The Pack - Vol. 22, Issue 1

the pack The Student Voice of Monarch High School

Always Watching C o n s t a n t ly b e i n g o n t h e lookout for a possible at ta c k e r h a s b e c o m e all too real 329 Campus Dr.│Louisville, Colorado│ 80027 Volume 22 Issue 1 October 2019

the pack the student voice of Monarch High School

Editor-in-Chief India Turner

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Managing Editor Haley Breit

Team Editors Evie Cuffaro Lia Farrell Lindsay Haight Amelia Krueger

Social Media Editor Kate Muldoon

Staff Writers Ruby Cervantes Jack Ewig Logan Lair Minh Anh Le Maya Matus Hahn Park Madison Sain Sam K. Saliba Jonah Speyer

Cartoonist

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Akasia Zamastil

Adviser Ben Reed

Our Policies:

Opinions or expressions made by students in this publication are not expressions of Boulder Valley School District Board policy. The district and its employees are immune from any civil action based on any expression made for or published by students. The Pack is an open forum for and by the students, faculty, and community of Monarch High School. The Pack is willing to accept and publish any appropriate articles submitted by students of MHS and reserves the right to edit any of these articles. We will not print letters sent to us without a name and signature. Submit letters to mohimediapublications@gmail.com

@mohimix

@mohimix

@mohimix

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Foreword

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I hate confrontation.

I would much rather grin-and-bear-it, grind my teeth, silently seethe, and basically do anything other than get in a fight.

I’ve only seriously confronted about two people total in my entire life, and that was only after days of agonizing over the decision. The idea sets my teeth on edge and causes my hands to shake. I’ve always hated the idea of people not liking me, of seeing me as rude or oversensitive.

For a long time I thought it was better to just suck it up, to not make a scene. I always seemed to be the one that cared more, that took things “too seriously” or “couldn’t take a joke.”

If someone attacked my friends I would defend them fiercely, but when someone attacked me... well, that was a different story. I preferred to just stay quiet and walk away.

In this issue, some of the other staff members and I got to talk to women at the school who have experienced or witnessed sexual harassment. Talking about harassment is often seen as taboo, but these women were brave enough to speak out, but in two very different ways.

Madeline Hall ‘20 stood up to a man who confronted her and her friends on the street, while Sarah Jeffries ‘21 spoke of her experience with sexual harassment after the fact, to share her story and spread awareness.

Finding people who were willing to talk about this topic was difficult to say the least, but by speaking up they help others find their voice as well.

The loss of our voices doesn’t only occur in moments of sexual harassment. It happens every time we let a derogatory comment slide. In the halls. Classrooms. Our home.

We fear alienation. I know I do, at least. The fear that if we speak up, there will be backlash. But conflict is what we need to create change. I don’t mean fist fights in the halls or screaming at each other, but we need to stand up for what we believe in. And, sometimes, that means conflict.

If we’re lucky, speaking up will change someone’s mind.

And maybe it won’t. What’s more important is being able to live with ourselves. Your friend in class will be gone in a couple of years, that stranger in a matter of minutes, but you have to live with yourself for the rest of your life.

So speak.

Because your voice is powerful. And it is not your job to be polite.

-India Turner, Editor-in-Chief

photo by Karen Pring

I M X MOHI

Monarch High School.

MOHI students set trends across Boulder Valley.

What we wear, what we say. Everyone wants to be a Coyote. Here are nine things that set us apart in the pack.

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X 1

Rally Robin revolution kagan Strategies change learning styles for students

By Evie Cuffaro and Lindsay Haight Throughout this school year, teachers have been improving their craft using group activities and peer teaching skills. This is the Kagan initiative.

Over the summer, Monarch administrators brought teachers to the Google headquarters in Boulder to learn new classroom methods, team building exercises and structures that involve students talking more to their peers.

“The Kagan system is a way of engaging students, and it makes [students] more active learners,” Spanish teacher Ms. Alice Davidoff said. “I’m talking less, and they’re talking more.”

A small team of teachers and administrators were first introduced to Kagan last October at a district training.

“After doing that, we wanted to bring this back to our building,” assistant principal Ms. Linda Hubbard said. “So, we brought it back to Mr. Anderson, and we talked about it. It really fit our schoolwide unified improvement plan.”

Some teachers say there has already been improvement for students academically and socially.

“Kids who were struggling are doing a little bit better now because they have learned to ask their tablemates for help and not just wait for me to answer their questions,” math teacher Ms. Melissa Vass said.

These new structures include activities like Rally Robin, Rally Coach, and Round Table. “Kids are coaching each other and helping each other out instead of doing a textbook activity,” Mrs. Davidoff said. “They are working together. They’re learning it by teaching it.”

However, it’s not just new to students. “It’s brand new for some teachers, and we only had one day of full faculty training, so it’s a little hard for everybody to be comfortable with it,” Ms. Vass said.

This October, teachers will receive additional training to become more familiar with this teaching style.

Ms. Vass hopes to keep the Kagan program to help improve what happens in and out of school.

“I think what happens is we see more companionship amongst the students, and they are going to be nicer to each other because they are going to see that they all have commonalities,” she said.

October 5

“It’s kind of what seems to be a small school, just has a lot of students.

When you walk the hallway, it’s really long. But, this seems like a relatively small school.”

What about Bob? New security guard arrives at monarch

While on the hunt for his next job, new campus security guard Mr. Bob Lee originally searched for something in the business surrounding coffee. “I was checking out different jobs in the coffee industry, but I have no background in it,” Mr. Lee said.

Although he didn’t find anything involving coffee, he did discover an open security position at Monarch. Since Mr. Lee began working here, something that has stood out to him is the manners of the people at the school. “The students are so polite,” Mr. Lee said.

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“I enjoy being around students.

I mean, I have been with them for years and years. I’ve taught for 28 years.”

“You wouldn’t think BVSD would be posting on Craigslist, but it was there. It was on Craigslist.

And so I applied on Friday and got the job offer on Tuesday.”

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Pets of Monarch Meet Charlie the English Springer Spaniel. Charlie belongs to Kathryn Kennedy ‘21 and her loving family.

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Take care of yourself

self care helps manage stress of everyday life With the stress of school, relationships, and life in general, maintaining a healthy relationship with yourself is a top priority.

“Self care is incredibly important to help us stay balanced,” licensed professional counselor Shannon Bauer said.

She went on to offer several ideas for students to be able to help themselves.“There are of course a lot of common options for self-care such as exercise, listening to music, journaling, spending time with friends, yoga, meditation, art, etc.,” she said.

