The Mix - Vol. 23, Issue 1

the student voice of Monarch High School

the

MIX

The fight for food Community food bank distributes meals during pandemic

329 Campus Drive Louisville, CO 80027 Volume 23 - Issue 1 November 2020

04

Mix Up

08

Delayed Learning

10

Mask Up

12 Sharing

The Mix

The student voice of Monarch High School

Editor In Chief Haley Breit Evie Cuffaro

Editors

Amelia Krueger Kate Muldoon Sam Saliba

Staff Writers

16

Foreign Friends

Rhys Cadwallader Layla East Carolyn Jewett Ty McNeece Ryleigh Selby

Adviser Ben Reed

Our Vision:

Mohi Media’s vision is to be the source of information in the Monarch community. Our school can count on us to tell the stories that need to be told and to voice the opinions and ideas that need to be heard in an honest and truthful way.

Our Policies:

20 Opinions

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 Mix is an open forum for and by the students, faculty, and community of Monarch High School. The Mix is willing to accept and publish any appropriate articles. We will not print letters sent to us without a name and signature.

the

MIX-UP Skyler Friar types his next program outside Monarch High School

THIS YEAR’S NEW CODE Technology Student Association not quite the same since start of online learning

By Rhys Cadwallader Room 203 used to be filled with the clacking of keyboards, the chatter of students discussing code and designs. The computer banks were lined with Oreos on napkins, Cheezits in cups, Coke cans, and Capri Suns.

Now, there’s no cans, no Oreos, no typing.

But there’s still the students, and there’s still meetings. They just happen to be on a screen.

TSA is a club for those interested in computers, programming, and engineering, but it’s more than that. It’s a place to connect with others who are passionate about tech. It’s where you can go to create a fun game or project.

“We were like a mafia. We had a tight bond,” Skyler Friar ‘23 said.

TSA members see themselves as a friendly, though secluded group, but COVID-19 and remote learning has changed up how they operate.

“I’m hoping it will allow for more collaboration throughout the project,” TSA President Corbin Estes ‘21 said.

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The club helps build lasting relationships and gives you the skills to work with others. This year, however, has turned making those relationships into more of a challenge. Students can no longer meet in person to collaborate, which made it more difficult for members to connect with one another.

“I really feel like the COVID situation did a number on our ability to communicate,” Gregory Bell ‘21 said. “I don’t feel like we’ll get the same level of community unless we go back to school and have our club in person,” Bell said.

Room 203 was so much more than just a classroom to members of TSA. It was their home. Without it, the club hasn’t been the same. Still, the club has perservered though all the challenges of home learing and it will continue to carry on, no matter what the future might look like.

“I want to see [the club] succeed far into the future, even past when I graduate in 2023,” Friar said. “I would absolutely love to come back from college one day and see that TSA is still going strong.”

THE PERFECT STUDY PLAYLIST

Your homework playlist that’s not too distracting but not too boring

Lost - Frank Ocean

Babydoll- Dominc Fike

8TEEN - Khalid

Cabin Fever - Jaden

Reckless- Healy

Confidant - Babyjake

SUGAR - BROCKHAMPTON

Dang! - Mac Miller

Why - Dominic Fike

PLANTS 101

Need a companion for online learning?

Try one of these green friends

venus flytrap

aloe plant

prayer plant

pothos plant

The Venus Flytrap is a carnivorous plant that eats bugs and small animals like baby fish. They should be treated like a pet and are relatively cheap.

This plant doesn’t take much care, making it perfect for a busy person. Inside the thick leaves is a powerful healing gel, perfect for cuts or burns.

This plant has a strange occurance where its leaves turn upwards during the night or when it’s in the dark. It does well in moist areas.

Also known as the “Cubicle Plant” because it can grow almost anywhere, it grows quickly and easily, even for those who could kill a cactus.

November 2020 5

artist feature: LIA FARRELL Lia Farrell ‘21 uses her art as a form of self expression Lia Farrell, ‘21, has been passionate about creating art since she was a little girl.

Now, she uses art to help her calm down after a long day and to help her destress.

“Eventually it morphed into a form of expression and more importantly stress relief. Yeah, it’s almost like a form of meditation,” she said.

One of her most recent art pieces was a finger painting of colorful ocean waves (pictured to the left).

“I painted (it) at 11:30 at night on my bedroom floor, and then I had to take a shower without waking my parents up because I had paint all over my body,” she said.

Lia Farrell presents her newest finger painting of colorful ocean waves

JOIN A CLUB! These clubs are still happening while we’re learning from home

Red Cross Club

Book Club

Chess Club

This club works with the Red Cross on fundraising, disaster relief, and other service projects. It is a great way to help your local community.

