the
CULTURE of
COMPETITON p. 15-16
13
table of contents
2
Sports
All I Want For Christmas Is To Make Weight GJHS wrestlers must avoid unhealthy foods in order to keep up with their weight | p. 13
News
What’s Next For 4A? Now that 4A has failed, it’s time for GJHS to determine how it can improve without it| p. 2 You Asked, We Answered: What’s up with HIV in Mesa County? | p. 3-4 A High School Explanation of Impeachment | p. 5
The Unrecognized Sports GJHS is filled with many sports who recieve no recognition. Learn more about them | p. 14
6
The Culture Of Competition The culture of sports at GJHS | p. 15-16
Students and Culture Forms Of Bullying At GJHS | p. 6 Giving Back For The Holidays Learn how to give back to those in your community who need it most | p. 7
front cover photos by madi martinez Lizzette Gonzalez, Rachel Flory, Abel Martinez, and AJ Dougherty come together to represent the sports they play.
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Get Your Head Out Of Your Apps Students are constantly on their phones using social media and texting their friends. At what point does it become addictive and affect their health | p. 10
17 Opinion
Get To Work! A step by-step-guide on how to get a job | p. 17 Think Before You Speak Every day you hear words that shouldn’t be spoken. Here is why you shouldn’t say these words and where they come from | p. 18 A Christmas Lie Santa Claus is important to the holiday season, but when does the lie go too far? | p. 21
news
What’s Next for 4A Now that 4A has failed, it’s time for GJHS to determine how it can improve without it by callie shea
Students and faculty put time and effort into advocating for Grand Junction High Schools piece of the bond money. Hours of campaigning and hosting fundraising parties were put into 4A, but from an outside perspective that may not be visible. However, on November 5th the bond did not pass. “The voters said no and I think there’s some mistrust with the school district based on the 1.2 million dollar dollar overspending from the previous superintendent,” principal Meghan Roenicke said. Many students personally put many weekends into campaigning passing out flyers or doing protests. Others simply contributed by voting. In local elections every vote is important because the elections do get down to the wire at times and, 5 extra votes in one direction could break the tie. The key is to go out and share stories and experiences so that people can truly know. Roenicke said that students have the strongest voice. “I feel bad for the kids that still have to go through, like being in the building after us because of how bad it already is,” Charles Thompson, senior, said. “It would improve security and all the pervious problems. And it wouldn’t just be this school either, its other schools. It’s just seven dollars, I would’ve voted on it if I could.” For some students they felt helpless in a position where they did not know how to contribute. Roenicke said some members of the community did not trust the bond money in the hands of the district following previous administrative decisions. In a small community like Grand Junction, trust is what will make a bond pass, Roenicke said. Keeping them updated with the great things the students are accomplishing keeps them engaged. They can then realize the high potential of GJHS’s students is no match for the building they learn in. “I always tell the community that we do great things in spite of our building. I spent a lot of time bragging about the staff, the students, how amazing our kids
are. Kids can practically be a full-time college student on our campus but our facilities can’t compete with CMU’s,” Roenicke said. Because the bond did not pass, Grand Junction will be making “face lift” renovations to keep it maintained. The more expensive renovations that need to be made will be pushed aside based on lack of funds, meaning things like making one singular entrance to the school or putting everyone under the same roof will have to wait. “The assistant superintendent, the head of maintenance and security are going to come out for a walk through and talk about if there is money to make changes and if so, what? The hard part is, nothing is going to overhaul our building. Anything that would, would be starting at at least $20 million,” Roenicke said. Grand Junction will be seeing changes even if they are not immediate. The library is going to be renovation and the cafeteria will be receiving support as well. Keeping up with small things to help out in the grand scheme of things will keep the school busy until the next election. Because 2020 will revolve around the presidential election, Roenicke said it is unlikely that 4A will be presented that year. It can be expected in 2 years on the 2021 ballot. “We aren’t asking for state of the art. We’re just asking for modernized. That’s it. That’s all, is just keeping up with the changes,” Roenicke said. Teara Alvarado and Mckayla Baitfoot participating in the student-lead walkout.
photo by bree peet
2
You asked, we answered:
What’s up with HIV in Mesa County? *Editor’s note: Before creating this issue, we were contacted by a few who had heard that there had been a dramatic spike in HIV cases in Mesa County. We were curious and looked into it, here’s what we found. by delaney kidd Since the end of August 2019, there has not been a spike in HIV cases in Mesa County. In fact, from January 1st to the end of August 2019, five cases have been reported to the Mesa County Health Department according to Heidi Dragoo, program manager of the epidemiology team. “We typically expect to see a couple of new cases of HIV every year,” Dragoo said. “We’re right on track compared to where we were last year.” In 2018, six cases of HIV were reported in Mesa County . According to a census done by AidsVu in 2017, the annual rate of reported HIV cases in Colorado was 9 in 100,000. Compared to Mesa County’s population of about 150,000, our numbers are typically lower. “If we look back over the last five
3
years, we see about three cases a Our Answer: year on average,” Dragoo said. That Since the end of August number fluctuates with 2016 having no reported cases compared to six 2019, there has not been reports in 2018. a spike in HIV cases in These numbers are pretty accurate Mesa County. too, according to Dragoo. “If someone doesn’t know their status, we certainly could be missing them,” Dragoo said. “In order to know if you have HIV you typically have to have a blood test. In the early stages you might feel a little sick or have a flu-like illness, but sometimes those symptoms can be mistaken for a lot of other things.” Although HIV is hard to detect without a test, the Mesa County Health to Mesa County Department is quick to interview Health Department from Jan 1 to end people who are infected and to notify of Aug 2019. partners. From there they track down all possible people who may also have HIV and get them tested.
5
cases reported
What is HIV? Where is the risk coming from? HIV is the human immunodeficiency virus, which can ultimately lead to AIDS if not treated. “It basically attacks your body’s immune system. Think of the little army that protects each of us from viruses and infections is broken down with HIV,” Dragoo said. ”When someone is infected with HIV they’re a lot more likely to get sick with other things because their body’s immune system isn’t as strong as someone who isn’t infected.” In early stages, symptoms can be flu-like such as fever, sore throat, and fatigue. Then, symptoms will often be absent until HIV progresses into AIDS.
AIDS is an acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, a potentially life-threatening condition. According to the University of California, San Francisco, in the 1980’s an AIDS epidemic broke out primarily in larger cities like New York and Los Angeles. What first seemed to be cases of pneumonia and Kaposi’s sarcoma were really the result of untreated HIV. Currently, there is no cure for HIV or AIDS, but there are medicines to control symptoms, and to prevent yourself from contracting it if you’re a partner of someone who has HIV.