“However, the most important thing to do with self-care is determining what is best for you.”

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I M X Tape

2019 Playlist the most Popular songs so far in 2019 Lil Nas X “Old Town Road” Post Malone “Sunflower” Ariana Grande “7 Rings” Travis Scott “Sicko Mode” Halsey “Without Me” J. Cole “Middle Child” Blueface “Thotiana” Marshmello “Happier” YNW Melly “Murder on My Mind” NLE Choppa “Shotta Flow” Ariana Grande “Thank you, next” Post Malone “Wow.”

October 7

Social media stereotypes WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE VSCO GIRL STEREOTYPE?

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Racheal Deckys ‘20: “It is an easy way to fit in, especially if you are younger and don’t feel comfortable expressing yourself. I think the whole VSCO girl stereotype puts a negative spin on commonalities in the way some girls dress.

Overall, the whole VSCO girl thing is a joke that just blew up. If you’re confident and like what you are wearing, it doesn’t matter.”

Fall

Horoscopes what you should change this autumn

Megan Lefkowics ‘20: “I personally don’t like the VSCO girl stereotype because it seems like a very unnecessary thing to want to be. I feel like social media turned being a VSCO girl into a negative thing and made them seem annoying. I think it’s better to just wear and do things that represent you rather than trying to fit in with the new trend such as VSCO girls.”

Aries

It’s easy to get carried away in your own energy, but taking a step back and seeing the bigger picture is important, too.

Taurus

6 8 the pack

Risks are scary, but putting yourself out there will reap many benefits.

Try joining a club or talking to some new people.

Gemini

Opening up is hard, but you can’t have meaningful relationships without giving some of yourself.

Cancer

It’s easy to overthink simple things, but sometimes it doesn’t go deeper than the surface.

Leo

Your life isn’t a movie--it’s okay to make mistakes, and it’s important to remember that everybody has problems, not just you.

Virgo

Your first instinct when it comes to problem-solving is to take control, but learning to go with the flow will serve you well.

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What’s hot with coffee?

Bittersweet A coffee at Bittersweet Cafe & Confections is a good start to your day. The flavor is rich and just as delicious as it is energizing. The atmosphere is cozy and quiet, perfect for studying while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Paul’s

Libra

As tension between you and a friend builds up, resolve that conflict to bring peace back into your life.

While a little bitter, the coffee at Paul’s Coffee & Tea is refreshing and has a rich flavor. They have eco-friendly lids for their cups, and it is a good overall value for the price.

Precision Pours

Scorpio Even if you are tempted, resist the urge to make impulsive decisions.

It will be easy to give in, but stay strong and make the right choice, not the easy one.

Sagittarius

Take a step back to gain some perspective on your life. If you can see the bigger picture, you can make improvements on your actions.

Capricorn

With work and school getting harder, it will benefit you to keep up with your hobbies.

Aquarius

Get out of your daily routine and try to switch it up and try something different--maybe you’ll

Pisces

In a world of new things and uncomfortable situations, do your best to step out of your comfort zone and meet new friends.

Precision Pours has plenty of options of brews for any mood and the coffee is neither bitter or too weak. The cute atmosphere makes this coffee shop even better.

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9

Your fall bucket list

Jump into fall with these three activities Grab some friends and make a trip to your local pumpkin patch! Choose the biggest pumpkins to carve and set out on your porch for Halloween.

OUR PICK: Rock Creek Farms, 2005 South 112th Street, Broomfield, CO 80020 In the mood for a scare? Visit a haunted house and prepare for the adrenaline rush of a lifetime.

OUR PICK: 13th Floor Haunted House, 3400 E 52nd Ave, Denver, CO 80216 Nothing beats the amazing changing of the leaves during the fall. Whether it’s deep in the mountains or simply around the neighborhood, take a walk and admire the beautiful colors.

OUR PICK: Peak to Peak Scenic Byway, Nederland, CO 80466 October 9

The

Prowl Heart sets him apart Singh makes comeback after Injury freshman year

By Kate Muldoon

3 Facts About Singh

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Keiran Singh played varsity running back as a freshman

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Singh plays football and basketball.

He also runs track and plans to play rugby in the spring

In seventh grade, Singh started playing for the Louisville Pirates football team

It’s every player’s dream to start on varsity football as a freshman. That dream became a reality for Keiran Singh ‘22 in 2018.

But for only three games.

As a freshman, Singh played starting running back during the Homecoming football game last year. “There were probably about 2,000 people there,” Singh said. “That was my first start, and I was just a skinny little freshman. I’m always nervous before games, but that was a big step up.”

Head football coach Mr. Phil Bravo saw Singh’s passion and talent for the game and knew he would be an asset to the team. “[Keiran] has a lot of spirit to him and he’s always enthusiastic, even when things aren’t going well,” Mr. Bravo said. “He’s always aspiring. Those are hard components to find.”

A week after the Homecoming game last year, Singh’s season ended.

“I broke my thumb and had surgery,” Singh said. “I was out for eight weeks, which was the rest of the season.”

Being forced to take a step back and rest was not easy for Singh. “You see games where you could have had the opportunity to do something, but you’re just sitting out on the sidelines,” he said. “You just have to deal with it because you’re not ready.”

Despite the injury, Singh was determined to stay as close to the game as he could. “I still went to every single practice, every day,” Singh said. “I went to all the team dinners [and] all the film sessions.”

Mr. Bravo saw Singh’s comeback as a learning opportunity.

“It’s one of those moments that’s a growth moment,” he said.

“Everybody will grow from it and he’ll be a better person for it.”

Now in his sophomore year, Singh pushes himself to be the best he can be. “I had a lot of expectations having been a freshman playing on varsity,” he said. “So, when I came back sophomore year, I felt like I had to meet those expectations.”

MOHI

Hot Takes 5 Predictions for Fall Sports

By Lindsay Haight and Logan Lair

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Football

Boys Golf

This season there were only two Yotes who qualified for State.

Next year, the whole varsity squad will qualify. The young talent rising up from the freshman and sophomores will lead to a guaranteed State Championship.

Cross Country Boys Cross Country is currently ranked 7th in the 5A division. They will place in the top ten at State as a team.

On Nov. 1, MOHI Football takes on Silver Creek at their home field. It is Monarch’s last regular season home game of the season, and they will go out with a bang. Monarch will win 21 to 14, slingshotting them into the playoffs.

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Volleyball

Girls Volleyball takes on Broomfield on Tuesday, Oct. 15. The team is currently ranked 7th and Broomfield is ranked 2nd. Monarch will beat the Eagles to become one of the top six in the Front Range region.