Join Book Club to connect with other students that enjoy reading. Share and discuss your favorite books and have the chance to meet new friends

If you have a passion for chess or a will to learn about the game, join the Chess Club!

Meet people with similar interests and have fun playing a unique game.

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Speech and Debate Club Do you enjoy debating with your friends, family or peers? If so, Speech and Debate Club is for you!

GAMER’S REVIEW OF

of Mario’s eyes don’t fit well with his jagged, low-poly count body, and the trees look like they should be pixelated instead of their new bubbly rendition.

Worst of all, the game’s aspect ratio doesn’t match that of the Switch’s hardware, in spite of the fact that other games in this release do.

Next up is Super Mario Sunshine. This is one of the best Mario games ever, but Nintendo still had to toy with the mechanics to the point of losing the game’s original spirit.

For example, they give the player no control over how much Fludd they can spray. It’s binary. The only options are big spray and no spray. Meanwhile, they only took the time to upscale the 2D elements of the game, without doing anything to improve that which is three dimensional. This leads to a strange juxtaposition of elements that doesn’t seem to make much sense.

Finally, there’s Super Mario Galaxy. While the game was controversial upon its initial release, overall this is a fairly decent remaster. While there are some nitpicky things, There’s nothing that detracts from the experience as a whole.

In conclusion, Super Mario 3D All-Stars is all over the map.

While it allows players to experience some old classics, the quality of the remasters is radically incoherent. While Sunshine and Galaxy fit within the native aspect ratio of the switch, 64 didn’t.

They were inconsistently selective about the choices they made in remastering each game, and that incoherence is tangible.

This release gets 3 out of 5 Super Stars.

SUPER MARIO 64 Nintendo’s re-released game has some unfortunate flaws

By Ty McNeece Super Mario 3D All-Stars is a collection of re-released games that contain three of Mario’s best journeys. Nintendo released it for the 35th anniversary of the Mario franchise. It is a way for players to revisit or discover some of the best Mario games of all time with the new Nintendo Switch. However, the remastered versions of these games are remarkably unremarkable.

The first game on the list of remasters is Super Mario 64. In 1996, the release of Super Mario 64 paved the way for some of the best games in history. It had a charm that most games back then didn’t and still don’t. Nintendo takes that charm away in the 3D All-Stars release when they radically mess with the art style.

Nintendo took the textures and made them look like an early 2000s flash game that one would play when they should have been listening to a lecture in Digital Art and Design. The roundness

LONG DISTANCE LEARNING “We went to Oregon for two weeks to drop my brother off at college.”

Nick Gleason ‘22

Students log into school from across the country

“My family went to San Diego because we thought that since we aren’t doing in-person school, it would be nice to get away. It was pretty simple to do school from across the country but because of the time change, I had to wake up early and I ended up messing up the times assignments were due, otherwise it was pretty easy.”

-Mia Reinke ‘23

“My family and I went to Michigan for 10 days to see my grandparents and to get a different view other than our house. I really enjoyed doing online school from a different room and just in a different space. Also, my grandparents live on a lake so during lunch and other times that I have off I could go boating and swimming.”

-Row Tucker ‘24 November 2020 7

The lights are on but nobody’s home BVSD’s decisions on remote learning differ from neighboring districts

By Amelia Krueger

Science teacher Courteny Van der Linden talks to students in a hybrid classroom on the first day of in-person learning.

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here are countless necessary precautions in order for a school district to return back to in person learning. Classes must be split and masks must be worn and enough students and teachers must be willing to face the risk of meeting in person.

While Boulder Valley School District (BVSD) stuck to online learning for the beginning of the first semester, neighboring districts, such as Westminster Public Schools (WPS), made the decision to return full time right away.

Ryan McCoy, the school board president of WPS, said his district planned and prepared for the upcoming semester beginning last spring.

“During the month of May, the Board of Education and district administration began developing plans for our fall return. Our decisions and plans were heavily influenced by recommendations from the CDC, TriCounty health and the Governor’s Office. In addition, WPS conducted a number of surveys, where we sought input from community members, parents/guardians and staff/faculty,” he said.

Though the risk was large, Westminster Public School District recognized that the majority of their students needed the support of in-person learning to successfully continue their education.

The district implemented a number of methods to reduce cases within schools, such as having all students wear masks, mandatory sanitation, and being prepared to return to online learning at any time.

“We followed and implemented criteria that was set forth by CDC, Tri-County and the Governor’s Office,” McCoy said. “It should be noted that some schools’ safety protocols may differ based on the number of students in a building and the school’s actual physical space.”

While BVSD also tried to be ready for in-person learning in August, an unexpected problem arose.

“We had about 300 employees apply for exemptions,” BVSD Chief Communications Officer Randy Barber said. “I think the most important thing to know is at that point, looking at how many students we had planned to return, we didn’t have enough staff.”

