, did it add another wise, there needs to be more support at layer onto slut shaming for you?

Creek. I think BCC is obviously a great I don’t want to call them rape jokes, way to have student-to- student interacmaybe like sexually provocative jokes. tion.

Those became a lot more serious and I Back to your own personal story. How correct my friends when I can because did you recover? My own personal exI support an end to all sexual [assault] perience happened around this time and consentless actions. Those are now last year. I try not to put a date on it just

so I’m [not] like, this is the three month [anniversary]. But time was a big part.

It took me a long time. It took a lot of different relationships. I lost relationships from the experience, I gained relationships. You never really heal from something like that. I think time is the biggest part but also support. Once I made new connections and I felt more comfortable talking about it, [it] helped me a lot because then you’re not the only one going through it.

Do you think Creek has a sexual assault issue? I don’t think I should pinpoint it at Creek because I think that sexual assault is something outside of [not] only high schools and outside of colleges but everywhere. This is the first year we’ve had a club talking about consent and sexual assault prevention and education. Where was that before we started BCC? I don’t know a lot of what goes on at Creek because victims are scared to share but, I wouldn’t say it’s really a problem action-wise but prevention-wise. We need to have way more discussions about sexual assault.

Is there anything else that you want to add? Just because something didn’t happen to you doesn’t mean that your story is insignificant. Every consentless action matters.

“You feel like it’s your fault that it happened and [that] you should learn to be okay with it.”

-Anonymous We were heading on a date. And then on the way back he was really touchy and asking to do weird things on the way there and I wasn’t really down for it. I had a good time for the most part.

And then on the way home he asked to finger me in the back seat. And I distinctly remember being like, ‘no, not right now.’ And then he was like, ‘Oh, can I put my hand there?’ And I was like that’s a weird ask. I was really uncomfortable. I felt bad for saying no,

12 | In-Depth

because I wasn’t into anything earlier.

And I didn’t want to make him upset.

So I was like, ‘I guess that’s fine.’ And I was like, ‘but don’t go inside,’ and he was like, ‘okay,’ and then he did anyway.

And then it was awkward because what are you going to do? So I just kind of played it off as a joke.

Back at his house, he asked to do stuff again. We had the house to ourselves.

But I was like, ‘oh, sorry, my mom’s almost here.’ We ended up cuddling on

the couch and I was fine, because two minutes later, his mom came in. But he definitely wanted to do stuff after.

Do you think if his mom didn’t come in that something would have happened? I don’t know. I don’t think he was a bad guy. I don’t think he is a bad guy. But I do think that I at some point would have given him an ‘oh sure, it’s fine’ because I would have felt bad for saying no so many times, because I didn’t want him to be upset with me.

And other than you not wanting him for a while, I just blamed myself and I it isn’t always the goal. Sometimes you to be upset, is there any other reason just really didn’t like myself. I felt kind just want to move on. [A] friend will be that you would feel bad for saying no? of violated, I felt very raw. I just felt very like, ‘you need to go to the counselor.

No, not really. He was my first boy- vulnerable and raw all the time. I didn’t You need to go tell an adult.’ But somefriend and he just seemed really, really like to look in the mirror, and in those times you just want it to not have hapinto me. And at that point, I was like, few weeks after, I did not blame him for pened. ‘oh, I don’t want to mess it up and lose it. I was just upset with myself for let- For you, what does “it doesn’t have out.’ Here’s a guy who cares about me ting it happen. to be rape” mean? Rape is sex, but I so much. If I keep saying no to him, Can you talk a little bit about what it think there’s a lot of other things to it. he’s gonna find another girl who can do feels like to gaslight yourself? When Just because they didn’t have sex with that. You just don’t want them to leave. someone says they love you or they real- you doesn’t mean they didn’t physically So at some point, you say yes to stop ly like you or they reviolate you. them from walking out on you. ally care about you, And when you make I just blamed myWhy did you continue to stay? So that you trust that. But that argument, who night after I went home, I was crying then it’s like, if they do you feel like you’re self, and I didn’t on the bathroom floor and it was just really cared about disagreeing with? I really like myself. I a rough night, I sent him a text where you, why would feel like I’m disagreefelt kind of violated.

