March 2024 USJ

‘Most Victims Want

to Stay Quiet and Hidden Away’

Two Creek Students Shine Light on Sexual Assault

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

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.

Staff

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

Video Editor

Nour Kreishan

Asst. Managing Editor

Aram Bazarian

Asst. Video Editor

Jonathan Lee

Asst. Sports Editor

Andrei Machado

Purpose:

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

Staff Writers

Jayna Baker

Madalyn Hoop

Serenity Hurtado

Alisa Kovaleva

Rue Minar

Mae Murphey

Lina Rakhmanova

Kellen Ringland

Ava Segale

Advisor

Seth Fine

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.

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

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

CCSD Mandates New Algebra 1 Curriculum

BY AMANDA CASTILLO-LOPEZ News Editor

Algebra 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 their understanding is,” Lewis said. “You know how important algebra is when you get to calculus and beyond.”

Next year, Algebra 1 teachers will have to follow the OUR pacing guide which requires all Algebra 1 classes in the district to take a test on chapter material in a two week window. Students will have to take the same tests, regardless of whether they are taking the CP or Accelerated class at Creek.

According to CCSD Executive Director of Curriculum and Instruction Dominique Jones, this pacing is designed to give all students access to every Algebra 1 concept.

“[The OUR pacing] is not about being locked in and rigid,” Jones said. “Ultimately, it’s about making sure that every single kid that’s in Algebra 1 has the entire breadth of that content.”

math classes, Lewis believes that it’s likely that teachers will have to supplement the OUR material. Lewis anticipates that next year, Algebra 1 students will receive a combination of OUR and teacher-curated curriculum.

“Creek will still have all our workbooks … we still will design a lot because that’s just who we are,” Lewis said. “We know what the kids need to do well in Calculus, Stats, or whatever class they’re taking.”

CP Algebra 1 teacher Christopher Stirrup is willing to adapt to the changes coming next year.

“It’s a lot of changes at once and it’s going to be ongoing for the next few years. ”

Math Department

Johanna Lewis

OUR offers a curriculum for each of three high school-level math classes: Algebra 1, Geometry, and Algebra 2. Next year, high schools only have to teach Algebra 1 using OUR, but middle schools will have to use the program for classes up to Geometry. According to Lewis, there is a possibility that high schools will have to adopt OUR in higher level math classes as well in the coming years.

To prepare students for higher level

“It might be a very successful thing, but…it’s new, so we don’t know,” Stirrup said. “It’s very possible those kids are going to stumble and I’m going to stumble and any teacher is going to stumble. That’s part of learning.”

Math teachers will attend district training over the school year, and over the summer, they’ll work on creating a combined OUR and teacher-curated curriculum.

“We’re gonna have to figure out [where we] need to add some of our own stuff to make sure that kids learn, because our ultimate goal is to make sure that the kids learn what they need for future classes,” Principal Ryan Silva said.

Current Model for Modifying Math Curriculum

Implementing

About

Every

Workbooks

INFOGRAPHIC BY AMANDA CASTILLO-LOPEZ

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

BY PETER PHILPOTT Managing Editor & Asst. News Editor

Senior 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.

Ginsberg-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 good sides to war,” he said. “I’m not going to defend everything that the Israeli government does, but I do think that what is happening right now in Gaza is a direct effect of Hamas.”

According to Al Jazeera, pro-Palestine social media is being censored by some media networks, and pro-Israel endorsement is taking a downturn in popularity. Despite Gen-Z’s efforts, even with heavy waves of online advocacy, support for either side of the war not might be working to full success.

March 2024

GEN-Z FOR GAZA: Pro-Palestine protesters at a Nov. 9 “Shut it Down For Palestine” rally raise signs and shout chants. Polls have shown more young people support Palestine than Israel, like Denver School of the Arts senior Skye (third photo down). She was a speaker at the protest.

PHOTOS BY QUINN RUDNICK & PETER PHILPOTT

Creek Looks to 2024 Presidential Election

Who would you vote for in 2024?

“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.”