Because teachers weren’t deemed essential workers by the state, Barber explained that they were able to file for exemptions if they could prove they were at a high risk for COVID-19.

Without a large enough staff to serve inside schools, in-person learning had to be delayed.

BVSD decided to start small, beginning with K-2 students, special education, and some boulder tech students returning to schools. As flu season approaches, as well, they recognize the fluctuated risk of students, staff members, and associated family members falling unwell.

As small groups of students begin to return, the district will keep at close eye on cases both in

Freshman students in science and catering classes attend school for the first time since March.

Boulder Valley and in neighboring districts, such as Westminster.

“I think that one of the big things that we’d want high school students to know is that we care deeply about our students,” Barber said. “We know that our students are really building their foundation for learning right now. High school students have different challenges and different issues that are also very important.”

Now that BVSD has returned in-person on a limited basis, safety measures such as being in cohorts, wearing masks, and having block classes have been put in place to ensure that everyone stays as healthy as possible. The district hopes to maintain a healthy environment for everyone involved.

“Our goal is to have students come back and we’re excited about the idea of outdoor learning. For that reason, but we’re not stopping there that will continue to work forward in that,” Barber said. “The goal is coming back and having us all back together again.”

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THE

MASK MAKER

World language teacher Jenifer Farrell sends hand sewn masks to friends and family across the country

By Evie Cuffaro and Rhys Cadwallader

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World language teacher Jenifer Farrell sews masks on her sewing machine

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undreds of colorful fabric pieces are stacked up to the ceiling. Scraps of string and elastic cover the table. There’s a pile of quilted fabric in the corner, ready to be sewn together with other quilters all over the internet in a “quilt along.” There’s a large basket full of freshly washed fabric that she will use to make masks.

This is French and Spanish teacher Jenifer Farrell’s basement, where she keeps her stash of supplies for her sewing and knitting projects. Most recently due to the pandemic, she’s used her crafting skills to make 3 layer masks to prevent the spread of Coronavirus.

Since March, she has sewn over 300 masks and given them to at least 150 different people.

“I realized pretty early on, around the time school was canceled, that we were going to have to be wearing masks,” she said. “And so I started sewing masks before it became mandatory.”

Farrell has never wanted to sell or make money off her masks. Instead, she wanted to use her sewing skills to help protect her friends and family during these uncertain times.

“I know enough people who need masks, and it’s

been something that I can do to show them that I care about them,” she said. “It’s been neat that I could send out a little piece of love to them to say, ‘Hey, be careful.’”

Farrell has shared these homemade masks with her friends and coworkers. One of the first to receive a mask was social studies teacher Keith Mainland.

“She not only made them for me, but for my whole family,” Mainland said. “My daughter got one, my wife got one, I got one. They were all custom designs, I got one with the Union Jack and British stuff on it. My wife got one with cats on it.”

Her generosity isn’t just limited to friends in Colorado.

She has sent masks all over the country, from the west coast to the east coast.

Stacey Hendrix met Farrell during grad school, and they have remained friends ever since. She now lives in Delaware, but the 1,805 miles between them didn’t stop Farrell from sending her a mask.

“She just sent them. It was a surprise,” said Hendrix.

“There were a bunch (masks) in there. And she sent me a card with it, a really beautiful card with a note. I was just flabbergasted with the quality and the fabrics.”

“It’s been neat that I could send out a little piece of love to them to say, ‘Hey, be careful.’”

— Jenifer Farrell

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on the

FRONTLINES of FOOD

Food bank adapts to new life during a pandemic

By Evie Cuffaro, Kate Muldoon, and Carolyn Jewett

A volunteer at Community Food Share loads food into the back of a car

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t’s 100 degrees outside. The tar on the pavement is melting in the heat, sticking to the bottom of shoes. The car line snakes out past the parking lot into the street Inside the warehouse, people rush to put food into boxes, fill orders, and deliver them to the cars in line. On top of the sweltering heat and brutal work, a mask covers everyone’s face, capturing the heat.

For most, a work day like this is rare, only worked every once in a while when going in to volunteer.

But at Community Food Share, this is what everyday is like.

Community Food Share is one of five food banks in Colorado that provides food to families in need, and they’re right here in Louisville. They are a part of Feeding America, which is a national food bank network with over 200 food banks across the country, covering every single county in America.

“Our goal and mission are one in the same,” Kim Da Silva, Executive Director of Community Food Share, said. “We want to eliminate hunger in Boulder and Broomfield counties.”

Community Food Share distributes food to multiple counties, as well as other non-profit organizations they work with.