I was like, ‘hey, I don’t want to do stuff they have done that? ing with a societal for a while.’ He kept asking me, not in And then you just standard: what conI felt very raw. a mean way, ‘hey, are you okay?’ And I feel like you weren’t stitutes bad enough. I was like, ‘I don’t know. I feel like I said good enough. And feel like a lot of people no tonight.’ He kept apologizing to me then you feel like don’t talk about it bea lot. And so it was like, oh, everyone you’re not enough. cause we just kind of makes mistakes, everyone gets caught You didn’t want it to happen, but obvi- gaslight ourselves into the idea that it up in the moment. It happens. It’s no ously they did. And it just feels like you wasn’t as bad as it could have been like, big deal. But then, he wasn’t super couldn’t be enough for them. Like who “he touched me but at least he didn’t chill after either. I thought it was a one you are on your own isn’t what they rape me.” time thing. And after that, it’s not that want. And then you feel like it’s your With that in mind, do you feel like I said no. So I don’t call anything that fault that it happened and [that] you victims are supported in schools? I happened after “sexual assault.” But I should learn to be okay with it. think-okay, hot take-I would say no, wasn’t really saying yes, either. I stayed How did you recover? I don’t know because of the issue that all adults at because I thought he would change. if I fully have, in all honesty, but I do Creek are mandatory reporters. I know After the assault, what happened? I think he’s not in my life at all anymore. that I did not want to talk to a counselthink I was lying on my bathroom floor I think he understands that he messed or because by law, they have to call my for hours, and I was just sobbing. And up. I’ve talked to him plenty, obvious- parents and explain what happened. then you just look in the mirror [and] ly, but I think at some point I was like, That’s not really something that I want feel disgusted with ‘I can’t have you in getting out. [It’s not] something I want yourself. You feel so my life. And I don’t to be known for; something I want violated that someknow if you realize my parents knowing. I think people You just look in the one would do that that that was what do it with good intentions, but I think mirror [and] feel disto you. And then it was.’ But I think they’re just a little bit ignorant. gusted with yourself. you sit there trying not having him What do you think Creek should do to figure out why in my life was the to better support victims? I feel like You feel so violated someone who cares worst part. I think what’s missing from Creek is a way to that someone would about you would knowing some of my find people who’ve been through it with do that to you. make you feel that friends who’ve gone no adult present. And I know there’s a way and why you through it helps and legal issue behind it. But I think having couldn’t just get over some people who a mandatory reporter is so dangerous it. And then you feel [have] been there because then you have a lot of people like damaged goods. At some point, I before him and after him helps, but I who stay quiet and don’t say anything think I just started to feel numb about don’t know if you ever fully move on out of fear of it going to the police. it. I think I cried for a few hours and from it. I do think it’s something that And for you, are the police a bad was laying on my bathroom floor. And affects me every day. option? To me I don’t even fully hate I just couldn’t think about it because it Did you think that you wanted to try this guy. I dated him for a while. I realhurt a lot. and talk to an authoritative figure? ly cared about him. So to me, I’m not In the days and weeks following, how After we broke up, [even to] people who trying to ruin his life. I’m just trying to did you feel? I don’t think I brought the knew, I would just tell them he was still move on with mine. issue up with him until we broke up, a good guy. It was just one bad night. I which was like a month later. I think also think that bringing authorities into

March 2024

Hayden Treter’s Path to USC

sports

we both got injured sophomore year. He’s my support and one of my close friends Asst. Photo Editor throughout all this.”

Treter also formed bonds with many or many athletes, there are dif- other players on the team, including runferent ways their paths can go. ning back Jordan Herron, whom he startGiving up, going to play in com- ed playing with during his junior year.

“Hayden is an amazing person on and munity college, or becoming one of the best in the state. But for Treter, his athletic off the field, he’s a leader and a captain,” Herron said. “[He] brings everything to career led him to Division I football.

Hayden Treter grew up with football. the team, the energy, the chemistry, [and] Because of his background, Treter has the passion.”

In his sophomore year, his path been involved in football for his whole life, and has become a constant force on the changed dramatically; he started receiving D1 offers. field.

“When I got my first offer my sopho“A good thing about Hayden is he was very coachable. Once he figured out how more year, I got it from Colorado State hard you had to work to get to the goals University and that was crazy to me,” that he wanted to get to, he turned out to Treter said. “I had no clue that I was good be a very good football player for us,” of- enough to actually get to that level, but I ended up getting five more [offers] that fensive line coach Det Betti said.

Treter’s father attended the University year.”

Treter had no idea what his next step of Colorado Boulder for football, and seeing that success inspired him to be like his was in this process, until Betti came to his rescue. dad.

“He told me to get Twitter and Huddl Treter’s father coached him in the Arap(recruiting apps), ahoe Youth Leagues, and after every which tested his game [that] I physical and mental “He’s a great player. From needed to make a limits, but also gave where he started to where post [game] highhim an advantage light and follow he ended, it’s awesome to over other players coaches to get my who were coached see the gains he made and name out there,” more leniently. how much better he got each Treter said.

“My dad beat that year.”

Treter contin[nervousness] out ued to develop of me throughout talent by joining practice and always Offensive Line Coach more and more made sure I was goDet Betti programs, like ing against the bigthe University of gest kid. Being the Nebraska and San coach’s son has its Diego State University camps, Treter saw privileges,” Treter said.

Even though he was competing against 15 full-ride scholarships to D1 schools roll them, he grew up playing against many in.“It validated all of my needs and made it Creek kids, which led him to eventually to where I was able to go all in,” Treter said.