Annual Rate
What Now? All of the cases that have been reported in 2019 have been all been over the age of 20, meaning the risk factor for teens is lower than it would be if any teen cases had been reported. “People who are most at risk of HIV are people who have a lot of sexual partners, especially anonymous sexual partners where they don’t know their HIV status,” Dragoo said. “Anyone who is sharing needles, either to inject drugs or otherwise, are at risk. HIV can also be passed from pregnant moms to babies during pregnancy, during birth, and also during breastfeeding.” In Mesa County most cases are sexually transmitted, which is common throughout Colorado. “It doesn’t spread through sharing food or drink, it’s not spread through kissing, through animals or insects and you can’t get it through the air or the water,” Dragoo said. Dragoo stressed the importance of getting tested, especially for teens. “I would encourage people that when they have a new sexual partner to get tested for a couple of things.
of reported HIV cases in Colorado was
9 in 100,000 Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV,” Dragoo said. In the last four years, Colorado and Denver specifically have seen a rise in sexually transmitted diseases, according to the Denver Post. Chlamydia jumped 24 percent in the last four years; more than one in every 100 people are diagnosed with Chlamydia. Gonorrhea and syphilis’ rates also increased, which grew to 150 percent and 75 percent. “As you have new sex partners, make sure you’re getting tested,” Dragoo said. “We offer testing regardless of ability to pay. We’re also a confidential clinic, meaning that students can receive services without having parents’ permission.” A lot of times students don’t feel comfortable talking to their parents about STI testing, pregnancy tests, or even sex education, Dragoo said. “Just know that we provide those services [at Mesa County Health Department] to anyone over the age of 13,” Dragoo said.
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WCCC by alyssa williams
Whether you like cooking, working on cars, designing art, making movies, or even welding, there’s a place for you at Western Colorado Community College. WCCC offers many programs. A few of these programs are Agriculture Science, Aviation Technology, Construction Electrical, Digital Filmmaking, Early Childhood Education, Nurse Aid,Veterinary Technology, and more. Junior Colton Fortney is taking the STEM course at WCCC, which includes 3-D printing. In their class Fortney said students “make 3-D designs, print them, and then do competitions.” Fortney found out about WCCC from his friend and would recommend it to other students.
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“Depending on your personality, there is something for everyone,” he said. Aubree Berg, junior, is taking the Culinary Arts one course. In that class Berg said students “take the Servsafe test, which is about cleaning.” Berg and students also learn how to cook.’ Berg found out about WCCC after going on the tour offered at beginning of Spring. Berg said she would recommend taking WCCC classes to other students. “You get credits that you can use for college, and you can also get a college experience,” she said. “It gives you a taste which can help you determine whether you want to go to college or not.” Wyatt Farnsworth, junior, is taking the welding course. In that
Did you know?
class Farnsworth said students start off with oxygen welding. You take an oxygen bottle and a settling bottle which mixturize and come out a neutral flame. Farnsworth said after that you start with your projects, which you can pick. Farnsworth originally found out about WCCC from his sister because she went there before and took automotive classes. “I got really interested in WCCC because they had welding and automotive and other courses, I thought it was pretty neat,” he said. Farnsworth said he would recommend taking WCCC classes to other students if they like hands on projects. There are projects for everyone at WCCC.
photo by alyssa williams and kyla dare
students & culture
forms of BULLYING by sophie middlemas
at GJHS
The formal definition of bullying is “to treat (someone) in a cruel, insulting, threatening, or aggressive fashion” according to The Merriam-Webster dictionary. The term “bullying” has become a broad term that people use more loosely or in place of more specific language due to different forms of bullying emerging. “We deal with a lot of cyber [bullying] like social media, Snapchat, not really Facebook but Snapchat is a big one,” said Meghan Roenicke, GJHS principal. “Bullying doesn’t happen like it used to, but we still get reports of kids shoulder-checking each other and that sort of thing.” Roenicke said GJHS mostly receives bullying reports that deal with conflict between two people. “Kids being excessively cruel, trying to make someone’s life miserable. We’ll have things where kids will get their friends to do it with them or to try and gang up on targets,” Roenicke said. “[Bullying] isn’t as common as kids move through high school, the most common grade level for bullying is 9th grade. Roenicke said bullying increases at every transition period, especially as groups of kids come together from different schools. She said it helps that GJHS is big enough that kids can on occasion get away from the people that are harassing them. Sophomore Erica Bryan said new technologies have made bullying different. “I see social media as the most common form of bullying at GJHS because most kids have resorted to that because it’s more personal and as much as I wish it wouldn’t happen it’s almost more hurtful than sometimes face to face bullying can be,” Bryan said. When bullying does happen, Roenicke said the school has a process. “We have a bullying investigation protocol that we go through, if it’s on Snapchat we ask kids to take a screenshot or screenshot it with someone else’s phone,” she said. “We investigate it, we look through our bullying protocol. We usually involve law enforcement
photo illustration by kyla dare if it is actual. We try to move away from calling it bullying because bullying is a really broad term and really over used.” The district staff tries to avoid using the term bullying and instead replaces the term with harassment or another term that more accurately describes the situation. “[We] involve law enforcement when it comes to harassment, intimidation, coercion, any of those things. So what we try to focus on is what is the actual behavior because bullying is about it being a repeated pattern that does one of those things,” said Roenicke. “We try to talk about that language because bullying gets really difficult to define as you get older.” “There is a good balance between cyber and physical because there is still nothing that is as mean and hurtful and terrible as in person making someone feel excluded or harassing them at school,” said Roenicke. “I think kids went to Facebook and Twitter and Snapchat more and now they seem to think that if they’re going to bully someone online then they might as well do it in person. I think the biggest problem we see is that kids watch it and they don’t say anything or they see it coming and they don’t do anything except take their phone out to record [the behavior].” Bryan said it’s sometimes hard to tell whether kids are roughhousing or bullying each other. “I have seen people start to get in a fight where people are bullying each other and not being respectful of one another,” said Bryan. Roenicke said the district has a bullying protocol developed by administration. “There are three questions that you have to answer right off the bat and then if they answer yes to any of those questions then they do the investigation,” she said.” There is a protocol about how you notify people, time frames around investigating it and those sorts of things. We really try to educate what bullying is and what bullying is not.”