“We provide free food to a whole bunch of other partner agencies, who are then able to provide other resources into the community,” Shana Waldman, the Volunteer Coordinator of Community Food Share, said. “We have about 41 partner agencies, we partner with various organizations throughout the communities that provide other services as well, such as housing or job help, or shelters for folks who’ve experienced domestic violence.”

More than 40,000 people benefit from Community Food Share. Of course, since COVID-19 hit, Community Food Share has changed the way they function in order to meet COVID regulations.

“We were doing direct food distribution to individuals. They came into the facility and shopped for the items they needed, similar to what you would do in a grocery store,” Da Silva said.

“People came in, they got a grocery cart, they got all of the food they needed, and then they were able to go on their way.”

Now, COVID regulations restrict how many people can be in

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A volunteer at Community Food Share grabs a gourd from a bin of produce donated by the community

a building at once while maintaining a safe distance from one another. Community Food Share’s original shopping center layout had numerous high contact areas. Because of this, the board and staff decided they needed a safer design.

“Luckily we were deemed an essential service under Governor [Jared] Polis, so we did not have to close our operations as many businesses did,” Da Silva said. “He saw right away that the basic needs and giving basic needs out to individuals was something that was essential, and even more essential during this time.”

Community Food Share had very little time to remodel their operations, as they couldn’t close and leave families scrambling for food.

“We completely changed to drive-thru distributions, pretty much overnight with no prep time,” Debbie Hodge, a volunteer and board member of Community Food Share, said. “We started out where we would take pallets of food out into the parking lot and people would literally drive through, and we would put food in their car.”

However, the staff realized within days that this system wasn’t realistic to continue. It was too much to swap out pallets with cars driving through and volunteers running around, and it wasn’t ideal to have food sitting out in the sun.

“So, what we ended up doing was restaging the floor in the warehouse where people used to come in to shop, with all these food pallets, and we pack the food onto a cart and then just take the cart out to the cars.” Hodge said.

Along with having to change their operations, Community Food

Share faced another challenge with COVID--getting their food.

“The largest way that we get food is through donations from grocery stores,” Waldman said. “Community Food Share partners with a whole bunch of grocery stores all over the Boulder/ Broomfield area like Target and Walmart, Trader Joe’s, Costco, places like that.”

About 90% of the food that is distributed through Community Food Share is donated from grocery stores.

When COVID hit, supply chains were disrupted with people preparing for the shutdown.

“Shelves were being cleared out,” Da Silva said, “and when that’s happening, it means food isn’t being donated to places like Community Food Share.”

With such a considerable drop in donations, Community Food Share was forced to purchase more food on their own to help balance out the loss.

“Between March and July of 2019, we purchased about three truckloads of food, and [in the same time period] of 2020, we purchased 21 truckloads of food,” Da Silva said.

Ordering all this food came with another issue: balancing out the budget. Considering the average cost of one truckload of food was $25,000, and the amount of food Community Food Share ordered increased by 600%. The budget was skyrocketing.

“At the beginning, I was worried not only for the general public and the stress and fright that was taking over our country, but for those who can’t afford to purchase the food and essentials they need,” Da Silva said.

While grocery store donations were dropping, the need for food

“Since late March, we have supplied Boulder Valley School District with over 500,000 pounds of food.”

— Adam Deal, Assistant Director of Operations at Community Food Share

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was increasing by about 35%, and the volume of people coming to the distribution center was higher in the first few months of COVID than ever before.

“Since March 2020, we haven’t had a month that we’ve distributed less than 1 million pounds of food. And in April, we distributed the largest amount of food in a month that Community Food Share has had in our entire 39-year existence,” Da Silva said.

This year, Community Food Share has provided food to more people and programs than any other year, and due to COVID, more people have needed the services Community Food Share provides.

Some of these places are right here in Boulder Valley, including Boulder Valley School District and University of Colorado.

Community Food Share has multiple programs with local schools in which they help provide food for students and staff using free and reduced lunch plans. A mobile food truck arrives on campus and directly distributes food to individuals.

“Since late March, we have supplied [Boulder Valley School District] with over 500,000 pounds of food. We just delivered our largest order yet which topped 32,000 pounds of food.” Adam Deal, the Assistant Director of Operations at Community Food Share said. “It has been a great partnership, and I am so proud of all the work we have done together.”

Through it all, Community Food Share has met every challenge that has been presented to them during the pandemic, including meeting higher distribution demands while cutting back on their volunteers.

“We had to cut our volunteer force down by 45% so that we could allow for individuals to have space between each other,” Da Silva said. “We actually distributed a million pounds more this fiscal year with 45% fewer volunteers than we did the year before.”

With so much increased need, people count on the help and resources that Community Food Share renders. Some families rely heavily on these services, and Hodge says they couldn’t be more thankful for it.