Tennis

The Yotes tennis team is having a dominant season. They will continue their winning ways to become the number one team in their division, and eventually win State.

October 11

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Always Watching Constantly being on the lookout for a possible attacker has become all too real

By Haley Breit, India Turner, Kate Muldoon, Sam K. Saliba, and Ruby Cervantes

October 13

“Our goal is to change your mindset about who and what you can do in a fight. Mindset will change a lot of things. There are videos of people who have never fought before in their life and they defend themselves. It is because they have that mindset that ‘I’m not going to quit. I am going to get out of this safely’. Our goal is to bring back that mentality.”

-Nathaniel Ocansey, Head Instructor

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Speak up

Krav Maga

ong after the sun set one evening last fall, Madeline Hall ‘20 and two of her close friends walked cautiously along the sidewalk in downtown Denver. One of the girls glanced over her shoulder with every step, the anxiety of the unknown spinning through her head. The girls began to walk faster through the shadows between flickering street lamps.

Hall noticed a man trailing behind her group. As the man walked faster and the distance between them rapidly closed, she grew more and more anxious.

She was unsure of what was to come and what she would have to do in order to stay safe.

As they walked, he continued to approach, interrupting their conversations. “He smelled like alcohol, too,” Hall said. They tried to ignore him and continued talking, but no matter how far they walked, he kept following. The girls worried if they said anything to deter him, he might get violent.

“We were out on the street corner waiting for the light to turn so we could cross and he kind of pushed [my friend] against the street pole and grabbed her arm and was yelling at her,” Hall said.

After a few moments of pure shock and anticipation, Hall and her friends yelled at the man, and he disappeared soon after. Even though the man left, the girls went home almost immediately, their fun night out ruined. “[We were] just out to have a good night,” Hall said.

This is the story of what thousands of girls have had to go through, and what Hall and her friends experienced last fall.

Police Tips

Teen Voice

“Come forward. [There] are people who are embarrassed to come forward. You see this in the news, a Catholic priest gets accused... and nobody [says] anything in the congregation; once one person is brave and comes forward and says something then the next person and the next person [do], but it takes that first person to come forward.”

-School Resource Officer Chris Humphreys

“I think women don’t want to upset people. We should have just yelled at him to leave us alone when he started first saying stuff to us but we were like ‘we don’t want to escalate the situation further’. So, we just ignored him and then he ended up being more violent because of that. So, I think that they just feel like they have power over you.”

-Madeline Hall ‘20

While the moment of harassment may only last for a couple of minutes, the effects can last for years. This fear causes girls to carry pepper spray and scour the back of the cars before getting in the driver’s seat in anticipation. From a dark, quiet street to a busy office space, they are always consciously aware of who could be dangerous.

Sarah Jeffries ‘22 was sexually harassed when she was only seven years old. “I think people know that it can take an emotional toll, but when I think about it, I can still feel it,” she said. “I don’t think people realize that.”

Often times, girls are caught off guard and frightened. The assaulter may take their confused silence as consent. “If you comment on someone’s body, and you think you got away with it just because they didn’t say anything about it [you’re wrong]. People aren’t oblivious, and they know what’s going on.They just don’t know how to respond,” Jeffries said.

Some girls tend to feel awkward or uncomfortable yelling “Stop!” or “No!” in the middle of a quiet street, and are afraid of over-reacting and making a scene. They don’t want to draw attention to the situation.

“I think women don’t want to upset people and they don’t want to hurt peoples’ feelings,” Hall said. “You can yell at them because it’s your safety and it doesn’t matter if people around you think it’s weird. Just draw attention to yourself.”

While sexual harassment often happens in private and secluded places, it can also occur in public places, such as a street corner while waiting for a light to turn. Cat calls, inappropriate comments, and occasional touches are all too common and are often overlooked in a busy setting.

“I think people know that it can take an emotional toll, but when I think about it, I can still feel it.”

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“I also think that one of the other big things is just having situational awareness,” Monarch School Resource Officer Chris Humphreys said.

“Everybody nowadays, they walk around on the sidewalk, and they’re looking down at their phones with absolutely no idea what’s going on around them.

I’m guilty of that myself.”

Humphreys suggests that people, both women and men, need to hold themselves responsible for being aware of other peoples’ safety, rather than mindlessly scrolling through Instagram or sending a blurry sidewalk picture through Snapchat.

“If I’m walking down on the 16th Street Mall, I know if somebody is right behind me,” Humphreys said. “I’m looking at the people who are passing and things like that. I don’t do that just because I’m an off duty police officer. I think everybody should do that.”

Some women, such as Hall, have begun to take measures to protect themselves, and others, in this new, yet important, #MeToo era of sexual harassment. Rather than depending on others to speak up for them, women have begun to use their own voices and have realized just how powerful their words can be.

“We learned that your voice can really scare people,” Hall said. “I just yelled at him as loud as I could... ‘Get away from us,’ and then he was like, ‘Oh, they aren’t here to play games.’”

Hall chose to use her voice in the moment and is continuing to use her voice now. She is speaking up to not only protect herself, but to help other women gain the courage to tell their stories or scare off their attackers as well.

Speaking out can be a terrifying thing, and there is absolutely no doubt about that. On the other hand, though, speaking out can truly save lives.

Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN) is the largest anti-sexual violence organization in the nation. RAINN operates a National Sexual Assault Hotline.

Call 800-656-4673 for help.

“You can yell at them because it’s your safety, and it doesn’t matter if people around you think it’s weird.

Just draw attention to yourself.”

October 15

Art and Ambition Three students and their successful businesses

By Amelia Krueger, Logan Lair, and Maya Matus

Three students proved that the impossible could be made possible by becoming young entrepreneurs. They created businesses such as selling handmade bags as well as reselling trendy clothes and shoes for profit.

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T

o many students, turning passion projects into functioning businesses and making a profit seems like something that needs to wait until after high school. While it is a large responsibility, Katy Sun ‘20 doesn’t let any obstacle stop her.

In November of 2018, Sun created KaySun, a business where she uses her talents and knowledge of sewing to sell handmade bags made with biodegradable materials. “[The business] emphasizes environmental sustainability, and each bag is handmade and hand-sewn, which helps provide a little more insight on some of the conditions of a lot of luxury handbag companies,” she said.

Sun’s business started out small, but last year she decided she was ready to put her products on the market.

“It wasn’t until the start of junior year that I became confident enough to display my handbag creations with the world,” she said.

To Sun, this business is more than just a way to make money. KaySun represents the milestones she has reached in her life.