Getting offers from D1 colleges realmove into the Cherry Creek School Disly opened up Treter’s eyes to what could trict as a freshman.

Coming into Creek was an eye open- be next. After receiving an offer from the ing experience for Treter; he was entering University of Southern California (USC), a series of all new beginnings. Walking Treter found his home.

“I love coach [John] Henson, the offenstraight onto the varsity football team gave him the chance of a lifetime, but also a sive line coach. He put tons of guys in the NFL and I like spending time with him,” close friend.

“AJ Burton was the only other freshman Treter said. “Being able to get a national at the time to be put on varsity. So he and I championship would be amazing, [espewere both four year letter [players],” Treter cially] to be a part of and be in the top said. “We both started sophomore year, team in the nation.”

F

14 | Sports

BRIANA FLORES

EARLY LIFE

2011 - 2020 Senior Hayden Treter grew up playing football. He started in flag and moved into tackle football in the Arapahoe Youth League, where his father coached the team.

PLAYING AT CREEK

2020 - 2024 After joining the varsity roster as a freshman, Treter found a close friend in senior AJ Burton, who went on to play at Iowa State in 2023. While at Creek, Treter played in four state championships, winning three.

USC COMMITMENT

2024 - PRESENT Treter committed to the University of Southern California after receiving 14 other D1 offers. Treter believes that the school will provide him with an opportunity to further his athletic career.

GRAPHIC BY QUINN RUDNICK PHOTOS COURTESY OF HAYDEN TRETER & BRIANA FLORES

Regis, Valor & Creek Hockey Rank Nationally QUINN RUDNICK & PETER PHILPOTT Junior Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

C

olorado has become a powerhouse state for ice hockey in the last decade.

The Colorado Avalanche won the NHL BLOCK: Senior goalie Jack Stanley Cup in 2022, the University of DenRyan attempts to block a ver men’s team won the NCAA Frozen Four Regis shot on goal during a the same year and in 2017; now, at the high game on Feb. 2. school level, recent seasons have also been PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK great ones.

Colorado’s three best high school hockey part in their success over the season. Despite teams in the state are Valor Christian, Regis playing tougher games against schools like Jesuit, and Cherry Creek. And Regis, the team believes they can beyond the state level, these still band together and move toteams are ranked in some of the wards the playoff season. top teams nationally; coming in “All the boys [have] a lot of at 5th, 7th, and 56th respectively. passion for the sport and we “We have a talent rich team, really work together well as a heavy with seniors. They’re batteam,” Creek senior center and tle tested,” Creek Head Coach left winger Eric Burggraf said.

Jeff Mielnicki said. “We’ve had so “So I think just the teamwork many games where we’ve won in and the bond we have really cre“It’s been a great the last period, held on to a one ates a good environment on the season so far.” goal lead, or gotten a shutout.” ice.”

After multiple seasons of Senior Eric Burggraf The three schools peaked ranking below the fifties, these in the final weeks of January: placements have served as a Creek was 10th, Regis was 5th, major marker for Creek’s success. While Val- and Valor was 1st in national rankings. Regis or has remained dominant, consistently rank- took both of them down with adjacent victoing in the top twenty for the last four years, ries, with Creek suffering a crushing 7-1 deCreek’s and Regis’ success has waivered, due feat on Feb. 2, and Valor falling 3-1 the next to many losses to rivals like Denver East, day. “I think everybody had a bad game, you Monarch, and Chaparral. just have to reflect on it,” Creek senior goalie “I feel that this Regis team is special be- Jack Ryan said after the loss. cause of the diverse amounts of upperclassPlayers like Burggraf, senior center and left men and lowerclassmen,” Regis sophomore winger Dominic Suchkov, and senior center goalie Marc Brousseau said. and right winger Daniil Korobeynikov have For Creek players, sportsmanship and driven success on offense. All three rank in strong team bonds have also played a large the 20s of Colorado’s top point-scorers, and

in the top 150 nationally. Burggraf ranks 17th in assists. Korobeynikov and Suchkov rank 16th and 18th respectively in goals nationally.

“We really have a deep bench of players,” Mielnicki said. “I feel comfortable putting anybody on the ice.”

As for goaltending, all three schools have talent. Valor senior Trudeaux Coffey and Regis’ Brousseau are 4th and 5th respectively in the national ranks for goals against average (GAA).

Creek’s Ryan is “This team has truly 29th.

“I feel that this come together and season has been it has shown on the special for me ice.” personally be- Regis Sophomore Marc cause I have been Brousseau able to emerge myself in a winning culture at the varsity level,” Brousseau said. “Having the greatest teammates a sophomore could ask for has really made this season something to remember.”

NATIONAL HIGH SCHOOL HOCKEY RANKINGS:

PHOTO BY PETER PHILPOTT

Colorado high schools are ranked in some of the top sports in the nation, out of 873 schools.