“I think if it were me and I was having to go to a food bank for food, I would feel very uncomfortable doing that. I probably would not be very happy,” she said. “And I’ve always been really surprised by how many people are so friendly and just so happy.

They’re happy to see us. They’re grateful that we’re there, and they’re gracious about the whole experience.”

Did you know?

41%

of Community Food Share’s labor is done by volunteers

$3.75

is the average cost per meal in Colorado, which is 24% above the national average

90%

of food distributed by Community Food Share is donated by grocery stores

How to get involved: Two volunteers build boxes to fill with food in the warehouse of Community Food Share

Volunteer in person or virtually at Community Food Share. Visit communityfoodshare.org to learn more.

November 2020 15

Almost Sisters Foreign exchange program brings two girls together during a pandemic

By Sam Saliba, Evie Cuffaro, and Ryleigh Selby

Kaelan Norgard and Ginevra Rattalino pose after their hike

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The soft glow of a phone illuminates the face of Ginevra Rattalino as she lounges on her white and orange comforter. Moonlight pours in from the French doors to her right, shining softly across her room. Shadows hang on the dark side of her shelves, which rest on the violet southern wall.

Her desk stands to her left with a string of pictures hung above it—pictures of friends and family. Posters and paintings pepper the rest of her white walls, and the shelves are topped with candles, small boxes, even a small globe. She stares down at her phone, fingers rapidly flying across the screen, texting a stranger from across the Atlantic. Fortunately, the girl she’s messaging won’t be a stranger for much longer.

Rattalino is going to meet her in America, and she couldn’t be more excited.

MOVING TO AMERICA Rattalino, from Busca, Italy, came to Colorado last year as an exchange student.

She stayed with Kaelan Norgard ‘22.

“When you decide to become an exchange student, you have to apply to an agency in Italy, and in the US, as well,” Rattalino said. “So then you have to fill in many documents. You have to write a letter to a general family that could host you.

And then they’re going to send everything to the families in the US, and they’re going to choose you. So, the family of this student chose me.”

Norgard’s introduction to the foreign exchange program started at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year.

“I am an only child, and when the opportunity came to host an exchange student we were thinking about it,” she said. “When we were looking through all of the host applicants we saw Ginevra and instantly knew that we were going to love her.”

Rattalino and Norgard each had their concerns about being thrown into living— and sharing everything—with a stranger.

“With Kaelan at the beginning, we’re both only children, which was really hard because we had to share our spaces. For example, the bathroom. We were used to doing things alone, so we kind of had to start doing things together. But then after I think the first month, we bonded and everything went well,” Rattalino said.

Norgard shared similar concerns. “I was nervous and excited,” she said. “I knew that it was going to be hard for both of us at the start because we were both only children, but I also knew that we were going to make so many memories.”

As nervous as the pair were before meeting each other, the friendship was instant. The Norgard family waited in anticipation at the airport, clutching a sign, ready to welcome Rattalino to their home.

“She fit right into our family,” Norgard said. “We all loved doing the same things so we never had a disagreement on what we wanted to do.

Rattalino’s love for Norgard and the US

“I loved it. I had high expectations of America.

Compared to (Italy), it’s like the ‘free land.’” grew more and more throughout her stay.

“I loved it. I had high expectations of America,” she said. “Compared to [Italy], it’s like the ‘free land.’ So everyone that goes to America has a high expectation of all the parties and the school system and everything.”

Norgard and Rattalino share fond memories of spending holidays together, going to swim practices, driving to Flagstaff, playing ping pong, hiking in the Rocky Mountains, and more.

“I was part of the swim team,” Rattalino said. “We went to La Jolla for a training trip in the preseason, which was one of the most fun things because I got to know many girls, many friends. And I went to California, which was kind of like my dream.”

As Norgard and Rattalino spent months living, going to school, and playing sports together, their friendship developed into a sisterhood. The two girls, used to being

“With Kaelan at the beginning, we’re both only children, which was really hard because we had to share our spaces. For example, the bathroom. We were used to doing things alone, so we kind of had to start doing things together.

But then after I think the first month, we bonded and everything went well.”

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only children, had suddenly formed an unbreakable bond.

And then the world was put on pause.

A PANDEMIC STRIKES

Hundreds of official emails and frenetic group texts. In mid March, the COVID-19 pandemic finally reached the United States. Events were cancelled and schools closed, and Norgard and Rattalino found themselves in lockdown.

Unfortunately for Rattalino, Italy had been locked down prior to this. She was stuck.

“I missed when it started in March and April, which were the hardest months,” said Rattalino.

“People wouldn’t go out, they had to stay home all day. And they could only go to the hospital to see the doctor

or go to the grocery store, but just one person in the family. And they couldn’t go to different regions. So that was really a nightmare for them. And, of course, all the students went online and so that was really hard.”