“It symbolizes my personal growth in

terms of my insecurity of sewing as well as embodying my passions,” she said.

Not only does she make trendy handmade bags, KaySun creates positive impacts on the environment. 50 percent of the money made through her business goes towards two causes, Monarch’s Eco Club and the Water Project, which funds the construction of a girls’ school in Kenya.

“It really helps the girls get access to water instead of having to pay for it or walk miles to get water for the day,” Sun said. “Instead, they can focus on studying in school.”

It is not easy to create something from nothing and then market it so that anybody can see or purchase it. However, this doesn’t stop Sun from overcoming her fears and putting her passion of sewing towards something that people will love.

“KaySun is a direct application of my passion for the environment, my passion for sharing the art form of sewing, my interest in building a business, and most importantly, my journey of developing confidence,” she said.

KaySun’s Impact

In the past two months, Sun has donated $600 to the water project. KaySun has been able to serve over 605 people in that time.

Through her donation she has helped the construction of a rainwater collection tank for the AIC Kyome girls school.

She is currently working to fundraise money for the Elufafwa community school in Africa.

Sun also donates to Eco Club to help Monarch become a more environmentally sustainable school.

October 17

Where and how to resell Founded in 2015 and based in Los Angeles, California, GOAT is the global destination for authentic sneakers. It the safest way to buy and sell sneakers. Whether you’re looking to buy rare shoes, discover new ones, or make money by listing ones you already own, GOAT is your destination.

StockX is a company primarily known for its e-commerce program StockX.com. It was founded in 2015 with an emphasis on the sneaker resale market. “I stick to the retailer apps when it comes to buying,” Lleyton Dahm ‘21 said. “I try to sell to people I know.

If I have to, I sell on StockX, but they take a good chunk of the profit.”

Grailed is a curated peer-to-peer marketplace for new and lightly worn luxury menswear.

“There’s tons of clothing, tons of people, and it’s really easy to connect with people,” Cameron Parker ‘21 said. “If you need to find something rare, from maybe four years ago, and one guy has it, it’s super easy to message him.”

Anything for a profit Two students show how easy and accessible reselling can be

By Amelia Krueger, Logan Lair, and Maya Matus

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Reselling is the art and ambition of purchasing limited or rare items and selling them for a profit.

To begin reselling, name brand items must be bought. This can be difficult because of the thousands of other people trying to get the same item.

Lleyton Dahm ‘21 has been reselling clothing and shoes for about five years.

How did you get started reselling?

“Honestly, I just kind of started going through YouTube and saw videos of people talking about how to get shoes and how much they were going to be worth, and that got me interested because it seemed like an easy way to make money.”

-Lleyton Dahm ‘21 “I’d seen a lot of people in videos [about reselling], I had been into clothing, but I didn’t have money.

And so once I got money, I kind of started. I wasn’t selling stuff at first, I was kind of just buying things for me. But then I realized that you can make decent money from it. On the level I’m on, I can’t make close to what a job makes, you know, but it is extra money. I think I got into it pretty much just online seeing some people on Instagram doing it or seeing people on YouTube doing it. And then I was like, that’s something that looks really cool.”

-Cameron Parker ‘21

What is your favorite part about reselling?

“Probably buying, especially when they use raffles because it’s kind of like a lottery with higher odds, and if you win you feel really lucky.”

-Dahm

He resells products from companies such as Off White, Supreme, and Nike. While the buying is difficult, Dahm gets a rush from it and describes it as his favorite part.

“Especially when they use raffles because it’s kind of like a lottery with higher odds, and if you win, you feel really lucky,” he said.

Once the item is bought, he uses apps and websites that help market and sell the items. As a result of these apps and websites, the limits of who the customers are becoming endless.

“You can sell to essentially anybody. I once sold to somebody in Russia,” said Cameron Parker ‘21, who also is a big reseller.

Pricing can be difficult, but if the items are quality and unique, a profit can easily be made.

“Ten percent to 30% is usually what you want to do. Because after shipping, then you’re making at least a little bit of money,” said Parker.

Reselling is an accessible way to purchase and sell anything for a profit, all from the comfort of your own home.

“For me, money is part of it, but I never wear anything to show off how much money it is, you know? A lot of the time, the first question to ask is, how much did you pay for that? When I wear it, I like looking at myself and being like, ‘Oh, that looks so cool!’”

-Parker

October 19

Local L

Ghost stor

by Lia F

arrell, E

Under Old Town

ies in and a

vie Cuff aro and

We all know Old Town Louisville. From the staples of our childhoods like Sweet Cow and Lucky Pie to the newer bits such as Punch Buggy Shaved Ice. It’s a safe, familiar place. This safety associated with the suburban heaven of Louisville makes the town’s history all the stranger.

During the prohibition era of the 20’s, the Denver mob got involved with the saloons of Old Town, taking advantage of tunnels that had previously been constructed to aid striking coal miners. These tunnels stretched all under what we know as Old Town Louisville today. They extended, in particular, to the restaurants 740 Front, The Melting Pot, and The Empire.

“During Prohibition, which was in the 1920s, was when liquor was illegal, you know. But the coal miners couldn’t work year round because of gases certain times of year, the temperature and all that,” Fred Burns, the proprietor of 740 Front, said. “The gases in the caves were dangerous from when they had a lot of time on their hands and they ended up in the tunnels playing poker.”

The only problem with this arrangement, of course, was that the mob was involved which meant people inevitably

20 the pack

round the

Jonah S

peyer

egends

Monarch c

ommunity

got hurt. In the Empire, these victims were a young couple that got involved in the gambling scene.

“Yeah, the couple both got shot, and I think the ghost here is a female,” Eric Vanderven, a manager at the Empire, said. “Sometimes at like 12:30 in the morning when I’m leaving, I’m the only one in the whole building. I would go down to check the beer cooler and make sure it’s locked, and when I’m walking down the hallway, I honestly feel like someone [is] watching me.”

There have been many reported sightings of the Empire’s ghost, especially by employees late at night. None of these sightings, however, are as obvious as the sightings of Jimmy, who is the ghost resident of The Melting Pot, another restaurant in Old Town.

“When there’s a lot of people here, there’s just so much going on that you don’t really have the quietness to notice anything,” Lorenzo Balderas, an employee at The Melting Pot, said. “It’s kind of strange, you know, it’s always like towards the end of the night. Not like when there’s nobody in here, per se, but when there’s just a few people, I’ll always kind of just see, like, something there, almost looking down and watching.”