STRATEGY: Senior Charlie Keating talks with a teammate while waiting for the third period to start during a game against Regis on Feb. 2. Creek lost 7-1.

#6 - VALOR #7 - REGIS #40 - CREEK

March 2024

Jake Howell ‘Makes Wrestling a Lot More Fun’ ANDREI MACHADO

F

Asst. Sports Editor

or most people, not thinking leads to dumb decisions.

But for senior Jake Howell, it leads to success.

Although Howell grew up wrestling, his love for the sport only started later on in his life. “I hated it up until eighth grade,” he said. “Then I really started to realize I was good at it.”

Even though he started wrestling competitively relatively late, Howell’s talent and dedication to wrestling quickly began to show. In his first year wrestling for Creek as a sophomore, he was immediately placed onto the varsity team.

“His technique has just gotten better and better and better, after every season,” wrestling coach Michael Luhring said. “It’s credit to his hard work and dedication.”

His passion isn’t the only reason Howell is very successful. Throughout the years, due to constant drills and practice, he has been able to let his body do the work for him.

“During [a match] it’s nothing but muscle memory. I just shut my brain off,” Howell said. “Thinking usually creates hesitation, hesitation creates failure.”

All of Howell’s preparations have been working for him; he ranked third in the state 5A class in his weight class as a junior and has multiple tournament wins. His success doesn’t end there. Over Feb. 15-17, Howell competed in the Colorado State Class 5A Championship, and this year he placed second, winning three fights.

“I did everything I could. Obviously not the performance I would want, but that happens,” Howell said. “[When] you compete in anything there has to be a winner and a loser.”

While second place wasn’t the result he wanted, it’s nothing to be ashamed of; he only lost three fights over the entire season, all of them to the same wrestler.

“Overall I had a good tournament. I’m not going to let one match define it,” Howell said. “Looking back there’s nothing that TAKE-DOWN: Senior Jake Howell tackles a Valor wrestler during a meet on Feb. 2. Howell won the match, but Creek lost 45-24.

16 | Sports

could change really.”

Instead of using his status as the second best wrestler in the state to separate himself from others, Howell uses it to fulfill his role as Senior Captain, by helping his teammates succeed and make the sport more enjoyable for them.

“He makes wrestling a lot more fun to them, but at same time, he does demand a lot from his teammates,” Luhring said. “He has a good ratio of toughness and making games and practices more enjoyable for others.”

Howell’s impact isn’t just noticed by his coaches, but players close to him have also noticed his dedication and intensity towards wrestling.

“Jake always has his foot on the pedal when it comes to wrestling,” senior Henderson Cabell said. “Seeing that drive that he had and the success [it] brought him has helped me become the wrestler I am today.”

Howell’s career in wrestling won’t stop at Creek though. He’s already committed to wrestling for the University of Iowa and looking forward to a new experience, and a new opportunity.

“I went to a camp up in Iowa, and I just loved it,” Howell said. “The coaches, everybody, they’re all great wrestlers that just seemed like a perfect fit.”

Those close to Howell can see that his future is bright. Not everyone has the skill to get second in the state and go to one of the best-known colleges for wrestling.

“I’ll be very excited to see how he evolves even more under a new roof over at Iowa,” Luhring said.

PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK

WHAT ARE JAKE HOWELL’S PRE-GAME RITUALS?

1

LISTEN TO MUSIC TO CALM DOWN Howell’s favorite songs are compiled into his PreGame playlist below.

2

INTENSE WORKOUT TO GET BLOOD FLOWING Howell likes to warm up before matches by doing a series of small workouts like shoulder exercises.

3

PREPARE AND GET READY FOR FIGHT Howell prepares for a match through ‘shadow wrestling’, where he works the motions of the sport without an opponent.

PRE-GAME PLAYLIST

a&e

The Other Oscars Best Wig

Best Chevy Product Placement

The luscious magenta poof of Poppy’s hair in Trolls 3 is truly unlike her previous looks and has redefined the hairstyles used in film and seen on the streets today. I think we can all learn something from Poppy’s coiffure.

-Ava Segale

I have never seen a car commercial so smoothly integrated into a movie. Perfect execution — all the angles, plenty of logo, a freshly polished car at its best. The Chevy Blazer SS EV gets as much screen time as Allan. -Katya Roudakov

Best Bathtub

Best Executed Motorcycle Jump Off Cliff

Trolls Band Together

Saltburn

Just know as soon as this thing of a movie ended, I jumped onto the Bed Bath and Beyond website and bought myself a Sinkology Euclid 6’ Copper Freestanding Bathtub with Overflow (on sale) for $3,022.59.

-Alex Gribb

Best First Half of a Movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

I didn’t think the team behind Into the Spider-Verse would be able to revolutionize animation for a second time. But they did!

And what a phenomenal, stunning movie this was until it ended. It’s high time for filmmakers to stop ending on cliffhangers. I left the theater angry. -Katya Roudakov

Best Movie About the High School Experience Meg 2: The Trench

Imagine swimming through the deep blue sea, and you’ve got to paddle for your life.