-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

Democratic Safe Democratic Lean Too Close To Call

Republican Safe Republican Lean

Senior Voters Offer Opinions on Their First Ballot

Why are you voting in the election this November?

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

-Sara Klapperich

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

“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.”

-Lina Schroeder -Ben Mendenhall

features

The Power of Shared Experience: Why Students Self-Segregate

BY ANGELA XU Chief Artist

Every 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 themselves, is called homophily. It played a big role in early history when people were focused on increasing the chances of surviving. By forming communities, people could eliminate any chance of outsiders infiltrating their home. This type of behavior remains within ourselves and has continued in our society.

“Probably a good 70% of my friends share my race,” junior Elliot McGrath-Imbert said. “Out of my closest friends, I would still say most of them are my own race.”

According to a survey done by the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health focusing on middle and high schools, the average odds of teens listing friends of the same race is two times more likely than the odds of them listing friends of a different race.

“I became friends with most of that third [of Hispanic friends] while I was living in Miami because of the demographic,” junior Valentina Lazardo-Bracho said. “With the few Hispanic people I’ve become friends with here, it’s been mostly due to similar culture.”

Since survival isn’t as difficult as it used to be, people tend to group up more out of a sense of security and familiarity than anything else. With Creek being a predominantly white school, with 64% of students being white, students of color instinctively reach out and connect with people most similar to them.

“Me and my friends have a lot of shared experience, from our culture, to home lives, to experiences in general.

Junior Angie Wang

“If I had to describe [my Creek experience] in one word, it would be lonely,” Luzardo-Bracho said. “I feel that our cultures differ a lot in how open we are with each other, which is why when I first moved here, I had a hard time making friends.”

“I accept that being a non-white person in America will mean being surrounded by white people that I’ll struggle to identify

In the beginning, most minority students felt left out or alienated from the rest of the student body. The majority wasn’t where they fit in, so they form their own little groups and find familiarity and comfort with each other so that the feeling of loneliness becomes one of indifference.

As people continue to seek out those most similar to them, societal segregation can remain. For some students, grouping with others of their same race is a way to find community and people to connect with.

“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.

The Legacy of Mazen-glish: 21 Years at Creek

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

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

PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK

Sophomore Natalia Byler Social Studies Teacher Eric Gallagher

WHAT DO CREEK STAFF AND STUDENTS THINK OF MAZENKO?

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

BY SERENITY HURTADO Staff Writer

When 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

“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 final year at Creek.

“I’m actually really glad, ironically, that I didn’t get those fellowships last year because I love my classes this year,” Mazenko said.

Once his kids had moved to the East Coast for college, he and his wife decided that it was time to move on to the next adventure.

“Right out of college, [my wife and I] lived abroad for five years. We graduated college and taught English in Southeast Asia and we’ve thought about maybe doing it again.” Mazenko said. “Now that we’re in our 50s, it’s kind of like our 20s.”

Mazenko’s high school experience differed from the average Creek student’s.

“I went to Catholic school. It was very strict, [and] there wasn’t a lot of emotional connection.” Mazenko said. “[You have to] be willing to be vulnerable with the kids [and] be a human being to the kids.”

This unique approach had an impact on Creek Social Studies teacher Erick Gallagher too. In the early 2000s, Gallagher sat down in Mazenko’s AP English Language class not knowing that Mazenko would write a college letter of recommendation for him, and certainly not expecting to teach alongside him one day.

“[Mazenko] challenged me to be a better version of myself and gave me a lot of respect for teachers for the impact they have,” Gallagher said. “[He] forced me out of my comfort zone and to be excited to do English.”

Teachers and administrators will also have to adjust to the loss of Mazenko.

“Be willing to be vulnerable with the kids. Be a human being to the kids.”

“His knowledge [and] his passion [are] going to be missed here, but I’m so excited for him, to be pursuing his passion and doing what he wants to do for himself,” Assistant Principal Jessica Robinson said.

English Teacher

As a part-time journalist writing pieces for the Villager, 303 magazine, and the Denver Post, Mazenko has taken his passion for writing outside of Creek classrooms. This has affected his teaching dynamic by allowing Mazenko to use his own passion for writing in his classroom lessons.