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Giving Back for the Holidays Soup Kitchen by ashley guddat
Angel Tree
Christmas is a time for giving gifts. For some people that looks like getting the newest phone or a new laptop, but for others, it looks like getting necessities such as a hairbrush or a winter coat. You can help a child in the Grand Valley by choosing an “angel” to buy a gift, to make their Christmas special. If you want to participate, stop by Crossroads Fitness Downtown, Alpine Bank, or St. Joseph’s Catholic Church and choose a card off of a tree. The card includes the child’s name, age, and Christmas list which will help you determine the gifts you buy. Even small things can make a child feel like they are loved.
Everybody loves a good Christmas dinner. You can make sure the homeless get one as well. Volunteers are always needed to serve, prep, and clean at the Catholic Outreach soup kitchen. Contact the Soup Kitchen director at (970) 243-0091 if you would like to volunteer. If you are not available to volunteer your time you can also donate food items, especially fresh produce, fruit or dairy. 245 S. 1st st., Grand Junction, CO 81505 (970) 243-0091
Alpine Bank225 N 5th St., Grand Junction, CO 81501 (970) 243-5600 St. Joseph’s Catholic Church230 N 3rd St, Grand Junction, CO 81501
Operation Christmas Child
Donate Clothing Snowy days call for winter gear and no one is more in need of these items as the homeless community. The Catholic Outreach is always in need of warm winter items such as socks, sweaters, coats, hats, gloves, scarves and boots at this time of year. Look through your closet and donate any extra items in reasonably good condition to help someone stay warm through the winter months.
Be apart of something bigger than yourself this Christmas season. Make a shoebox of necessities such as a hairbrush, toothbrush, socks, or hats and a few small toys. This shoebox will then be wrapped and sent to a child in a foreign country. If you drop off the box at Canyon View Vineyard Church and pay a $9 donation, you can track your package to see where your gift went. occinfo@samaritan.org 736 24 1/2 Rd, Grand Junction, CO 81505
245 S. 1st st., Grand Junction, CO 81505. (970) 241-3658
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graphic by carson pope
Spice Up your Holidays Do you smell that? That’s the smell of holiday cheer! Students and teachers are filling their homes and even some classrooms with delightful treats. Here are some of their favorite recipes! by elise fero
Mrs. Campbell Wilson and her students filled the halls with Laurie Bennett’s Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread recipe: Ingredients - 1 can of pumpkin puree - 4 eggs - 1 cup of vegetable oil - 2/3 cup water - 3 cups white sugar - 3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda - 1 1/2 teaspoons salt - 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon - 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg - 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves - 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions 1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans. 2) In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water, and sugar until well blended. In separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into prepared pans. 3) Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Graycen Hansen, senior, and her family bake sweets and treats every year for the holiday season, her favorite being her Family Fudge:
Ingredients - 4 1/2 cups of sugar - 9 tbsp. cocoa - 6 tbsp. butter
- 3 cups milk - 4 1/2 tbsp. white corn syrup - 3 tsp. vanilla
Directions 1) Bring sugar, cocoa, milk, and white corn syrup to boil without stirring and bring to soft ball stage 236-240 degrees 2) Remove from heat 3) Add butter and beat until thick 4) Add vanilla 5) Pour into greased plate and chill
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Is Your Sleep Good Enough? sic Phy
graphic by callie shea
- Increased appetitie; lack of sleep releases more ghrelin, a hormone that promotes hunger - Obesity; each hour of sleep lost increases chances of obesity by 80% - Poor food choices; teens that sleep less than 8 hours of sleep per night consumed 2.2% more high-fat foods
71%
of parents are unaware their teens are sleepdeprived
50%
of teens report being excessively tired
Mental Healt
66% hP rob
get less than 7 hours of sleep per night
lems
- Depression; teens who go to bed after midnight are 24% are more likely to suffer from depression that teens than teens who fall asleep by 10 pm - Suicide Ideation; teens that sleep less than 8 hours a night are 3 times more likely to consider suicide
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al Health Problem s
46% of parents estimate their teen gets 8 hours of sleep at night
91%
of teens fail to get the required hours of sleep on a consistent basis
ee p l S f
Deprivation
o - Difficulty concentrating - Displays of moodiness and aggression - uses more “sick days” - Exhibiting laziness - Falls asleep in class or while doing homework - Sleeps 2 or more hours on weekends - Naps for more than 45 minutes regularly - Relies on a caffienated drinks to wake up
Sign s
by sophie middlemas
Teen sleep needs are not that much different from 9-12 year olds
87%
of high school teens sleep less than 8 hours a night
79%
have jam-packed schedules
20%
get less than 5 hours of sleep per night
97%
have at least one digital device by their beds
Sources: Rawhide Youth Services and Nationwide Children’s Hospital
get your
head
out of
your
apps photo illustration by madi martinez
Students are constantly on their phones using social media and texting their friends. They are taken with teens everywhere they go. At what point does it become borderline addictive and affect their health? by madi martinez A day in the life of most students: the boisterous alarm coming from your phone rattles near your ear. You pick up your device to view your social networks. After a few minutes you get ready and head to school while listening to music from your phone. Once you get bored in class you reach towards your technology to engage with your companions. At home after a long day, you scroll for a few hours until you finally decide to do something productive. If you were to take a step back and view your day, how much time would you have spent on your phone? “Every day, on average, I spend about three hours on my phone,” Sibany Bordon, junior said. “My phone keeps me connected, and the fact that you can access anything on your phone is helpful. I can even play a game if I’m bored.” In some way, we all are addicted to our technology. Dependence on phones is just like any other addiction. People cannot survive without them. They are constantly thinking about how or when we will use them again. Our society is even processing how we will use technology in the future and how it will make life better or worse. Automation is consuming our minds. According to PsychGuides.com this type of fixation is considered to be behavioral addiction which can lead to severe impairment or distress in one’s life. “Even when technology is causing personal harm, you still continue to persist in that activity or behavior. People who have cell phone addictions know that it’s harming their academics, but they feel like they need to have their phone and interaction in spite of that,” Brad Cronk, psychology teacher, said.
Not only does cellular devices cause harm with one’s academics, but it interferes with physical health. Humans carry their phones with them everywhere, and these devices are consumed with germs. Phones affect people’s sleep patterns and are part of other behavior related to putting off exercise and activity, easy access to social media content may influence you to eat in certain ways. “Young students brains are in their prime time of developing,” Cronk said. “Neurological pathways are being laid down and reinforced and the ones that aren’t being used are being pruned away. This may lead young adults to be more prone to these types of addictions later in life.” What about the people who do not have phones? How does their life differ from the average person with access to a device? All around GJHS there are students who do not own technology. Beckett Brown is one of these individuals. Brown received a flip phone for his birthday, yet he rarely has it on him. “I find it a lot easier to focus, but connecting with others is much harder,” Brown said. “My favorite thing about it is that I don’t get brought into all the drama that goes down.” Brown believes his life is better without a smartphone because it would distract him from what’s going on around him. Most people who own phones tend to only see things through their social media, and they fail to pick their head up and see the current events around them. “Life without phones would mean there is a lot more human interaction directly,” Brown said.