Although Rattalino was isolated from the horrors of the virus in Italy, she was also isolated from her family.

“I was worried for my family and all the people I care about. I couldn’t do anything for them, so I felt helpless,” she said. “I was texting and calling them much more to make sure they were all fine. I thought about coming back, but it would’ve been actually worse and dangerous for me to go to the airport and on a plane because of the coronavirus.

“My parents told me not to worry, that they were fine and wanted me to stay in the US and finish my exchange year,” she said.

“I was worried for my family and all the people I care about. I couldn’t do anything for them, so I felt helpless.”

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Kaelan Norgard, USA

In spite of the situation, the two made the best out of it. Norgard says that the most memorable thing they did together was “during quarantine [they] got this new ping pong table and would just play for hours and got to really know each

August 3 2019

Rattalinmo and Norgard visit Mt Rushmore

Rattalino meets her new family in Colorado

September 14 2019

Since her quarantine, Rattalino returned to school in September. “We’re going in person, but it’s not the same as it was.

We, of course, can’t stay near each other.

We can’t do the same things as before.

“I’ve been [in] the US when we had to stay home because of the coronavirus so going back to school, it’s so weird.”

She and Norgard share similar thoughts on the situation in the United States.

“I think we would be able to go back to school because Italy had a mandatory lockdown for

a while and really handled the situation well. We would probably be going back to school now,” Norgard said.

While Rattalino returned to in-person schooling in September, she is still unsure of how long that will last. “There are new cases, and they’re growing every day more and more,” she said. “So, for example here, we’re really worried because we don’t think we’re going to go to in-person for more than one month.”

Now Kaelen sits in her own room, reclining in the bean bag chair by her bed. Her blue-ish purple walls encompass her, adorned with a little calendar and a mirror.

She grips her phone in her hands and types at lightning speed, texting someone who is no longer a stranger from across the Atlantic.

Deep down she knows that soon, she’ll see her sister again.

Colorado declares lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19

May 30 2020

March 13 2020

Rattalino returns to her family in Italy three days early

really lonely when she left. It took awhile for things to get back to normal.”

LIFE AFTER AMERICA

Ginevra Rattalino, Italy

other on a deeper level.”

Sooner than they had intended, the Norgard family had to send Rattalino home in late May. “It was really sad when she left. I missed everything about her, and I felt

March 9 2020

Italy declares lockdown to slow the spread of COVID-19

“It was really sad when she left. I missed everything about her, and I felt really lonely when she left.”

November 2020 19

OPINIONS Damaging, not dramatic

Glamorizing mental illness has become trendy but many people don’t know how wildly irresponsible it is

By Layla East

W

alking down the hallway the school’s social worker, Michael Davidoff, sees students clumped together leaning against their lockers talking about recent drama, homework, and their plans for the weekend. He hears a student jokingly say; ¨Oh my god! I’m so OCD! I guess that’s just what makes me quirky.¨ As a mental health professional, he knows just how serious mental disorders are and has watched in horror at how popular it has become to romanticize them.

In school lunchrooms it’s not uncommon to hear teenage girls applauding their friends for skipping lunch calling them strong for abstaining from food, strong for denying their body a basic need, or to hear kids state they have depression because their boyfriend or girlfriend broke up with them last week.

A few decades ago talking about mental health used to be taboo, and now because people are talking about it so openly it’s caused a whole new equality as bad issue.

There is an ever-growing group of people who are using severe mental illnesses as a charming characteristic, claiming they have a disorder but having never been diagnosed by a professional.

Some people might not view this as an issue, they might even state that this is helping people who are suffering because it’s normalizing it. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.

“I hear it come out in the hallway like, ‘I’m so OCD about this or that,’” Davidoff said. “Well, do you really feel compelled to do something, whenever a thought pops into your mind? Do you have a ritual? Are you stuck in that, or are you just being quirky . . . there’s nothing cute or quirky about it. There’s suffering.”

Glamorizing mental illness makes suffering from an illness seem like a much better experience than it actually is. Because of that twisted view on disorders, it makes people almost want to have a

20 the mix

disorder.

Suzan Simpson, a marriage and family therapist, thinks that viewing mental illness as something good is horrific.

“To maintain that any kind of illness is cute or quirky is to be very naive to the reality of suffering - like a child believing that a broken leg and having to use crutches is ‘fun.’ They have no idea,” Simpson said.

By playing down someone’s experience of mental illness, it diminishes the struggle they are going through and when the topic of mental illness comes up they don’t even feel a part of the discussion. Glorifying mental illness is causing harm to people suffering and making light of the horrible experiences they go through.