What’s chasing you? A swarm of bloodthirsty, massive, prehistoric sharks.

I simply imagine this as a mundane, completely relatable day of our Cherry Creek life. Any teenage realistic fiction absent of behemoth krakens and vicious dino-dogs is grossly inaccurate.

-Peter Philpott

CREATIVE COMMONS

Barbie

Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1

No one could have executed this better than Tom Cruise. His form as he flew through the air was poetic, swanlike, too entrancing to be faked by CGI. It takes someone as buff and rugged as Cruise to accomplish something so breathtaking.

-Ava Segale

Best Bomb Test Oppenheimer

Plutonium-239 really blew up above any other bombs! An earth-jittering explosion?

Who wouldn’t want to see a bomb that weighs 9,000 pounds explode in a barren area of New Mexico? That’s just pure showmanship! Great on you, Christopher Nolan.

-Nick BeDan

Best Unexpected Cry

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

This movie hurt me to my core. I expected a light-hearted movie following the first two volumes. Maybe I’d shed a tear at the end if someone died. Two at most. But I was sobbing from the first 30 minutes. Something about animal cruelty plus the abandonment and the innocent, childlike creatures tortured for the sake of scientific advancement… Enough. -Amanda Castillo-Lopez

March 2024

Be a Man, Wear a Dress: Femininity on the Rise in Men’s Fashion sparkly tights onstage, the everyman got harassed for wearing the same fashion. Society wasn’t ready for their male friends, family, s Ron DeSantis very publicly and co-workers to embrace femininity, just unattainable celebrity figures. proved, men can wear heels “I assumed you were gay because you have too. But what about dresses, good style,” was one of the first things said to cropped shirts, jewelry, and the other me by a classmate this year. It didn’t bother cornerstones of feminine fashion? me, but it shows how much people still rely More androgynous clothing styles have on physical appearance to categorize and been rising in popularity in men’s fashion. judge people.

Because of people’s preconMen and feminine fashion aren’t just a pairceived notions of men’s fashion, straight men ing reserved for alt-right nightmares or Frimust either forfeit their self-expression or be day nights at the Drag Show anymore. labeled as someone they’re not.

If femininity in men’s fashion is a fleeting The general shift away from traditionally fad, so be it. But if it continues to gain popgendered clothing has sparked conversation ularity, it will have a big impact on first imamong liberals and conservatives alike. Cries pressions, worn-out stereotypes, and society’s to “bring back manly men” are shouted from outdated sense of “girl clothing” and “guy the rooftops while others preach that men in clothing” rooted in sexism. touch with their sexuality are more attractive.

Men in cropped tee shirts and pearl neckThe internet’s new heartthrob, actor Jacob laces isn’t a revolutionary idea, but the growElordi, has adopted the trending style as well, ing popularity of the style is promising as the modeling in crop tops media is flooded with and earrings galore. discourse around sexWhether his outfits ist ideas of what a man are the work of a stylshould be.

If aspects of femininity in ist or Elordi himself, What is considered masculine has shifted men’s fashion get further em- he is living proof that men can still be seen back and forth over hundreds of years, but braced by society, a man in a as masculine while now, for the first time, dress could be just as normal embracing their feminine side through it’s becoming popular fashion. as a woman in pants. for men to wear clothFor years, the only ing that is currently jewelry deemed considered feminine. “manly enough” has The sharing of femibeen chain necklacnine fashion between men and women alike evens out the playing es and the occasional plain wedding band. field, forcing men to step off their pedestal of Now, jewelry is finally being treated as a genderless way to accessorize. More people are gender superiority.

What people tend to forget is that this isn’t starting to accept that ear piercings can be for the first male fashion revolution. Feminine men too, not just newborn babies and grown men’s fashion wasn’t invented by teenage Ins- women.

As teenage boys line up at Claire’s to get tagram models, but was first brought to poptheir ears pierced for the low price of twenty ularity by 1970s icons like David Bowie. dollars and a nasty infection, more traditionFrom silver eye makeup to one-legged ally female jewelry like pearl necklaces and jumpsuits, Bowie made it cool to dress efdainty rings are making a comeback as well. feminately, to live outside the norm. But When women started protesting for the while Bowie’s rock star style was widely adright to trade their skirts for slacks in the mired, the look was grossly unattainable for workplace, they were seen as unprofessionthe average person. While Bowie rocked his al and inappropriate, similarly to how some

BY JUDE GORDEN

A

18 | A&E

Features Editor

people think of men in skirts today. Today, no one bats an eye at a woman in dress pants, but heads turn so fast they get whiplash when a man in a skirt walks by. If aspects of femininity in men’s fashion get further embraced by society, a man in a dress could be just as normal as a woman in pants.