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A Day in Larry’s Life Reduce, Reuse, Recycle by alyssa williams
photo by zach shettler by zach shettler Larry LeFebre, the school liaison, worked as a banker before retiring and joining the Grand Junction High School Staff eight years ago. LeFebre has three children and two grandchildren and enjoys spending time with his wife and family. He also enjoys golfing and being outdoors. As school liaison, LeFebre arrives to school early to check all doors to ensure they are locked except for doors that are allowed to be unlocked. “This is my retired job,” LeFebre said. “I love it. I have the best job in the whole school.” As the first bell approaches, LeFebre sets up cones on Tiger Avenue for the buses and acts as a crossing guard so students are able to safely cross Fifth Street. During lunch, LeFebre patrols campus to help students and monitor safety. “I’m usually assigned to an area, or I just roam in the golf cart from Sherwood to Taco Bell,” LeFebre said. In the afternoon, LeFebre continues patrolling the hallways and also closes Tiger Avenue for the buses. He said he is usually able to go home by about 3:30 p.m. LeFebre said monitoring school safety is the most important duty of his job. His favorite part of his duties is interacting with students and being able to be present for any problems students may be having. “I’m on kind of a different level than the administration and everybody because I’m in the halls a lot, and I feel almost like I’m going back to high school again,” LeFebre said. LeFebre is passionate about his job and helping students. He wants students to know that if they need anything they should feel free to talk to him in the hallways. “I’d like to let the kids know I’m here for them. They can come to me with anything and I’ll send them in the right direction, or I’ll try to help them” LeFebre said. “I want them to have a good experience here at Grand Junction.”
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Did you know that the average person consumes about 70,000 tiny pieces of plastic each year? Plastic can release harmful chemicals into the soil and ocean. These chemicals can create toxic substances in the soils where we grow food, and the water we drink. In order to keep the environment, and ourselves, clean, here are some things that you can do to prevent plastic from polluting our community. Substituting plastic we use everyday with biodegradable, or recyclable items can help prevent plastic pollution. Some things students use everyday can be very harmful to the environment. Just simply switching out these items for a more environmentally friendly dupe can help keep our soils and oceans clean. Items that you can use to help are reusable straws, recyclable bags, reusable or recycled school supplies, or even biodegradable phone cases. Recycling old plastic can also help the environment by using old or used plastic and making it into something new. Junior Lauren Fossett said she uses a hydro flask and a metal straw in her everyday life to help the turtles and the animals in the ocean keep from dying of plastic. She also recycles. Fossett said these acts help the environment by not clogging the ocean and keeping the environment clean. Junior Ryan Mathis uses an old sports bottle and tea diffusers that are reusable. Mathis believes that using reusable items helps the environment. “It prevents a lot of litter especially around the school which can harm the wildlife,” Mathis said. He thinks that people may not recycle or use reusable items because it’s a hassle. Lori Jacobsen, librarian, said she uses reusable or recyclable food storage containers and a hydro flask. Jacobson said she believes using these items helps the environment by “not loading up the landfill as much and being able to reuse things instead of filling the earth with trash.”
graphic by carson pope
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sports
All I Want for Christmas
is to Make Weight
GJHS wrestlers must avoid unhealthy foods in order to keep up with their weight
by jared hanks graphics by annika sisac
Cutting weight is no easy task for wrestlers, and the holiday season adds new challenges for starving wrestlers such as stuffing and turkey. The tiger wrestlers will be challenged to watch what they eat when Thanksgiving and Christmas rolls around. As the wrestling season approaches, many of the tiger wrestlers are working towards cutting the last bits of weight in order to be ready for the first day of practice. Cutting weight is one of the most important aspects to wrestling, the tiger wrestlers need to be ready to drop to their weight category. It’s not just cutting weight and eating right that’s important, conditioning is one of the key elements to staying in shape throughout the season. Sophomore Andrew Leyba is an upcoming prospect for the tigers photo by bree peet who has been working towards a state title. He takes wrestling seriously. “I enjoy spending time with my family. I always gotta watch my weight so I don’t go overboard on the turkey and stuffing. I always stay in shape even if it considers going to the gym or running, the most important thing is to watch your weight, you don’t want to eat so much and then think
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about how you are going to lose it,” Leyba said. Wrestling comes down to dedication and hard work, Leyba will do whatever it takes to stay at 106 even if that means sweating off some weight everyday. Junior Kieran Thompson is another wrestler that puts in a lot of work and is ready for the holiday season. “I run and workout for most of the time during the holidays but I also think it’s important to take a mental break so I will go snowboarding and spend time with my family,” Thompson said. For Thompson the holiday season can be rough. “It’s important to stay dedicated and disciplined over the holidays,” Thompson said. Being a wrestler can be tough because it can be easy to get out of control while eating. Thompson is confident and ready for the 2019-2020 wrestling season to get underway. While the holiday season might be a bit of an obstacle for the tiger wrestlers, they’re not going to let it stop them from accomplishing their ultimate goal as a team: a state title. The tigers are looking at having yet another amazing season out on the mats, hopefully taking their talents to the Pepsi Center in late February.
The Sports A
s you walk in front of the stadium, the lights beam on your face, the students’ screams echo into your ears, and the feeling of the cool air surrounds you. Anxious feeling begins to arise. The coach speaks. Her words are engraved in your mind, and the thought that you have to give your best performance pounds in your brain. It’s time. You burst into the stadium and begin
to hype up the crowds. Sports mean so much more than just having a ball and doing some type of physical activity. Cheerleaders, chess players, drag racers, marching band members, bowling members, color guard members, and martial arts athletes who attend GJHS who are not recognized for their dedication and hard working demeanors.
by madi martinez graphics by carson pope
Martial Arts is a unique sport because it is an activity that helps individuals defend themselves. It consists of various sports and that originated in the Japansese origin, that originated as forms of self-defense or attack, such as judo, karate, and kendo. To do this takes a lot of strategy and technique in order to protect oneself. “It really makes you think, and you have to stay focused in a different perspective than most sports,” Parker Beaurguard, senior said.