740 FRONT is said to

be inhabited by Samantha, the ghost of a prostitute who was murdered during the prohibition era. She’s most commonly spotted inside the freezer and on the stairs. Samantha is also the least likely of Old Town Louisville’s ghosts to show herself.

THE EMPIRE saw the double-murder of a

couple in a gambing ring during the 1920s, and the woman in the couple stuck around. Though she isn’t malicious, there are reports of the lights turning on and off, and there have been major inconsistencies with photos taken at The Empire.

THE MELTING POT’S

resident ghost is called Jimmy.

He was one of three prohibition era smugglers who died in the collapse of an alcohol running tunnel.

Though the corpses of the other two fatalities in the collapse were recovered, Jimmy’s body remains beneath The Melting Pot to this day. He’s never caused trouble, but frequents a table overlooking The Melting Pot’s bar.

October 21

s d r a o b a j i

D

u O Do ? k r o w

s and if d r a o b a ij h behind ou t u r t e h t ok at ion An inside lo than just superstit ore they are m

on’t play alone. Don’t take your hands off the board.

Beware of evil spirits. Always say goodbye before ending the seance. These are the rules if you use a Ouija board.

Some precautions can be taken to avoid any unwanted or evil spirits. Burning sage, placing protection stones around the corners of the board and never holding a seance in a cemetery will keep your group safe.

Ouija boards have been in use since the late 1800s. Seances were much more common as this was an age of spiritualism.

As Americans looked to communicate with loved ones they had lost, popular methods such as the Ouija board were created. It was sold as a new “game” to play with family or friends and as a party trick. People didn’t care how it worked, they just wanted something to believe in.

Many believe Ouija boards can be used to connect with spirits, ghosts, and other supernatural beings. Others, however, are more skeptical about whether they are real or simply a piece of massproduced plastic.

Lucie Lebek ‘20 fully believes that Ouija boards help people communicate with ghosts..

“There are just so many stories about them actually working that, at this point, you have to believe it,” she said.

When playing, a couple of general rules are that everyone participating needs to have at least two fingers touching the planchette, and players are not supposed to push the planchette one way or another.

“It’s clear that no group in a seance plans out what they want the board to say, it just moves by itself regardless of who is touching

22 the pack

the planchette,” Lebek said. “There are a lot of stories about people taking their hands off and [the planchette] just keeps moving around back and forth,” Lebek said. “That’s so creepy!”

Because of her belief that Ouija boards can connect with spirits, Lebek doesn’t want to ever use one.

“I don’t think I would ever mess with it because I don’t want to be possessed or something,” she said.

Even if someone doesn’t intentionally try to move the planchette to spell out words or phrases, scientific studies have made people question their beliefs that Ouija boards can work.

Sydney Medina ’21 can attest to this. “[Scientists] held an experiment where they got a whole group to do a Ouija board,” Medina said. “The whole thing worked out perfectly. They blindfolded the same group of people and asked the same questions and they were spelling random letters that didn’t make sense.”

The theory Medina speaks of is that someone is moving the planchette, but if they can’t see the letters, they can’t spell out the words correctly.

“At least one person is subconsciously trying to move it because they know the answer, or they have an answer that they want to hear,” she suggested.

As one player lightly pushes the planchette, the other players follow the movement with their fingers, causing it to look like the piece is moving itself.

While Medina doesn’t have any interest in playing with a Ouija board, she still thinks it is possible to talk to those who have passed on.

“I’m sure there are people that are more connected to spirits, but I don’t think Ouija boards are it,” Medina said.

T h e Ta l l M a n a n d Z e n o b i a According to theatre director and language arts teacher Ms. Gwendolyn Lukas-Doctor, the Monarch theatre department is haunted by two ghosts.

“One we call The Tall Man, and a little girl we named Zenobia,” she said.

“The Tall Man likes to appear in the pillars on the sides of the auditorium,” she said. “He likes to appear and peak around the pillars. Zenobia is often heard more than she is seen. She likes to giggle.”

During a show, Lukas-Doctor had an encounter with the Tall Man. “We saw what we thought was an actor come out early,” she said. “Then, he ducked behind a pillar. We were waiting and waiting because it wasn’t his cue. I told one of the girls to go down and check on him.”

“We watched her walk down there and she looked back up, like there was no one there. We all had our eyes on it the whole time,” she said. This was one of the times in which a group

witnessed the The Tall Man. Another time, a group witnessed a ghost in the auditorium.

“There was this mic hanging from the top baton and this girl was giving a monologue,” Ms. Lukas-Doctor said. “The mic just picked itself up and then dropped and started swinging. All of us in the house gasped because we all saw it move.”

She doesn’t believe that any of the ghosts are violent or have bad intentions, but she is still weary of them.

h g e f i l l a e R

s e i r o t s t s o

er

th o m a d n a A child

Carmen Hintch Bustamante ‘21 and her brother believe they live in a real haunted house.

“One night I was sleeping, and I kept hearing this voice,” she said. “I didn’t know what it was at first. I realized it was saying, ‘Mommy, Mommy, where are you?’” It was a child’s voice. “I was frozen for a second, and I tried to ignore it, but I couldn’t anymore.”

After hearing the voice, she went into her brother’s room to wake him up.

“He heard the same voice,” she said. “We were both freaking out and decided to sit in the living room.”

Later that night, they could still hear the voice.

“My brother even had sleep paralysis that night.”

Although her parents didn’t believe her house was haunted, Hintch Bustamante and her brother still know that they heard a ghost.

ut O s t h g i L

Social studies teacher Mr. Dave Farrell went through his early years comfortable in his skepticism of spirits, but that changed during the school year of 1996.

“When I was teaching up in Nederland, there was a young man in my class five times a day,” Mr. Farrell said.

Later that year, Mr. Farrell experienced a tragedy. “One day, he [the young man] went home from school and killed himself. It was a terrible day; one of the worst in my life.”

“I’ll never forget,” Mr. Farrell said. “I was in my classroom one day, maybe a week later. I was trying to put some closure on the whole thing, so I went to his class on my computer, and I pulled up his name, and I hit delete. As soon as I hit delete, the lights went off.”

Immediately, Mr. Farrell knew it was the young man trying to communicate.

“Maybe two minutes later, the lights came on,” he said. “The switch was on the entire time; it never moved. But, I’m talking about the second I hit that delete button, the lights went off.”

“I believe he was there,” Mr. Farrell said. “He died in an incredibly traumatic way and he wasn’t quite ready to go yet.”