Unlike back in the 1970s, society is ready to embrace androgynous fashion now, and it has to be. Letting this trend die out again would endanger the larger fight against sexism, as well as men’s confidence and right to s elf-expression.

As more men use this opportunity to blur the lines between “male” and “female” clothing, harmful stereotypes and gender norms will continue to lose their footing. This trend is a powerful step to a future in which department stores aren’t blocked off by gender, one where a man in heels isn’t seen as automatically gay, but just as a man in heels.

MAKE IT YOUR OWN: Senior James Taylor uses his crocheting skills to design some of his outfits. Often he gravitates toward more feminine patterns.

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

Q&A with Students

Q

What do you think about men wearing feminine clothing?

Q

What do you think the public consensus at school is about boys in feminine fashion?

A

A

A

A

Q

A

“I might not be best friends with those people, but what they’re wearing is not gonna affect that.”

Sophomore Asher Guy “There shouldn’t be any male or female clothing, everyone should be able to wear whatever they want.”

Junior Neveah Barta

How do you feel about celebrities like Harry Styles and Jacob Elordi embracing feminine fashion?

A A

“In my opinion it’s not right, but it’s also their body and their choice.”

Sophomore Isaac Reyes “I see a lot of girls go crazy over it.

Sometimes the fashion is ugly, so if you’re gonna do it, make it pretty.”

Senior Matab Hamad

“If you’re popular, it’s cool. And if [you’re] not, you’re on your own.”

Senior Matab Hamad “Within their friend groups, hopefully that would be okay. But [at] school overall, they might be teased or bullied about it.”

Sophomore Evalyn Smith “I feel like the [public] shouldn’t care. [It doesn’t matter] If men wear women’s clothing or women wear mens clothing.

Junior Neveah Barta

A A

“I don’t really think people care that much.”

Sophomore Bryn Exley “I think people do judge certain people for it, and sometimes that might be a little bit too harsh. But there definitely [are] communities that do support it.”

Sophomore Asher Guy

INTERVIEWS BY KATYA ROUDAKOV, NICK BEDAN, ALISA KOVALEVA, AVA SEGALE

A History of Male Celebrity Femininity

CREATIVE COMMONS

David Bowie

Kurt Cobain

Wore a dress on a 1970 album cover and throughout his career

Wore a dress on MTV in 1991

Billy Porter

Kid Cudi

Wore a tuxedo gown at the 2019 Academy Awards

Wore a dress on Saturday Night Live to honor Kurt Cobain in 2021 March 2024

opinions

Men Aren’t Allowed to Cry, and It’s Killing Them

20 | Opinions

E

BY RUE MINAR Staff Writer

ver since I was young I’ve had a rough time dealing with my emotions.

When I didn’t agree with someone I would get angry and convince myself they were trying to ruin my life. Little mistakes and slight call-outs would send me spiraling into a rage. My an-

ger built up and when my friends were nit-picking something, I would cuss them out using words that even I might cry from. Instead of reacting with sadness, which was the emotion I was really feeling, I lashed out and got mad at those close to me.

I have since blocked my ability to cry in public, and when I get upset, I take my anger out on my friends, loved ones, and even strangers. I get extremely violent when I’m upset, and people even tell me I have “anger issues”. I have gotten into so many fights that could have been avoided if I could have just

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY WRYN DUEPRE

been able to cry or express my emotions in a more appropriate way.

Many men have the same reaction that I do when upset at a situation or a person: they lash out at those around them. This causes them to overreact and turn something into a bigger deal then it needs to be. If men allowed themselves to cry or show more “feminine” emotions, they could mitigate lash outs and have healthier reactions to difficult situations.

Human emotion has to come out in one way or another. If a man needs to express how he feels and refuses to cry he will convert his sadness to anger and take it out on others.

Crying and expressing sadness has many benefits when it comes to mental health. When you cry you release chemicals that help to comfort, or bandage, emotional wounds. Men harbor emotions and wait until they build up and blow up, instead of just letting themselves feel sad. This has caused my own mental health to decrease.

Societal norms have forced men like me to push down their emotional vulnerability. They frequently refuse to cry or display any other emotion that’s considered emasculating, when in reality crying allows people to express things they can’t articulate into words.

Men have been fed the same “boys don’t cry” line for most of their lives.

Movies and TV shows like The Other Guys and The Bernie Mac Show have promoted this idea. In the movie The Other Guys, Will Ferrell started crying and his wife started singing a song saying “pimps don’t cry.” After a while, Will Ferrell joined in. Even on the Bernie Mac Show, the main character is always bashing his nephew when he cries saying he needs to “man-up”.

Men like to feel strong and have a LET IT OUT: Senior Theo Odendahl poses for a photo in the mirror. Men struggle with not being allowed to cry their whole lives. This causes lash outs, breakdowns, and more. This unspoken rule that men can’t cry needs to stop.

social hierarchy amongst themselves. They will ridicule each other for showing weakness. This creates the idea that showing emotion makes it easier to be taken advantage of or that demonstrating emotions makes you weaker than everyone else, which is completely untrue.