Marching band demands everyone to more a whole and to know their timing when to begin and end certain moves. Band members said these factors can be arduous because at times, participants may not see the drum major or cannot hear the instruments around them. This sport also mandates strength to hold their instruments and to stand for long periods of time. “The events marching band attends are Colorado West, Qualifiers (for state), and state. These tournaments are in Denver and Colorado Springs with the 4A and 5A schools in Colorado,” Tyler White, sophomore said.
Bowling takes a lot of time to practice because bowlers must hone certain skills in order to adequately hit all the pins. Weekly tournaments on Thursday become very competitive and overly serious. This makes the athletes stress about their scores versus their opponents. Besides the challenging aspects these athletes still have so much fun, and they really enjoy doing what they love. “I have never bowled in my entire life, so this is my first year. I am trying to learn all the stuff, and it is challenging to do that,” Noah Lohar, senior said.
Chess is considered as an individual sport because one-on-one competition. Chess club members take it very seriously, and they practice in person and online on chess.com. Chess may not seem like a sport to you until you come to realize that it requires a lot of strategy. It is a tactical game, so it is made to challenge and puzzle you a bit. These type of athletes may not be the average ones, but they still do require a lot of knowledge on their craft. Every Thursday, the members of chess club compete against one another in the school library. “We could use more people in the club, so do not hesitate to join,” Warin Watson, junior said. GJHS’s color guard team is one out of the many hard sports. This enterprise is a group full of dedicated and strong contenders. They spend hours on end practicing their techniques, timing and strength, all for a few performances. Color guard must be in sync with one another, along with that they must go along with the music that the band is performing. In the off season students compete in winter guard, which includes more competition in Denver and Colorado Springs. “Everything about color guard challenges me because it requires a lot of muscle, and knowing where to place your body at what time so you don’t hit yourself,” Sidney Ficklin, senior Said. The GJHS cheer team is challenged in many different ways. They are required to memorize over 40 cheers and they’re responsible for influencing the students to cheer loud to support the teams. Cheer members said it takes a mass amount of courage for these athletes to get in front of many people while doing difficult stunts, cheerleader Posta said. “I have been cheering for many years, and before I did cheer I thought you just stood there, but it is actually the opposite. You have to be thinking of cheers constantly,” Jenalee Posta, freshman said. Drag racing is a sport that is uncommon because the risk levels are immense. Many surprising factors may arise in competition. Racers have daily practices, and they put a lot of time and work into their vehicles. These athletes also must acquire a fit physique in order to build and control their automobiles. The competitors travel to Las Vegas, Denver, and Boise. “Drag Racing is very time consuming and may interfere with school because you always need to be improving your race car,” Bree Peet, junior said.
Unrecognized
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The Culture Of
by annika sisac
There is no “I” in team, yet it seems as if athletes and coaches struggle to balance healthy competition with being a team player. According to Sheri Gordon, former editor of Columbus Parent magazine, bullying and lack of support in athletics can come from teammates and even coaches. From harassing an athlete when they mess up, to targeting someone because they receive more praise and success, toxicity can show up in athletics in many forms. Senior lacrosse player, Rachel Flory, said she has experienced unhealthy team culture. “In general, the long bus trips. It was like a bus clique almost,” she said. “Every single
Why has cross country seemingly embraced a healthy balance between competition and collaboration? According to David Sleeper, English teacher and cross country coach, many factors have contributed to their success. “It’s an individual pursuit, and because you are individually challenging yourself it doesn’t matter how fast you are compared to everybody else,” Sleeper said. Sleeper said that the team holds team dinners before meets to create bonding opportunities. He also admits that the team culture of cross country hasn’t always been this way.
time I remember I rode with the same people every trip. I feel like if anyone ever tried to
He said the team has definitely struggled in the past and then progressed into what it is
go on a different bus they would be like, ‘you shouldn’t be on this bus, get off.’”
today. For other teams, breaking out of a toxic cycle is difficult.
Often in any competitive situation, whether work, sports, or school, people are
According to Withers, a trend on the lacrosse team of exclusivity and players going
isolated. Gordon has recognized that athletes can be “ganged up on” if a so called
rogue has contributed to many girl’s lacrosse player’s negative perception of the team
“leader” dislikes them, if they do not perform as well as others, or if they are a promising
culture.
player.
Withers lamented about the year that she and another freshman made varsity. She
Teams are also often separated by ability, grade and other dividing factors.
said because they were freshmen on a team of all upperclassmen they missed out on
“Our team really struggles with cliques, the whole upperclassmen and lowerclassmen
bonding.
thing,” Takiah Landes, sophomore basketball player, said. “The upperclassmen are more
“I don’t remember one time that we got talked to,” Withers said.
like, ‘oh were older we’re going to make varsity, you guys don’t matter’. And they don’t
In her experience the girl’s lacrosse team has struggled for many years with their
necessarily involve us in stuff. They’re pretty rude, and they don’t pass to us.” According to Marcel Schwantes, founder and chief human officer of Leadership from the Core, toxic competition is a learned trait that starts with the educational system. “Later in life, as we go through the educational system, resources become scarce and we learn that in order to attend the best schools, make the football team, etc., we have to compete with each other,” Shwantes wrote in an article. This trend is reinforced with competition to get into colleges and be promoted for jobs. Everyone wants to be the best, and with this mindset a team setting can evolve into a sort of “Hunger Games,” with every person for themselves. “While healthy competition is good, a culture born and bred on competitiveness will be the behavior of choice, thus killing any chance for collaboration,” Schwantes said. Many runners on the cross country team said they don’t struggle with these issues. “On cross country we are all goofing off,” Morgan Withers, senior said. The cross country team has a really strong team dynamic. According to Withers, she feels comfortable joking around and relating to her teammates. She also says that she
team dynamic. “Sophomore year we had two ‘star players’ and they only played with each other, and we were all just kind of there,” Withers said. “And the same mindset happened junior year when a girl thought she was really good and no one else could compete with her. That just caused a really weird team dynamic over the years.” General razzing can even cause issues on teams. Dakota Larsen, senior baseball player, said that its all jokes and games until someone gets really offended. “One time there were just two guys razzing each other, and then someone didn’t like what the other guy said and that led to an altercation. They were pushing each other and stuff,” Larsen said. According to Larsen, athletes are sometimes mean to each other because they don’t want someone else to be better than them. On the swim team multiple girls said that the structure of practices contributed to a toxic dynamic. “When we were in the pool they separated us by lanes based on how fast you are,
experiences less stress and anxiety during running season because of how close the team
so the first lane was fastest and the twelfth lane was the slowest. It made you so self
is.
conscious and it made us all compete with each other,” Withers said.