Michael Mazenko

Mazenko’s departure is bound to be emotional for some students and staff. As a result of the lasting impact Mazenko has on their lives and the school, they will have to transition from seeing him in the hallways and classroom five days a week, 36 weeks a year, to not at all.

“I have already felt so empty without him. He brings something so special to the table,” Junior Giselle Yokomichi said.

“[My past student said] I teach Mazenko’s version of English, and she called it Mazen-glish.” Mazenko said.

Mazenko made it a priority to bring real life into the classroom in his lessons, using personal anecdotes and props.

“It was refreshing to learn literature through the form of art. He once used a prop in his lesson making it more engaging, and it made me more excited to learn.” Sophomore Natalia Byler said.

Many students even consider Mazenko to be their mentor, coming to see him during their free time for advice and just to simply talk.

“He’s such a deep person,” junior Payton Lukasch said. “I have learned so much about him and life and more about myself.”

And as these students continue on, losing Mazenko as a part of their support system, things like senior year stress can feel worse.

“[It’s] heartbreaking to not have him senior year, as a mentor and someone to look up to,” Lukasch said.

For Mazenko it is bittersweet leaving Creek: his kids grew up on this campus and Creek has been a huge part of his family life.

“I can remember coming my first year, my son was two years old, and my wife and I were holding his hand and walking into these hallways,” Mazenko said.

Creek has been a monumental part of Mazenko’s life, so naturally, moving on is going to be a huge shift for him. However, he remains confident that his memories and experiences at Creek will stay with him wherever life leads next.

“I know that wherever I go, I’ll always be a Bruin. And I’ll always take a little piece of Cherry Creek High School with me.” Mazenko said. March 2024

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.

‘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.

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.

What did that lack of belief, especially from your friends, do to you?

It felt like my story wasn’t important [in comparison] to other people’s. So then it feels like, ‘I feel bad about this now, but other people have gone through worse. So my story isn’t significant. And what happened to me isn’t as bad as what’s happened to other people.’ It just made me feel insignificant and small and unheard.

Have you had an experience with slut shaming?

Slut shaming has become more of comedy than [it] is actually calling someone out for what they’re wearing or what they look like or the activities they do, which is equally as bad. I dress more modestly, but I’ve heard things that guys say about girls and what they’re wearing or what girls say about what a guy looks like, and it’s so gross. After your assault, did it add another layer onto slut shaming for you?

I think the worst part about it was that a lot of people didn’t believe me.

I don’t want to call them rape jokes, maybe like sexually provocative jokes. Those became a lot more serious and I correct my friends when I can because I support an end to all sexual [assault] and consentless actions. Those are now

red flags to me. Do you feel like there’s a lack of support for victims? I think sexual assault is something hard to talk about. Again especially because jokes are so normalized now that when you talk about your own experience, it becomes uncomfortable when it becomes too serious to have a discussion. I know a lot of my friends don’t know what happened to me and I’m fine with that, because I don’t feel comfortable talking to my friends about it. It’s almost easier to tell people I don’t know as well so they don’t really change their perception of me. Whereas if I tell someone I’m really close to it’s harder to [think] ‘they think of me differently or they want to protect me.’ But I think peer-to-peer wise, there needs to be more support at Creek. I think BCC is obviously a great way to have student-to- student interaction.

Back to your own personal story. How did you recover? My own personal experience happened around this time 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,