October 23

W

24 the pack

L E A t R S

JO R E Y U N The story of a boy who came to America ALONE

By Lindsay Haight, Sam K. Saliba, MinhAnh Le, and Hahn Park

S

itting in the back of the car with no daylight at all, Walter Alfaro ‘21 felt terrified at the idea of getting caught by the police. The windows were rolled up, and he was hidden away from the outside eye. Alfaro was immigrating on his own at the age of thirteen from El Salvador.

“The whole story started when I was two years old. My little brother had died from cancer, and my mom decided to come here to the United States to give me a better future,” Alfaro said.

He soon found all of his belongings packed and moved to his grandparents’ house.

Surrounded by piles of boxes, his parents gave him a heartfelt goodbye, but two-year-old Alfaro didn’t know that they were leaving for good.

Alfaro didn’t see his parents for the next eleven years of his life. His grandparents became his new home. However, after some time that was no longer possible.

“My grandparents were too old to take care of me,” he said. “So, I decided to come here.”

He packed what he could take on foot and headed towards America.

His grandparents didn’t want him going all alone, so they hired a Coyote.

It cost them $12,000 just to have someone who knew how to immigrate to the United States without getting caught.

His parents had no knowledge of him immigrating to the U.S. “My dad didn’t even know that I was coming here, I didn’t even talk to him in those [eleven] years to the time I got here,” Alfaro said.

The journey began, and Alfaro and the Coyote set off on foot for the U.S..

From then on, he would travel 2,679 miles to his new future.

Hitching the occasional ride with a passing car, the two often found themselves huddled in the back trying to stay out of sight and out of mind.

“We were in cars, but we didn’t really know where we were,” he said.

The moment they set foot on Mexican soil, Alfaro knew that he had made it halfway through his journey.

They walked miles and miles, surrounded by the Mexican terrain. Soon they found themselves in a desert, abandoned with dirt and cacti, with the fear of knowing that the only people who knew vaguely where he was lived hundreds of miles away.

Then, real panic hit them. The pair soon came to the realization that they were lost somewhere in the Mexican desert.

“We were lost in the desert for like a week and no one knew,” Alfaro said.

After days of aimlessly roaming around the dusty mountains and fields in stifling heat, they found their way out and headed on their way towards Northern Mexico.

Back on track, the two hitched more rides and walked more miles. Again.

Now getting closer to the border, Alfaro and the Coyote neared a large, running river. It occurred to them that they would have to cross it in order to reach their final destination.

They jumped in, immediately frozen in the ice-cold water. Fear flashed across Alfaro’s face as he took in the risks of swimming across a large river.

“We were lost in the desert for like a week and no one knew.”

October 25

It is estimated that there are approximately 1.35 million El Salvadorans of any status in the US.

“When immigration got me, I didn’t have the contacts for my mom.”

26 the pack

Immigrants make up a total of 28 percent of the population of the United States.

The immigrant population grew in roughly 4.5 million people from 2010 to 2012.

He was forced to settle that fear and continue his trek. Cautiously, he took his first stroke across the river.

When he got across the river, it was time for a goodbye.

Alfaro soon found himself giving a warm hug to the person who had guided him on his journey across two different countries. He said goodbye to the Coyote.

He was now all alone, continuing the rest of the way to the border by himself.

Alfaro then found himself at the border between Mexico and the U.S., talking to immigration services.

“It took me about six months because when immigration got me, I didn’t have the contacts for my mom and all that, so it was really hard to locate her when she was here in the United States,” he said.

After jumping hurdle after hurdle of bureaucracy, Alfaro reached that sweet moment he’d been waiting for all those months and years. He was reunited with his family.

However, this is only the beginning of Alfaro’s journey.

Once he was in the U.S. with his family, Alfaro found himself facing many different obstacles.

“He still had to learn a lot of words. He had limited English proficiency,” Language Arts and ELD teacher Ms. Connie Williams said. “Reading and writing and listening to his teachers I think was really hard for him at the beginning.”

But language wasn’t the only difference.

Alfaro immediately noticed the cultural differences between the U.S. and El Salvador. “We only have two religions, Catholic and Christianity,” Alfaro said. “They’re just divided into two, and they choose like multiple cultures.”

In spite of El Salvador and the U.S. being different, the kindness of the people of Monarch helps him adapt easier to the environment here.

“Everyone here in this school will help you with anything. They’re super kind,” he said. “You feel comfortable in this school. You don’t feel like you’re left out.”

Alfaro worries that immigration to America is even harder now than it was when he made his journey. “With what’s going on with the president and all that, it’s super hard to even cross the border,” he said.

But he is thinking about his future constantly with all of the regulations now. “I just thought about my future how I wanted it to be when I got my kids, like, I wanted to have this much money, my own house, my own family,” he said. After that, he knew that he had made the right choice.

“My life over there wasn’t anything until I got here,” he said.

The United States has an immigrant population of 44.5 million people.

2,879 MILES BETWEEN EL SALVADOR AND

THE UNITED STATES

7 DAYS LOST IN MEXICAN DESERT FOR

13 YEARS OLD WHEN JOURNEY BEGAN

12,000 DOLLARS FOR A COYOTE GUIDE TO

THE UNITED STATES October 27

Q

Our monthly question...

What things are overrated?

Is there anything more unpleasant than a cat licking you out of nowhere? No. When it comes to cats, they are hit or miss. Most are misses. One wrong movement or gaze can end in carnage. Deep teeth marks and gashes will define your life. The physical scars may go away in a few weeks, but the mental scars will be there forever.

You also could live with a cat for years but when they see you it’s like you never existed. I truly have no idea why people prefer cats over dogs.

Loud. Slobbery. High maintenance. Smelly.

These words are what come to mind when someone mentions their beloved dog. Having a pet that barks at every car that drives past my house, begs for food whenever I sit down for dinner, smells horrible if it isn’t bathed every other day, or licks and jumps on my guests just does not sound desirable.

Dogs are honestly just a burden. They cause more stress than happiness and comfort.

Haley Breit - Dogs

Logan Lair - Cats In theory, communication has never been easier. In practice, however, talking to your crush seems harder than ever. It’s called “Crush Culture,” and it’s stupid. Anyone in the last six months recounting a conversation they had with their love interest appears more invested in the timing of their messages to one another than what they’re actually talking about. “It’s been thirty minutes since he replied. Is that long enough?” Consider this: Are you actually so busy that you’re only able to reply every half hour?

No. So please, get over yourselves, and just talk to each other.

Streaks are when two people send a snap to each other every single day.