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According to Withers, this approach created a
game. The lanes based on times work in the same way.
competitive atmosphere that caused unnecessary
Ryan also recognizes the problems with the swim team’s
stress and ill will towards their teammates because
dynamic in the past, but said she has new tools to improve the
“[it] turned us all against each other.”
culture of swimming in the future.
Schwantes said that although creating a
“We decided to bring in some more team work, so
competitive atmosphere pushes people to want to
instead of being just a bunch of individuals on a team,
be better it also negatively impacts the attitudes
we want to come together as a team,” Ryan said.
people have towards each other.
With the help of a new coach Denice Thompson,
The two different categories of swimming are what
Ryan created a pyramid that represents teamwork
affect junior swimmer, Kayte Ellis, the most.
activities and focuses to create an improved team bond.
“You have the two categories. You have the club girls
Senior football player Colton Harvey said that the
and then you have us normal swimmers,” Ellis said.
football team generally gets along, but the coaches can
From her experience, Ellis said the club girls have
contribute to tension.
rituals they do before every swim meet and up until
“We have a lot of good coaches, but
last year the high school swimmers were not
sometimes they yell at a player if they screw
part of those rituals because they were not
up. Some of the coaches are like, ‘just shake it
part of the club.
off,’ but then others hold a grudge,” Harvey
When athletes are segregated by
said.
skill, favoritism, or performance this further
Harvey says in games when the
contributes to negative views of others and
situations become heated, coaches have
bullying, Gordon said.
trouble keeping their cool and modeling good
However Janet Ryan, swim coach, has a different
team dynamics.
perspective.
“In games when stuff starts going bad the coaches
As for separating the girls into lanes, Ryan said
start blaming each other and it starts getting kind
that “if I’m swimming my set in thirty seconds and the
of toxic on the side lines,” Harvey said. “We are
next lane is swimming in thirty five seconds, we can’t
supposed to be working as a team and they are
swim in the same lane.”
a team, too. Just because one part of the team
Unlike what the swimmers have explained, Ryan
isn’t doing well, we can’t throw the blame on that
said that certain lanes don’t define your skill level
one coach.”
or capabilities. The swim coaches encourage and
Athletes choose to play sports for a variety
challenge their girls to say, “hey, I want to be in the
of different reasons. From the love of the game,
thirty lane, so I’m going to have to work hard to be in
to getting some exercise, sports give youth a
that lane.”
positive atmosphere to grow. Competition can be
Ryan compared this technique of practice to
a healthy part of the game, but it can also be
basketball. If an athlete is benched during a game they
the secret opponent.
want to get better so they can play in the next varsity
Healthy Team Culture
Toxic Team Culture »»
Targeting team members who do not perform as
»»
Intimidating the most promising players in order
»»
well as others.
»» »»
to eliminate the competition for the best positions and the limelight.
»»
Targeting, intimidating and coercing new team members
»»
Ganging up on team members because a “leader” on the
»»
Targeting someone because they get more attention and
and forcing them to prove they belong on the team.
praise from the coach or because they appear to be the
»»
Bonding Opportunities Awareness of plans to diffuse personality
»»
Meaning of the hard work athletes put forth
»»
clashes Respect for self and competition Ownership: No Excuses
Source: David Sleeper; Bo Hanson with Athlete Assessments; graphics by carson pope
coach’s favorite. »»
Shared and respected set of values
»»
»»
team does not like them.
Individual athletic goals
Warrick Wood with Believe Perform; Jim Taylor with Psychology Today.
Harassing team members when they make a mistake. Threatening team members about doing well in games and practices because
they might steal the limelight Source: Sherri Gordon
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Don’t whistle at me, I’m not a dog
opinion
Catcalling and objectification has a strong effect on others even in 2019
ONE IN 6 WOMEN
The Greeks wore very little clothing and they created statues of naked bodies that are now in museums. The Fuegians from South America wore clothing at times, but also walked around naked. For most early populations, clothing was just about warmth or protection, according to BBC. Yet, today, in current society bodies are taboo. Nudity and our natural forms are looked at completely different than our historical past. Men and women are being sexualized for the way they look, and a culture of over sexualization and rape has prevailed. The act of catcalling according to Merriam-Webster dictionary is a loud, sexually suggestive call or comment directed at someone publicly, and to objectify is to treat as an object or cause to have objective reality. According to NPR, 77% of women have experienced verbal sexual harassment. The same study by NPR also reported that 81% of women have experienced sexual harassment, and 43% of men have. “Men don’t see women as things that aren’t just for sex,” said Delani Smith, senior. She has felt personally victimized. Not only had she developed a fear of being objectified from being told stories, she has also experienced it herself.
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“I was in middle school, probably like twelve, and these grown men… they did the whistle thing,” said Smith. “I was like, I’m literally a child.” Objectification starts at a young age and says a lot about the world we are living in. People are looking at others as objects, not just humans. “At six in the morning during middle school, I would be afraid, like I would have a flashlight and my mom gave me this little thing that you can pull apart and it screeches really loud,” said Smith. From a young age, girls are told and given devices to defend themselves against people who attempt to inflict harm on them, like pepper spray and the device Smith was given. “We were walking downtown at night one time…[a man] was kind of like, following us so we ran to my car. My dad, he’s a police officer, it’s programed in him where you have to be careful because women specifically, especially walking alone at night or two teenage girls. It’s ‘easy prey’ kind of thing,” said Smith, on another instance. “It’s totally objectifying, I don’t think it’s cool at all,” said John Petefish, junior. He claimed he hadn’t personally been victim of objectification, but he “had friends who have.” While it isn’t voiced as loudly, men are victim to rape, oversexualization, and catcalling
as well. “They are seen as less of victims even though they are just as much so as women are,” Smith said. Stigmas toward victims of assault and objectification are part of the reason the subject still remains taboo. The subject is hard to talk about, and many cases remain silent. According to RAINN, the United States largest anti-sexual violence organization, every 73 seconds, someone in the nation is sexually assaulted. One in six are women, 1 in 33 are men, and the majority are ages 18-34. While the issue remains, there are hotlines and facilities to help those affected to receive support and help. RAINN has a whole website dedicated to helping and supporting, and you can call 800.656.HOPE (4673) to receive immediate help from a trained professional. In conclusion: You are not alone. “It’s horrible for lack of a better word. I mean seriously, the fact that they think that they have the right to own someone else’s body and make them do something they don’t want to do just for themselves is disgusting and atrocious,” Smith said.
by elise fero
ONE IN 33 MEN
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2 1 3 4 5 A great place to start when hunting for a job is reaching out to places you enjoy going to. It makes it very difficult to enjoy work when you don’t like where you work. After exploring those options, look for places where other people your age are working. They will most likely be hiring people in your age group. You will also know more people you’re working with. The place to search for a job would be on indeed. com, which will generate options for you.