“Romanticizing mental illness is similar to glorifying war - the carnality, the grotesqueness, and especially the loss that is incurred is not beautiful,” Simpson said.

Stop viewing mental illnesses as romantic and quirky and instead realize whoever is going through it is suffering. Be by their side, and don’t make yourself a victim.

Michael Davidoff said, “I would encourage people to keep it real.

There are lots of ways to get somebody’s attention, and there are lots of ways to start a conversation. We don’t have to be a victim to do that. So I would encourage people to try to tap into their strengths and use that as a vehicle to get recognition. Because, you know, it’s hard to address something that is being self-created.”

Everyone can be a part of the discussion of mental health by sympathizing with people suffering and voicing your own struggles, but romanticizing an illness hurts the people who are actually battling with it. It’s an extremely naive and immature way to view something that has ruined so many people’s lives.

Let’s bring Danimal Commercials back...

Naptime

Naptime was the best thing in kindergarten because it was calm, the room was dark so your eyes could rest, and after relaxing for a while, you’re ready to run around the rest of the day. It would be even more useful to us now with all of the responsibility and stress of high school.

Also, it takes away the physical stress on our bodies, especially back pain from sitting hunched over all day.

Most importantly, it’s less time spent actually working. We may not be in school full-time at the moment, but I still want designated naptime.

— Rhys Cadwallader

The ones with Dylan and Cole Sprouse. I sure miss the days lounging on the couch after school, watching Disney Channel for hours and seeing that commercial on repeat. Every kid wanted nothing more than to go on that cruise with the Sprouse twins. Whether it was actually a real contest or not, I still don’t know for sure, but the possibility was thrilling in my elementary school mind. Those were the good old days.

— Carolyn Jewett

Club Penguin

I used to come home after a long day of school, sit down at my family computer and play Club Penguin with my brother for hours. We would get online with our neighbors and friends, and there would be no worries.

It was just a good time in the virtual world of animals.

Time would fly by, but all I had to worry about was having a better house with more pets and more money than my brother. Let’s bring back simpler times.

— Ryleigh Selby

5th grade gym class

Denim on Denim

The at one time highly fashionable lack of contrast needs to make its return to being in Vogue. Arguably one of the best fabrics, denim is representative of classic American culture. Dating back to the gold rush, denim has been a symbol of pioneering into unknown frontiers. It’s been more than a decade, and it’s about time that the Canadian Tuxedo makes its comeback.

— Sam Saliba

Silly Bandz

Not just as a fun accessory to trade on the playground, but as a fashion requirement. The return of the Y2k aesthetic has brought back some of my early childhood favorites, from pastels and lip smackers, to bandanas and BRATZ. The reintroduction of silly bandz to this aesthetic would show absolute commitment, as well as add even more playful color and intrigue.

Gym was my favorite part of the day as a little 5th grader. If you know me, you know I hate exercise of any kind. I was shocked I liked it as much as I did.

Quite honestly, it was my favorite part of my childhood— the little scooter chairs, capture the flag, dodgeball.

Now P.E is just boring exercise, no fun or socialization involved. My amazing gym teacher mixed with the games made for my favorite childhood memory.

I’d give anything to have a class like that now.

— Layla East

— Amelia Krueger

November 2020 21

STAFF EDITORIAl RBG’s legacy deserves a fight

Young voters cannot let Ginsberg’s rulings perish with her passing

R

By Haley Breit

uth Bader Ginsberg helped shape the society that we live in today. The rights she fought to give us are taken for granted every day, but they shouldn’t; those rights may be taken away.

RBG died on September 18 at the age of 87 after serving on the Supreme Court since her nomination by President Bill Clinton in 1993. Following her death, President Donald Trump nominated Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill that opening.

Barrett, a devout Catholic, is rumored to let her religious beliefs influence her political decisions.

While religion has next to nothing to do with an individual’s aptitude in politics, eyebrows will be raised when those religious beliefs start to infiltrate our country’s political values and laws.

The likelihood of certain rights that Ruth Bader Ginsberg worked so hard to give us being taken away is higher than most would like to admit.

Before RBG, state funded universities didn’t have to admit women. After the 1996 decision of US vs. Virginia, the long standing maleonly admission policy was struck down.

Ginsberg was part of this decision.

Before RBG, women couldn’t sign a mortgage or have a bank account without a male co-signer. Ginsberg was one of the lawyers who fought for the Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974, which prohibits

discrimination in credit transactions based on race, religion, marital status, and gender.

Before RBG, same sex marriage was illegal. Ginsberg was a deciding vote in the 2015 case of Obergefell v. Hodges. Because of her vote, the LGBTQ+ community was granted the right to same sex marriage in all 50 states. Without Ginsberg, this case

27Years as a SUPREME COURT

Justice

22 the mix

could have turned out very differently.