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 to be upset, is there any other reason that you would feel bad for saying no? No, not really. He was my first boyfriend and he just seemed really, really into me. And at that point, I was like, ‘oh, I don’t want to mess it up and lose out.’ Here’s a guy who cares about me so much. If I keep saying no to him, he’s gonna find another girl who can do that. You just don’t want them to leave. So at some point, you say yes to stop them from walking out on you. Why did you continue to stay? So that night after I went home, I was crying on the bathroom floor and it was just a rough night, I sent him a text where I was like, ‘hey, I don’t want to do stuff for a while.’ He kept asking me, not in a mean way, ‘hey, are you okay?’ And I was like, ‘I don’t know. I feel like I said no tonight.’ He kept apologizing to me a lot. And so it was like, oh, everyone makes mistakes, everyone gets caught up in the moment. It happens. It’s no big deal. But then, he wasn’t super chill after either. I thought it was a one time thing. And after that, it’s not that I said no. So I don’t call anything that happened after “sexual assault.” But I wasn’t really saying yes, either. I stayed because I thought he would change. After the assault, what happened? I think I was lying on my bathroom floor for hours, and I was just sobbing. And then you just look in the mirror [and] feel disgusted with yourself. You feel so violated that someone would do that to you. And then you sit there trying to figure out why someone who cares about you would make you feel that way and why you couldn’t just get over it. And then you feel like damaged goods. At some point, I think I just started to feel numb about it. I think I cried for a few hours and was laying on my bathroom floor. And I just couldn’t think about it because it hurt a lot.

for a while, I just blamed myself and I just really didn’t like myself. I felt kind of violated, I felt very raw. I just felt very vulnerable and raw all the time. I didn’t like to look in the mirror, and in those few weeks after, I did not blame him for it. I was just upset with myself for letting it happen.

it isn’t always the goal. Sometimes you just want to move on. [A] friend will be like, ‘you need to go to the counselor. You need to go tell an adult.’ But sometimes you just want it to not have happened.

You just look in the mirror [and] feel disgusted with yourself. You feel so violated that someone would do that to you.

Can you talk a little bit about what it feels like to gaslight yourself? When someone says they love you or they really like you or they really care about you, you trust that. But then it’s like, if they really cared about you, why would they have done that? And then you just feel like you weren’t good enough. And then you feel like you’re not enough. You didn’t want it to happen, but obviously they did. And it just feels like you couldn’t be enough for them. Like who you are on your own isn’t what they want. And then you feel like it’s your fault that it happened and [that] you should learn to be okay with it. How did you recover? I don’t know if I fully have, in all honesty, but I do think he’s not in my life at all anymore. I think he understands that he messed up. I’ve talked to him plenty, obviously, but I think at some point I was like, ‘I can’t have you in my life. And I don’t know if you realize that that was what it was.’ But I think not having him in my life was the worst part. I think knowing some of my friends who’ve gone through it helps and some people who [have] been there before him and after him helps, but I don’t know if you ever fully move on from it. I do think it’s something that affects me every day.

For you, what does “it doesn’t have to be rape” mean? Rape is sex, but I think there’s a lot of other things to it. Just because they didn’t have sex with you doesn’t mean they didn’t physically violate you.

I just blamed myself, and I didn’t really like myself. I felt kind of violated. I felt very raw.

And when you make that argument, who do you feel like you’re disagreeing with? I feel like I’m disagreeing with a societal standard: what constitutes bad enough. I feel like a lot of people don’t talk about it because we just kind of gaslight ourselves into the idea that it wasn’t as bad as it could have been like, “he touched me but at least he didn’t rape me.”

In the days and weeks following, how did you feel? I don’t think I brought the issue up with him until we broke up, which was like a month later. I think

Did you think that you wanted to try and talk to an authoritative figure? After we broke up, [even to] people who knew, I would just tell them he was still a good guy. It was just one bad night. I also think that bringing authorities into

With that in mind, do you feel like victims are supported in schools? I think-okay, hot take-I would say no, because of the issue that all adults at Creek are mandatory reporters. I know that I did not want to talk to a counselor because by law, they have to call my parents and explain what happened. That’s not really something that I want getting out. [It’s not] something I want to be known for; something I want my parents knowing. I think people do it with good intentions, but I think they’re just a little bit ignorant. What do you think Creek should do to better support victims? I feel like what’s missing from Creek is a way to find people who’ve been through it with no adult present. And I know there’s a legal issue behind it. But I think having a mandatory reporter is so dangerous because then you have a lot of people who stay quiet and don’t say anything out of fear of it going to the police. And for you, are the police a bad option? To me I don’t even fully hate this guy. I dated him for a while. I really cared about him. So to me, I’m not trying to ruin his life. I’m just trying to move on with mine.

Hayden Treter’s Path to USC

BRIANA FLORES Asst. Photo Editor

For many athletes, there are different ways their paths can go.