When you find a place where you want to apply, it is important to pick up the application inside. This way you can introduce yourself to the person in charge and make a good impression before you even apply. Shake their hand when you exchange names to show respect and that you are mature. Offer to fill out the application at the site so that they know you are highly interested in the position. If you wait days to fill out the application, then your introduction could be forgotten.
Presenting yourself in a mature way is important. You need to consider the level of formality at your job. If you are trying to get hired in an office job or an upscale restaurant, I would recommend a formal attire. For less formal jobs, jeans and a nice blouse or collared shirt would be very presentable. Most importantly, wear something that you feel comfortable in because you don’t want to feel uncomfortable during the interview.
GET TO WORK!
A step-by-step guide on how to get a job by callie shea
A week after the interview, send a form of a thank you card whether that be an email or handwritten card. Simply thanking them for taking the time to interview can go a long way. If they don’t get back to you right away, stay patient. If it has been longer than three weeks it is safe to start looking for other options.
Once you apply it may take time for the business to get back to you. This doesn’t immediately mean that you aren’t hired. After at least a week or more it is acceptable to call and “check up” on your application, but they will most likely tell you that they are still reviewing it. Regardless, this shows your interest. If it has been more than two weeks since you called in, it is safe to assume that they have chosen a different applicant. This does not mean you are unworthy of a job, it just means that you should keep looking, which is normal. If you receive a call from them, you should prepare for the next step.
The most important piece of this process is to be yourself. Look at the interview process like a conversation. If you convince yourself that it is just a conversation you will feel more comfortable. Try to stay vocal and outgoing. They want to see that you are a people person, especially if the job you applied for requires you to engage with people. Maintain a calm body position, and try not to be fidgety. Keeping good eye contact is also important so they know you are listening and focused. If you struggle with that, look at the bridge of their nose; they can’t tell the difference. Be confident in what makes you qualified for the job, and be confident that you can get hired.
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THINK
before you speak by bre kircher
Every day you hear words that depending on who said it, probably should’t be spoken. Here is why you shouldn’t say these words and where they come from.
The “N Word” The word is connected to the word Negro. People used it to refer to slaves and to distinguish them from a white person with the same name. “I believe people who use it today are either familiar with its racist connotations and don’t care or they don’t understand the racist and horrible history surrounding the word itself... I don’t think the fact that it and related terms are used in music and popular culture should act to normalize their use,” Christine Spillane, history teacher, said.
The “B word” In the 1920’s the word started to become an insult that meant the woman in question was promiscuous. “People shouldn’t call girls the b word because no girl really deserves to be put down in that way, no one understands how much girls go through on a regular basis...I always put others around me first [so] being called [the] b word takes down my spirit to a different level because it’s not true about me, or really any girl who goes to our school,” Amber Redmon, junior, said.
Fa**ot The word wasn’t used to mean a “homosexual” until it appeared in a book called “a vocabulary of criminal slang”. It most likely came from a term of abuse, that was used in the 18th century when referring to an irritable and offensive woman. Now it is used as an abusive term towards gay or overly feminine men. “I think that others shouldn’t call anyone the fa word because it’s been used as an offensive slang over multiple decades, starting by targeting one specific sexuality to nearly any sexuality,” Colby Fisher, senior, said.
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Let’s talk about it: What influences the use of derogatory terms?
Music: In music, many artists refer to women as “the b word” and black artists use “the n word” to refer to themselves or someone else. Sometimes, people feel inclined to sing along to this music without having the right to sing or speak those words. Any body who is a race other than African American shouldn’t speak or even sing “the n word”. “The b word” shouldn’t be used in a harmful way or at someone.
Geography: According to CityLab, people are more inclined to use and search “the n word” based on where they live in the United States. The areas that used it the most were states in the South and East. That information may serve as a more direct indicator of racial attitudes and the extent of discrimination and prejudice towards Blacks in a geographic area.
What does being a leader look like and what does it mean for success? by jared hanks
Growing up, my father showed that leading by example was the best path to success. From the classroom to the field, I always persisted to follow in my father’s footsteps. Being head coach for the Mavericks baseball team, he’s approaching his 900th after 21 years at the helm. His coaching career speaks for itself, representing 21years of hard work and dedication. Watching him taught me to never quit, to keep pushing through adversity no matter how tough the situation is, whether that’s hitting a baseball or solving a math problem. Leadership takes many different forms in many different professions. Many think of leadership as a way to lead a team. Others think of leadership as a way to support people. Senior Andrew Bennett is the captain of the academic team, Bennett believes leadership affects everyone on the team. “I have to be the anchor for the team because it’s easy to get in your own head, and if you don’t get out of your head a match can easily be botched.” Theatre leader and senior Joey SantaMaria said that there are several people to watch over to make sure they’re doing their job, in theatre everyone has to work together and be on the same page or everything can fall apart. “There’s a handful of responsibilities when being a leader for the theatre department. My personal role is PR/Marketing representative. I handle all social media and marketing,” SantaMaria
said. In general, each and every theatre leader makes sure that everyone is included, encouraged, and having fun. As a team we all work together to make sure that everything runs as efficient as possible,” SantaMaria said. Theatre is handled like a business to make sure that everyone is doing what they’re supposed to be doing. For Senior Maximillian DeGeorge, leadership on the basketball court is another challenge because of how fast the game moves. He said being a leader on the court means making sure that everyone is locked in and ready to go along with knowing the plays and where everyone needs to be. “It’s important to lead by example and never take a shortcut in order to create winning and successful culture in our program,” DeGeorge, senior, said. As a senior catcher for the GJHS baseball team, I need to make sure that everyone is always talking and communicating out on defense. Telling where the defense needs to throw the ball is the second most important job for me. Calling pitches and being on the same page as my pitcher is the first most important job for me. Being a catcher, all of these responsibilities are very crucial in any situation; winning or losing you always need to make sure the team is focused. As leadership takes its many forms, leadership wherever you go will be the starting point to success. Leadership will speak through whatever you’re trying to accomplish. The results will reflect on your leadership.