I have struggled with this stereotype a lot, impacting how I see myself in many ways.

It even causes me to hide my true feelings around those closest to me.

I was scared to look weak. I thought that if I hid my emotions and made myself seem tough people couldn’t talk down to me or hurt me. I grew up in rough neighborhoods so I had to be tough so people wouldn’t try and take advantage of me. Crying was out of the question for me if I wanted to make it out in one piece.

When I have cried I have felt better, but afterward I felt embarrassed, even ashamed. I felt as though I was not strong enough to deal with my issues.

It’s ridiculous to stigmatize an emotion that everyone deals with and one that should be considered normal. There’s nothing wrong with men crying and showing more vulnerable emotions, instead, it should be encouraged.

According to an article from Forbes, crying also helps with relationships with loved ones as it shows a vulnerable side of the person.

Crying helps build communication skills and can display a bond between people. Crying can help improve interpersonal relationships.

I have built such strong relationships with

people because they have listened with kindness to what I was going through. My trust in them is extraordinary because I can express my emotions around them without fear of judgment. When men allow themselves to express emotion they can create longer lasting and deeper relationships with others.

It’s a well known fact by now that men have high suicide rates, and men being told they can’t cry likely contributes to that. According to Renewal Health Group, men’s suicide rate were about 90 times higher than that in women. Telling men they can’t cry likely helps contribute to this statistics and cause more mental health issues with in men.

The impacts of expressing mental health could be a struggle for some, and it’s not easy to just tell someone how you feel. Having a bond with someone that allows you to trust them is the first step all men should take.

It’s embarrassing to show a “weak” part of myself because I have always felt like I need to protect myself from harm. But this doesn’t have to be the case.

Attempting to understand what people are going through instead of laughing allows for everyone to feel comfortable being human and having human needs. We as a society need to normalize that everybody has the right to cry and that it’s okay for men to show more vulnerable emotions.

WHY DOESN’T SOCIETY WANT MEN TO CRY?

“I think men should cry so they can show their emotions and not always be as strong as they’re promoted to be.”

-Junior Trevvon Polk

“I think that men should cry. I think [in] society In the same survey, 17% of respondents there’s a lot of pressure said that they had to leave treatment on men to not.” early because of financial strains.

- Senior Alex Condon

“I think it’s a societal kind of stereotype that men shouldn’t cry and that for men it’s a sign of weakness.”

- Senior Josiah Moham INFOGRAPHIC BY IZZY KRAUSS SOURCES: CENTER FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, ANXIETY AND DEPRESSION ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, AND AMERICAN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION

GRAPHIC BY SOPHIA HADY

March 2024 January

Influencers Lead Consumers Astray credibly aesthetic content that pushes products coupled with the fact that they can post basically whatever they want, whenever they want, means countless products can be promoted at any given moment.

BY AVA SEGALE Many of these videos have created clothStaff Writer ing trends like tennis skirts, Lululemon zip up jackets, flair leggings, oversized hoodies nfluencers have overtaken and t-shirts, Kendra Scott jewelry, UGG advertising, allowing rampant platform shoes, Hoka sneakers, Birkenconsumerism to appear because stocks, North Face backpacks, puffer vests. of accessibility to posting, and the And the list goes on. uncapped amount of videos a person Everyone wants to match these influenccan make. er aesthetics and own the “must have” items In the past, decades have had a certain to fit in and feel like a part of a community. trendy look. The 1920s had flapper styles, And since younger audiences are getting inthe 1980s had bold colorful outfits, the troduced to social media at a younger age, 2000s had tracksuits. But because of the they are purchasing these products without popularity of social media, trends are com- regard to money which pulls kids into the ing in and out of style faster than ever be- culture of consumerism. fore.

Because there are so many trends, and For example, if a neon sweatshirt became products are going in and out of style at raptrendy in 1984, it would still be in style four id rates, an unnecessary mass production of years later, or longer. But with influencers similar products with lesser quality follows. and social media, trends are coming in and Influencers are often seen posting with out of styles within weeks. their newest trendy items, or potential Influencers’ ability to dupes of them. When trends are introduced, make in- brands jump at the opportunity to create cheaper versions of them, resulting in the mass production of lower quality products.

And after these products are used to destruction, faster than normal, they are $27.99 thrown into landfill, to be replaced by another insta-famous product.

Another example of con$30 .00 sumerism is water bottles.

We’ve gone from Nalgenes, to Camelbaks, to S’wells, to Hydroflasks, to Yetis, to $16.00 Stanleys, to Owalas.

And

I

$45.00

0 23.0

if you ask most people, they will likely own, or have owned, most of these water bottles.

Again, these products are pushed and promoted by those same influencers.

The thought of not having what is in style is unthinkable to the average American, so they buy whatever is in style and dispose of whatever is “last season.”