Giving up, going to play in community college, or becoming one of the best in the state. But for Treter, his athletic career led him to Division I football.

Hayden Treter grew up with football. Because of his background, Treter has been involved in football for his whole life, and has become a constant force on the field.

“A good thing about Hayden is he was very coachable. Once he figured out how hard you had to work to get to the goals that he wanted to get to, he turned out to be a very good football player for us,” offensive line coach Det Betti said.

Treter’s father attended the University of Colorado Boulder for football, and seeing that success inspired him to be like his dad.

Treter’s father coached him in the Arapahoe Youth Leagues, which tested his physical and mental limits, but also gave him an advantage over other players who were coached more leniently.

“My dad beat that [nervousness] out of me throughout practice and always made sure I was going against the biggest kid. Being the coach’s son has its privileges,” Treter said.

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

Treter also formed bonds with many other players on the team, including running back Jordan Herron, whom he started playing with during his junior year.

“Hayden is an amazing person on and off the field, he’s a leader and a captain,” Herron said. “[He] brings everything to the team, the energy, the chemistry, [and] the passion.”

In his sophomore year, his path changed dramatically; he started receiving D1 offers.

“When I got my first offer my sophomore year, I got it from Colorado State University and that was crazy to me,” Treter said. “I had no clue that I was good enough to actually get to that level, but I ended up getting five more [offers] that year.”

Treter had no idea what his next step was in this process, until Betti came to his rescue.

“He told me to get Twitter and Huddl (recruiting apps), and after every game [that] I needed to make a post [game] highlight and follow coaches to get my name out there,” Treter said.

“He’s a great player. From where he started to where he ended, it’s awesome to see the gains he made and how much better he got each year.”

Offensive Line Coach

Det Betti

Even though he was competing against them, he grew up playing against many Creek kids, which led him to eventually move into the Cherry Creek School District as a freshman.

Coming into Creek was an eye opening experience for Treter; he was entering a series of all new beginnings. Walking straight onto the varsity football team gave him the chance of a lifetime, but also a close friend.

“AJ Burton was the only other freshman at the time to be put on varsity. So he and I were both four year letter [players],” Treter said. “We both started sophomore year,

Treter continued to develop talent by joining more and more programs, like the University of Nebraska and San Diego State University camps, Treter saw 15 full-ride scholarships to D1 schools roll in.“It validated all of my needs and made it to where I was able to go all in,” Treter said.

Getting offers from D1 colleges really opened up Treter’s eyes to what could be next. After receiving an offer from the University of Southern California (USC), Treter found his home.

“I love coach [John] Henson, the offensive line coach. He put tons of guys in the NFL and I like spending time with him,” Treter said. “Being able to get a national championship would be amazing, [especially] to be a part of and be in the top team in the nation.”

EARLY LIFE

2011 - 2020

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.

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.

Regis, Valor & Creek Hockey Rank Nationally

QUINN RUDNICK & PETER PHILPOTT Junior Editor-in-Chief & Managing Editor

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

The Colorado Avalanche won the NHL Stanley Cup in 2022, the University of Denver men’s team won the NCAA Frozen Four the same year and in 2017; now, at the high school level, recent seasons have also been great ones.

Colorado’s three best high school hockey teams in the state are Valor Christian, Regis Jesuit, and Cherry Creek. And beyond the state level, these teams are ranked in some of the top teams nationally; coming in at 5th, 7th, and 56th respectively.

“We have a talent rich team, heavy with seniors. They’re battle tested,” Creek Head Coach Jeff Mielnicki said. “We’ve had so many games where we’ve won in the last period, held on to a one goal lead, or gotten a shutout.”

part in their success over the season. Despite playing tougher games against schools like Regis, the team believes they can still band together and move towards the playoff season.

“It’s been a great season so far.”

After multiple seasons of ranking below the fifties, these placements have served as a major marker for Creek’s success. While Valor has remained dominant, consistently ranking in the top twenty for the last four years, Creek’s and Regis’ success has waivered, due to many losses to rivals like Denver East, Monarch, and Chaparral.