Jesse Ynojos, Freshman
“My family drinks a lot of tea and cranberry juice, they mix the two together. It’s actually really good. I know people who mix peanut butter and pickles.”
Brenan Johnson, Senior
“Macaroni and ketchup. Hotdogs and macaroni.”
Would you try it? by mckenna bryant
Zach DuBois , Sophomore
“I dip my cheese stick in yogurt. And most people think it’s weird. I just dip it and then bite it. I’ve done other weird things like ranch and peaches.” graphics by carson pope
Megan Lederman, Junior
“Potato chips and hot sauce.”
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A Christmas Lie
Santa Claus is important to the holiday season, but when does the lie go too far? by ashley guddat Santa is such an imperative part of the Christmas season, sometimes we forget that he doesn’t exist. Children spend hours writing letters with their Christmas lists, setting out cookies for him on Christmas eve, and staying up late, waiting for him to bring them toys. Most parents encourage this notion to stimulate Christmas magic. Although Christmas is a time for having fun and entertaining fantasies, sometimes these festivities can get out of hand. When I was little I remember that my older sister, who was in second grade, once told a girl that Santa wasn’t real. Later that day, my mom received a phone call from the other girl’s
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mom who was upset that my sister had told her daughter Santa didn’t exist. She wanted her daughter to believe Santa was real so badly, she asked my mom to tell my older sister to lie to her daughter the next day, telling her that Santa was real. Why would parents go to such lengths to lie to their children? Not only does it upset children when they find out Santa isn’t real, but think about how this could create a lack of trust between children towards their parents. And, while some might say that Santa is an innocent lie to create a spirit of joy during Christmas, this one small lie often snowballs into many more smaller lies to uphold the bigger one. “I believe that honesty trumps all else 99% of the time [and] Santa is not one of the exceptions,” my father Josh Guddat said. “We were always very real with our kids in terms of letting them imagine Santa like a fairytale, but we absolutely told them that Santa was not real.” Jasmine Ortiz Garcia, a junior, has a different view. “I mean, it is all part of the joy as a little kid. [Parents] want to make [their kids] happy so I don’t think it would be bad [to tell them about Santa],” Garcia said. However, what a lot of parents don’t look at, is the long term effects of this small lie. How can you trust what your parents say when they lied to you about one of the most important figures in your life? These lies can also leech over into other figures you once believed were real like the Easter Bunny or the Tooth fairy. One small lie is not going to ruin a relationship especially as a small child, but honesty is a fundamental part of a healthy relationship, and lying over time will have a negative effect on it. So while it is fun to imagine a jolly, old man with a white beard and a red coat bringing you Christmas presents in a sleigh pulled by magic reindeer, you might also want to imagine what the ramifications might be for perpetuating a myth.
graphic by carson pope
Don’t Neglect Our Needs In the spring of 2019, the Orange and Black Newsmagazine released a special issue about the condition of Grand Junction High School. The evidence was damning; GJHS needs a new building. When November came around and the bond didn’t pass, the same words were said by administrators and campaign supporters: this isn’t over. The school is still unsafe for students and still has more problems than we could fix. The fight to build a school continues because we can’t wait for the school to repair itself. We also can’t wait for disaster to strike to build a new Grand Junction High School. For students at GJHS, it feels like it’s over. As each class graduates and we go on with our lives we may not remember the building. Four years of your life goes by quickly and the little things like the school’s condition might be forgotten in a few years. What students will remember is how the adults of Grand Junction have failed them time and time again. We may not understand what it means to be a homeowner and pay a $7 tax increase, but we understand when we aren’t a priority. As an editorial board made up of mostly seniors, we are thinking about Policy The Orange & Black, a legally recognized public forum for student expression, is published four to six times a year by the digital publishing and news magazine class for students of Grand Junction High School. Expression made by students in the exercise of the freedom of speech or freedom of press is not an expression of District 51 school board policy. The views expressed in The Orange & Black do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff, adviser, GJHS administration or the School District 51 administration. Board policy regarding student publications (JICE, JICE-R) is available in the journalism room (Rooms 140-141) or in the principal’s office. Letters to the Editor The Orange & Black welcomes and encourages letters to the editors. This is a chance to express your viewpoint
The Orange & Black Staff Editors-in-Chief Delaney Kidd Madi Martinez
our futures and where we go from here. Most of us, speaking on behalf of the senior class, don’t want to stay in Grand Junction. And most of us don’t want to come back once we’re done with college or wherever we go next. Grand Junction is a great town that holds a lot of potential, but we’ve also dealt with a community that doesn’t value its youth. We all want the same end goal: to be proud to be apart of Grand Junction, Colorado, but how do we do that when the youth feel helpless? Without a supported youth, the future of Grand Junction is at stake. Enrollment rates are down at Grand Junction High School, and we believe this is in part to the other high schools having more to offer students. Palisade has the IB program, Central has the Stem program, and Fruita has growing subdivisions, yet GJHS remains unchanged. Here’s our solution and message to the community. In 2021 when the bond is put on the ballot again, you cannot ignore the crisis. We do not have enough time to ignore Grand Junction High School’s state. The longer we wait, the more expensive and dangerous the school becomes.
on important issues. Letters should be limited to 250 words. They will be edited for space and legal considerations, but not for inaccuracies, grammar or spelling. Letters must contain information pertinent to the students of GJHS. The staff retains the right to not publish any letter not meeting these requirements. Unsigned letters will not be published. Please submit typed letters in person to Room 140-141 or via mail or to megan. fromm@d51schools.org Cost Single copies free. Where available, additional copies of this paper are available for purchase for 50 cents each. Contact The Orange & Black for more information. Taking more than one copy of this paper with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading this edition of the paper is prohibited (C.R.S. 18-4419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty under C.R.S. 13-21-123, will be prosecuted.
Page Editors Jared Hanks Callie Shea McKenna Bryant
Online Editor
Sophie Middlemas
Promotions Director Zach Shettler
Reporters
Annika Sisac Ashley Guddat Bre Kircher Alyssa Williams Elise Fero
Photography Editor Kyla Dare
Photographers Bree Peet
Graphic Artist Carson Pope
Adviser
Megan Fromm
Contact The Orange & Black, Grand Junction High School, 1400 N. Fifth St., Grand Junction, CO 81501. Phone: 970-254-6929. FAX: 970-254-6973. Website: OandBnews.com. Adviser e-mail: megan.fromm@d51schools.org Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service. © 2017The Orange and Black Grand Junction High School. All rights reserved. Back photo by Elise Fero Cover design by Madi Martinez
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The GJHS choir practices for the holiday extravaganza photo by elise fero