Many people are anxious about the possibility of losing streaks because of the weight that they put on it, and they believe the longer the snapchat streak, the closer the friendship. Some people send a black screen to save streaks. And some people even give friends their snapchat password to send streaks when they are in a place without wifi. Is it worth giving someone your password just to keep a streak? People should have real conversations with each other instead of sending streaks and getting caught up in social pressure.

Minh Anh Le - Snapchat Streaks

Sam Saliba - Crush Culture

How come it’s never been addressed how overrated iPhones actually are? I think it’s fair to say that the majority of the American population thinks of the iPhone as the superior smartphone. They’re trendy, they make it acceptable to wear AirPods (which, come on, everyone wants), there’s FaceTime and iMessage, and there’s an easy-to-use camera.

However, when I actually used my friend’s Samsung, the camera was amazing, and there’s better memory, storage, and durability! It makes you think, if you removed the brand name from an iPhone, would you still think it’s all that great?

Maya Matus - Iphones 28 the pack

I know it’s crazy, but for some odd reason, I don’t particularly enjoy watching people being stalked and murdered in my free time. In movies, I mean. Especially as Halloween approaches, everyone is settling in with their friends to watch their favorite horror movies, but the whole idea is mind-boggling to me. I could barely get through the trailer for Split without leaving the movie theater. Every corner in my house suddenly becomes home to a serial killer, and my bedroom becomes the set of a murder scene. Maybe it makes me a wimp, but I’ll never be able to see horror movies as anything other than a unique form of torture.

India Turner - Horror Movies

Leaving campus for lunch is great to escape the craziness that is Monarch High School. When most students leave, they prefer to dine at their favorite fast food restaurants. Everyday, I go off for lunch with my friends, but the price of food and the short lunch time can be a big inconvenience for me. Our school has many unique places to sit, relax, and enjoy your lunch. I now normally always pack a lunch and eat in the library during my 5th period. This helps conserve gas in my car and money in my wallet. I don’t know why anyone would ever spend their time, money, and gas to go off campus during lunch.

Jack Ewig - Going off campus

The New Schedule

What do YOU think of the new schedule?

Two writers take sides on Monarch’s new Bell Schedule

Not so pep assembly

By Lindsay Haight Many people so far in the school year are getting the sleep that they need. However, that is the only good thing that comes out of this new schedule that BVSD has implemented.

The schedule was changed from school starting at 7:30 a.m. to starting at 8:30 a.m. Not only that, but they changed the ending times too. As opposed to the luxury of a 3 p.m. end time, school now ends at 3:30 p.m.

This schedule is infuriating for a multitude of reasons.

One of them being the absolutely impossible lunch times. It might be fine for people who have first lunch, but for people who have second lunch, there is no way not to be starving by the time fourth period ends.

On block days, students who have second lunch don’t get to eat lunch until 1:20 p.m. which is completely outrageous.

Furthermore, consider the kids who have jobs. They struggle now to get to work on time solely because school ends too late. Businesses are cutting some students’ hours, meaning less money for students, some of which needed the money they were making when they had more time last year.

The new schedule does have some perks that are beneficial. For instance, the late start on Wednesday was moved from 9:40 a.m to 10:05 a.m. giving students a little bit of extra time to sleep. .

However, the school administration is using this extra time to move pep assemblies before school. This means that if you want to go to an assembly, you have to get to school 90 minutes before classes start. As you would imagine, very few students attended the first assembly because it was so early.

Think about it, if none of the student body shows up, poms and cheer are only performing for the teachers and faculty.

Students cannot be expected to drastically change their lifestyle to accommodate the schedule change.

Commitments outside of school are important to students. They can’t just eat, sleep and go to class.

A better night’s sleep

By Madison Sain Despite the uproar that occurred when the new schedule was announced, school now starts at 8:30 a.m. this year. Compared to 7:30 a.m. start times, this schedule is great. The huge amount of homework during my senior year often causes me to stay up late in order to finish it. Now, with the later start time, I can sleep in the next morning and be more alert during my first couple periods.

A study from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows the correlation between a later start time and the performance of teenagers in school. This study came to the conclusion that later start times help to improve productivity throughout the day and performance in school.

I’ve seen this play out first hand. I don’t see as many kids sleeping in their first period math classes. The earlier start times are, in fact, beneficial to my grades.

This year there are access times every day after school, compared to last year where there were only a few each week. I can now go into school early on Wednesday morning, and after school on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This gives me so much more time to deepen my understanding of the class curriculum.

During my freshman and sophomore years, clubs were after school. This interfered with sports, bus schedules, and more. I wasn’t able to be in any clubs during those two years because of this.

Now that there is designated club time, I am able to join, and actively participate in school clubs without interfering with my other after school activities.

Lunches are also at a much more reasonable time. I would be starving during my fourth and fifth periods during past years, but now I am able to eat a bit earlier.

Having three different schedules in four years has been really confusing. This new schedule gets me more sleep, more tutor time, and, overall, it flows better than past schedules.

It may not be ideal for some students, but the impact of a later start time on grades and overall health is amazing for the student body.

Clara Butler ‘20

“I was worried about the new start time but actually it’s really nice, because it’s easier to get up in the morning and stay alert for school. I also enjoy having all the tutor time opportunities during the week because I will definitely need them as the year moves on.

The schedule also made lunches earlier which I definitely enjoy because I was always starving by 3rd period last year and had to wait until after 5th to eat.”

Michelle Weiss ‘21 “I don’t like the new school schedule. It’s really hard because I drive to school and when it was earlier, there were less people so I could just easily make my way here. But now, it is kind of in the middle of rush hour, so it is really hard for me to get out of my house and actually get to school.”

Alix Matthews ‘21 “I really like the new schedule. I like getting a little extra sleep and I like the access time at the end of the day so we still get out at a decent time. The change hasn’t had a bad effect on after school sports also so that’s good as well.

Overall I think it was a good idea to change it to a later start and later release.”

Natalie Powers ‘21 “It’s nice waking up later but it is also not fun having to leave later because I have work. And so it is kinda stressful going home and then going straight to work.

I wish that we got out an hour earlier.”

October 29

When you lose someone...

By Lia Farrell

three steps for dealing with grief From Social Worker Mr. Mike Davidoff

1

Everyone who is dealing with loss needs to know that their experience is unique and that there isn’t a right or a wrong way to do it.

2

Be around the people who are sharing your experience so you won’t feel alone. Don’t miss your chance to share your experiences with everyone.

3

You might be feeling depressed, but find ways to acknowledge that feeling and know that this is okay. This is part of the process of healing.

30 the pack

D

eath. It’s a nasty word. Lots of bad connotations--murder, suicide, disease.