Senior Eric Burggraf

“I feel that this Regis team is special because of the diverse amounts of upperclassmen and lowerclassmen,” Regis sophomore goalie Marc Brousseau said.

For Creek players, sportsmanship and strong team bonds have also played a large

“All the boys [have] a lot of passion for the sport and we really work together well as a team,” Creek senior center and left winger Eric Burggraf said. “So I think just the teamwork and the bond we have really creates a good environment on the ice.”

The three schools peaked in the final weeks of January: Creek was 10th, Regis was 5th, and Valor was 1st in national rankings. Regis took both of them down with adjacent victories, with Creek suffering a crushing 7-1 defeat on Feb. 2, and Valor falling 3-1 the next day. “I think everybody had a bad game, you just have to reflect on it,” Creek senior goalie Jack Ryan said after the loss.

Players like Burggraf, senior center and left winger Dominic Suchkov, and senior center and right winger Daniil Korobeynikov have driven success on offense. All three rank in 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 29th.

“This team has truly come together and it has shown on the ice.”

Regis Sophomore Marc Brousseau

“I feel that this season has been special for me personally because I have been 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:

Colorado high schools are ranked in some of the top sports in the nation, out of 873 schools. #6

- VALOR

#7 - REGIS #40 - CREEK

PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK

PHOTO BY PETER PHILPOTT

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.

BLOCK: Senior goalie Jack Ryan attempts to block a Regis shot on goal during a game on Feb. 2.

Jake Howell ‘Makes Wrestling a Lot More Fun’

ANDREI MACHADO Asst. Sports Editor

For 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

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.

WHAT ARE JAKE HOWELL’S PRE-GAME RITUALS?

1 2 3

LISTEN TO MUSIC TO CALM DOWN

Howell’s favorite songs are compiled into his PreGame playlist below.

INTENSE WORKOUT TO GET BLOOD FLOWING

Howell likes to warm up before matches by doing a series of small workouts like shoulder exercises.

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

TAKE-DOWN: Senior Jake Howell tackles a Valor wrestler during a meet on Feb. 2. Howell won the match, but Creek lost 45-24.

PHOTO BY QUINN RUDNICK

a&e The Other Oscars

Best Wig Trolls Band Together

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

Best Bathtub 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

Best Chevy Product Placement Barbie

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 Executed Motorcycle Jump Off Cliff 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

Be a Man, Wear a Dress: Femininity on the Rise in Men’s Fashion

BY JUDE GORDEN Features Editor

As Ron DeSantis very publicly proved, men can wear heels too. But what about dresses, cropped shirts, jewelry, and the other cornerstones of feminine fashion?

More androgynous clothing styles have been rising in popularity in men’s fashion. Men and feminine fashion aren’t just a pairing reserved for alt-right nightmares or Friday nights at the Drag Show anymore.

If femininity in men’s fashion is a fleeting fad, so be it. But if it continues to gain popularity, it will have a big impact on first impressions, worn-out stereotypes, and society’s outdated sense of “girl clothing” and “guy clothing” rooted in sexism.

Men in cropped tee shirts and pearl necklaces isn’t a revolutionary idea, but the growing popularity of the style is promising as the media is flooded with discourse around sexist ideas of what a man should be.

What is considered masculine has shifted back and forth over hundreds of years, but now, for the first time, it’s becoming popular for men to wear clothing that is currently considered feminine. The sharing of feminine fashion between men and women alike evens out the playing field, forcing men to step off their pedestal of gender superiority.

sparkly tights onstage, the everyman got harassed for wearing the same fashion. Society wasn’t ready for their male friends, family, and co-workers to embrace femininity, just unattainable celebrity figures.

“I assumed you were gay because you have good style,” was one of the first things said to me by a classmate this year. It didn’t bother me, but it shows how much people still rely on physical appearance to categorize and judge people. Because of people’s preconceived notions of men’s fashion, straight men must either forfeit their self-expression or be labeled as someone they’re not.

The general shift away from traditionally gendered clothing has sparked conversation among liberals and conservatives alike. Cries to “bring back manly men” are shouted from the rooftops while others preach that men in touch with their sexuality are more attractive.