But no one should have to buy multiple $30 water bottles just to fit in. It was estimated that more than $2 million were spent on water bottles in the US in 2022 according to Greg Williamson, who is the president of Camelbak.

This not only has harmful environmental effects but also breaks bank accounts, especially with how fast products go in and out of style.

The worst part is that because everyone wants to keep up with the trends, they aren’t using these products fully, just moving on to the next trend, resulting in mass production, waste, and unnecessary depletion of resources.

Companies, as well as influencers, are benefiting greatly from this mass production but it’s destroying our planet.

According to Friends of the Earth, overconsumption leads to increased air pollution and climate change, resulting in ecosystems being destroyed. Some of these ecosystems not only provide habitats for animals but also provide us with fresh water and materials needed to our way of life.

This cycle has not only harmful environmental effects, it but also breaks bank accounts, especially with how fast products go in and out of style.

With a new trend everyday, overconsumption is skyrocketing and purchases serve little to no purpose. Students should be saving up their money for college and their future life rather than buying the latest trendy product.

$

GRA

PHIC B

$38.

00

$65.00 22 | Opinions and Staff Editorial

0

0.0

$11

Y AL

EX G

RIBB

Building Renovations We Really Need

C

CSD has proposed a complete two phase rebuild for Creek and other district buildings through a bond measure that will be introduced on the Nov. state Ballot.

The full budget will allow for the construction in the district and is estimated to be a total of $1 billion, allowing between $400-

500 million for just our campus.

Architects will be able to imagine futuristic re-designs of our schools, but these ideas will come to fruition in almost a decade. In the meantime, there are still many building fixes that Creek needs, which aren’t as glamorous, but would improve the student experience.

STAFF-EDITORIAL This is an opinions piece written by the Editorial Staff of the Union St. Journal.

Staff-editorials serve as a way for members of the magazine to give commentary on a community wide issue. The views expressed represent the opinions of the editorial staff, not those of CCHS or CCSD. PHOTOS BY WRYN DUEPRE & QUINN RUDNICK ART BY LINA RAKHMANOVA

Throughout the school, students are constantly surrounded by lockers, most of which are not in use. By getting rid of the hundreds of lockers that do absolutely nothing but take up space, we could instead make the hallways bigger. Rather than fighting for an inch of shoulder room during passing period, we should expand the hallways in buildings allowing for better safety and more comfort.

When it comes to accessibility, the size of the bathroom stalls really do make an impact. If there are bathrooms all over the school, even in hidden corners, they need to prioritize making stalls big enough for those with disabilities. No one should need to walk across the campus to find a bathroom stall that works for them.

While there are a few vents within the hallways and the occasional small one hiding in a corner of a bathroom, the nauseating stench of the East building has to be improved. By adding more vents within the school, cleaner smelling buildings, as well as healthier, air will follow.

All over the school there are doors with accessibility buttons, but if they don’t work, what’s the point. While contractors and admin did a good job with putting the buttons on most of the doors, their constant broken status defeats their purpose. Accessibility only works when maintained, and so far, Creek hasn’t done a fantastic job.

17 - 1 IN FAVOR

OPPOSED

The UJS’s Editorial Board voted on the subject of this Staff Editorial.

March 2024

PHOTOS BY QUINN RUDNICK PHOTO BY PETER PHILPOTT

PHOTO BY KELLEN RINGLAND

“Our goal will always be to win the State Championship.”

ABOVE: Junior forward Braelynn Barnett (#24) shoots a free throw during a game against Cherokee Trail on Feb. 17.

ABOVE: Junior forward Braelynn Barnett (#24) attempts to block a Regis shot during the Great 8 game against on Feb. 29. Creek lost 44-50.

- Junior Molly Dorighi ABOVE: Junior guard Molly Dorighi (#15) moves down the court during a game against Cherokee Trail on Feb. 17. Creek lost 60-56.

Varsity girls’ basketball had been dominating all season.

The team stood at 13-2 in the league, and 15-3 overall. After heading into the Great 8 State Playoffs ranked No. 2, Creek played No. 7 Regis on Thursday Feb. 29. Creek lost the game 44-50, ending their state championship bid.

Despite constant changes in coaching staff ABOVE: Junior small forward across the season, Sophia Baal (#14) looks for a shot the players upheld during the Great 8 game.

a strong bond that led them to a strong season.

“I think what we have gone through which has brought us closer and [helped us] trust each other more, on and off the court,” junior forward Braelynn Barnett said.

Even though players value the team’s success, many agree that the highlight of the game has been playing together.

“The best point of the season so far has been playing with some of my closest friends,” junior guard Molly Dorighi said.

GIRLS’ BASKETBALL DOMINATES UNTIL THE END

CENTER & RIGHT: Junior small forward and shooting guard A’neya Chambers (#25) competes during the Sweet 16 game on Feb. 23.