The reality isn’t any better, either. In all honesty, it’s worse. It’s awful for the people it happens to, obviously, but it sucks for bystanders as well.

It’s a lot of ugly crying, and trying to remember the good parts, and ugly crying some more, and getting disproportionately upset at the dumbest things possible. It’s a lot of uncomfortable conversations you don’t want to have, and a lot of getting upset in public in very embarrassing ways.

For me, it’s a lot of trying to juggle a massive amount of homework, multiple extracurriculars, a job, and a dying grandmother.

If you’re lucky, you haven’t experienced it yet.

If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about.

There’s a lot about death that’s awful, but one of the worst parts is that nobody escapes it. Not speaking in the sense of mortality, though that is certainly true as well, but in what happens to those left behind. When somebody lives a life well, that’s a beautiful thing. But well-loved people touch enough lives that everybody feels it when they’re gone. It forges connection and compassion, but at one point knowing how much somebody’s left behind is just depressing.

Getting five billion cards and a funeral filled to the brim with crying people is a nice reminder that somebody was loved, but that’s about as far as it goes. Having the exact same conversation with distant friends or relatives of your parent or your grandparent or your sibling is necessary a lot of the time, but it’s incredibly emotionally exhausting. The empathetic “I’m just so sorry. They were great. I miss them so much,” is a nice sentiment maybe the first five times, but after fifteen, people crying on you gets old.

There’s no good way for it to happen, either, except maybe peacefully of old age. Dementia and Alzheimer’s mean seeing a shell of who your loved one used to be. Terminal cancer is a lot of waiting

and suffering and chemotherapy appointments.

Suicide means you missed something you shouldn’t have, and you spend a very long time wondering what you could’ve done better.

Accidents rip people away too soon and too fast.

One of the worst ways to go, though, is slowly.

Wasting away in a hospital bed doesn’t sound appealing, and it’s worse after you see it happen.

Think about it: you can’t really move, you need to sleep all the time, and you know your body is giving out from under you and it’s only a matter of time until you meet the end. The waiting effects your support system, too. When you are waiting around for somebody you love to die, it takes a toll on your emotional wellbeing. That toll can become apparent in many ways, but it affects every aspect of life and makes functioning much, much harder. And as somebody who needs to function, and function well, the sudden lack of ability is disconcerting and scary.

To add to it, word gets around that you’re dealing with tough times, and while care is appreciated, pity is just painful. Having twenty people you barely know ask, “How you’re doing with… well, you know,” isn’t the ideal daily experience, and it’s easy to get frustrated with people for just being kind.

The emotional vulnerability of a mourning period is extreme, and the support system of somebody suffering a loss as is affected as well.

People who are grieving act out, and snap, and get too sad at everything. They become kind of a drag to be around sometimes, and they make stupid insensitive jokes about what they’re going through that nobody knows how to respond to.

It’s not fun to be around, and it’s unfair to everybody who knows the mourner, and it’s overall awful. And most of the time, we know. We also don’t want us to be doing what we’re doing, but it’s not exactly something that can be fixed easily. And it takes time, and effort, but going back to regularly scheduled life does happen, but in the meantime, please be patient, and please don’t get too mad at us for being screwups about the whole thing.

“If you’re lucky, you haven’t experienced it yet. If you have, you know exactly what I’m talking about.”

A

parent’s job in this day and age is to do absolutely everything in their power to make sure their child stays safe and healthy. If there is a disease that could be prevented, a parent should go through every single step to do so. Vaccinations are the most productive way possible to accomplish this.

Vaccines are designed to ward off dangerous, and possibly even deadly, diseases by working alongside the human body’s natural defenses to assist it in developing an immunity to said diseases. Measles, mumps and whooping cough are all vaccinepreventable diseases but continue to infect children everywhere. These kids can end up hospitalized and sometimes even die due to these easily preventable diseases.

According to information provided by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, 7.75% of students in Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) are not up-to-date with their immunizations. In Monarch High School, approximately 5.41% of students are not vaccinated.

Picture a math class here at Monarch. This class may have thirty or so students. About two of those students in the math class are not up-to-date with their immunizations. The school’s enrollment is around 1,700 students. This suggests that 92 students here at Monarch are not vaccinated.

This may not seem like a lot, but it is.

In a place where a large amount of teenagers and young children are constantly exchanging germs, such as a school, it is vital that vaccinations are required. A lack of immunizations could be deadly to some students.

People who cannot be vaccinated because they suffer from immunocompromisation, a deficiency that weakens one’s immune system, rely on the concept of herd immunity to prevent contraction

1998 when Andrew Wakefield, a British researcher, published a paper in Lancet, a medical journal. This paper described quite a few instances where previously healthy and average children gained developmental disorders after receiving the mumps, measles and rubella, or MMR, vaccine.

The researcher suggested that the vaccine was the cause of these disorders developing in children. The journal retracted the paper in 2010 and completely discredited the claim because the fact of the matter is, vaccines don’t cause autism.

Although this was debunked, the fear still resides with parents. Due to this, outbreaks of diseases continue to occur.

Vaccines won’t be successful unless the majority of our population gets these immunizations.

In BVSD, schools are beginning to require all students to provide documentation regarding their immunization status no later than November 22, 2019. This documentation could state that the student’s vaccinations are up-to-date, in process or that the student is exempt. Non-medical exemptions, either personal or religious beliefs, must be submitted to the school each year.

When a parent makes the decision to not take their child to the doctor to get their vaccines, the parent is not only putting their child in danger but is also endangering every other student at their kid’s school. If the child contracts a disease, the likelihood of them spreading it to their peers is overwhelmingly high.

In a world where germs run rampant, vaccinations are the most productive way to stay healthy. Vaccinations are proven to be safe and are highly encouraged by doctors who have the peoples’ best interest in mind.

Get vaccinated for your own well-being. Get vaccinated for the well-being of your peers. Just.

Get. Vaccinated.

Immunity in the Pack Vaccinations ensure public health in a building where germs are prevalent

Opinion of the staff editorial board

of these diseases that are dangerous to everyone, but could be deadly to them.

Herd immunity is the idea that a high proportion, or majority, of a population is immune to a specific disease to resist the spread of it to the rest of the population. If every student, with the exception of those with immune disorders, at Monarch High School was up-to-date with their vaccinations, many illnesses would become almost obsolete.

Parents are to blame for the lack of immunizations. Some are convinced that vaccines will do more harm than good.

This distrust of vaccines comes from a collection of fears. Some believe that certain vaccines, such as those for measles, mumps and rubella are directly linked to autism. This belief emerged in

October 31

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