The internet’s new heartthrob, actor Jacob Elordi, has adopted the trending style as well, modeling in crop tops and earrings galore. Whether his outfits are the work of a stylist or Elordi himself, he is living proof that men can still be seen as masculine while embracing their feminine side through fashion.

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.

What people tend to forget is that this isn’t the first male fashion revolution. Feminine men’s fashion wasn’t invented by teenage Instagram models, but was first brought to popularity by 1970s icons like David Bowie.

From silver eye makeup to one-legged jumpsuits, Bowie made it cool to dress effeminately, to live outside the norm. But while Bowie’s rock star style was widely admired, the look was grossly unattainable for the average person. While Bowie rocked his

For years, the only jewelry deemed “manly enough” has been chain necklaces and the occasional plain wedding band. Now, jewelry is finally being treated as a genderless way to accessorize. More people are starting to accept that ear piercings can be for men too, not just newborn babies and grown women.

As teenage boys line up at Claire’s to get their ears pierced for the low price of twenty dollars and a nasty infection, more traditionally female jewelry like pearl necklaces and dainty rings are making a comeback as well.

When women started protesting for the right to trade their skirts for slacks in the workplace, they were seen as unprofessional and inappropriate, similarly to how some

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 self-expres sion.

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

PHOTO BY WRYN DUEPRE

Q&A with Students

QWhat do you think about men wearing feminine clothing?

A

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

Sophomore Asher Guy

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

Junior Neveah Barta

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

A

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

Sophomore Isaac Reyes

A“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

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

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

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

Senior Matab Hamad

A

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

Sophomore Evalyn Smith

A

“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

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

Sophomore Bryn Exley

A“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

A History of Male Celebrity Femininity

David Bowie

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

Billy Porter

Wore a tuxedo gown at the 2019 Academy Awards

Kurt Cobain

Wore a dress on MTV in 1991

Kid Cudi

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

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

BY RUE MINAR Staff Writer

Ever 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

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.

PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY WRYN DUEPRE

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 there’s a lot of pressure on men to not.”

In the same survey, 17% of respondents said that they had to leave treatment 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

Influencers Lead Consumers Astray

BY AVA SEGALE Staff Writer

Influencers have overtaken advertising, allowing rampant consumerism to appear because of accessibility to posting, and the uncapped amount of videos a person can make.

In the past, decades have had a certain trendy look. The 1920s had flapper styles, the 1980s had bold colorful outfits, the 2000s had tracksuits. But because of the popularity of social media, trends are coming in and out of style faster than ever before.

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.

Many of these videos have created clothing trends like tennis skirts, Lululemon zip up jackets, flair leggings, oversized hoodies and t-shirts, Kendra Scott jewelry, UGG platform shoes, Hoka sneakers, Birkenstocks, North Face backpacks, puffer vests. And the list goes on.

Everyone wants to match these influencer aesthetics and own the “must have” items to fit in and feel like a part of a community. And since younger audiences are getting introduced to social media at a younger age, they are purchasing these products without regard to money which pulls kids into the culture of consumerism.

Because there are so many trends, and products are going in and out of style at rapid rates, an unnecessary mass production of similar products with lesser quality follows.

Influencers are often seen posting with their newest trendy items, or potential dupes of them. When trends are introduced, 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 thrown into landfill, to be replaced by another insta-famous product.

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.

Another example of consumerism is water bottles. We’ve gone from Nalgenes, to Camelbaks, to S’wells, to Hydroflasks, to Yetis, to Stanleys, to Owalas. And

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.

Building Renovations We Really Need

CCSD 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-

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

PHOTOS BY WRYN DUEPRE & QUINN RUDNICK ART BY LINA RAKHMANOVA

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

- Junior Molly Dorighi

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 across the season, the players upheld

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

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.

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

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

PHOTO BY KELLEN RINGLAND

PHOTO BY PETER PHILPOTT

ABOVE: Junior small forward Sophia Baal (#14) looks for a shot during the Great 8 game.

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

PHOTOS BY QUINN RUDNICK