Before RBG, men weren’t entitled to the same caregiving and social security rights as women. The case Moritz v.

Commissioner in 1972 helped change that.

Charles Moritz had claimed a tax deduction for the cost of a caregiver for his mother but the Internal Revenue Servicedenied that deduction. The law at the time allowed that

specific deduction but only for women and formerly married men. Moritz was neither of those. Ginsberg represented Moritz in this case. It was later ruled that the IRS had violated the Equal Protection Clause of the US Constitution and RBG won the case.

Before RBG, juries did not include women. Up until 1979, jury duty was optional for women and many argued that women should be exempt from it altogether because of their family and household responsibilities. Ginsberg believed that women’s civic duties should be as valued as mens and so she fought to require juries to include women.

After RBG, there is uncertainty about many rights and if we will be able to keep them. A woman’s right to choose is among the most important of those.

Ginsberg’s spot on the Supreme Court protected Roe v. Wade, the 1973 case that ruled that a woman’s choice to have an abortion will be protected by the United States Constitution. With RBG gone, that decision could be overruled.

To fight this, young voters need to go to the polls and use their voice. People who can’t vote yet can volunteer with local political groups and sign up to work the polls on Nov. 3. We can’t afford to go back in time and reverse all of the things Ruth Bader Ginsberg fought so hard to give us.

Standardized testing can’t be the standard any longer College admissions place too much weight on SAT scores, they shouldn’t.

E

ver since I can remember, my teachers taught me the SAT is one of the biggest factors in determining whether or not students will be accepted into college.

And for so long, I thought nothing was wrong with it. Until now.

The SAT started out as a test that was meant to analyze a person’s IQ, according to Psychology Today. But, over time it has shifted towards favoring certain groups over others, and therefore, isn’t fair.

“The SATs are one measure of a student’s potential to do well in college,” Boulder High School teacher Laura Jordan said. “Unfortunately, over the years it has proven to be not a very accurate predictive measure, and it has proven to be slanted toward a majority group. So it, I think, unfairly discriminates against kids of color and kids in poverty.”

Multiple studies on the SAT have found that it favors wealthier students over students from lower socioeconomic statuses.

There are personal, and environmental advantages and disadvantages for all students, but many lower income families have less resources than higher income families. “[Lower income families] don’t get test preparation. Because test preparation might cost your parents money, right? And [wealthier families] have the income to help you to do test preparation,” Malena Brohm, the Chief of Staff in the Office of the Dean at the Business School of University of Colorado-Denver said. “I think another factor is how higher income families have access to educational opportunities that are not

By Carolyn Jewett

available to lower income families.”

The SAT costs money not only to study for, but also to participate in. Lower income families might struggle to afford having their kids take the test in the first place, much less buying study materials.

One of these costs is tutors, which can cost up to $100 an hour to help prepare students for the SAT. That much money might not be a feasible option for low income families. However, high income families have no problem with that.

The struggles of the SAT go beyond just prep classes and costs, but also into a student’s struggles in everyday academic life.

The SAT favors students who study, who have resources, who have money, and lower income families have more challenges than that. Some can’t even afford to have technology at home.

“There’s the digital gap,” Brohm said.

“And that’s the type of technology that the more wealthy folks have access to versus some kids from lower socio economic status might not even have WiFi at home.”

How can a student be expected to be successful when they can’t even afford the basics of learning at their own home?

Looking at a student’s transcript or their grades or SAT scores is not enough to determine whether they’ll be successful or not, because there’s so much to them that goes off paper.

“There’s a lot of things that happen in a child’s life that impacts their academic performance, whether it’s good or bad,” Principal Neil Anderson said. “That doesn’t

necessarily mean that they aren’t able, or ready to move into the rigors of a college university or career field.”

There’s no accurate way to measure a person’s intelligence or their ability to succeed, especially through a test, because there are always things going on outside of the classroom, outside of school, and outside of a test that impact how they perform.

“You could say, this child held down two jobs while they were in school, and they were highly respected, they were employees of the month.” Jordan said. “Or this kid we know takes care of their siblings after school and has done so for the last 10 years and still managed to get a 3.0 average.”

Now, more than ever, the SAT is an unreliable source of information for students and colleges. COVID-19 has changed our landscape dramatically, forcing us to adjust to the challenges it presents.

Students are unable to take the test on Saturdays, prep classes are online instead of in person, test centers have to adhere to public health guidelines, and there is limited capacity and availability for students to take the test.

You will never get an accurate prediction of someone’s success based off of a test.

You’ll never know a person’s struggles, their passions, the obstacles they’ve faced based off of a 154 question assessment.

The SAT is not accurate, it’s not fair, and colleges should not use such a discriminatory, biased test to determine if a student will succeed and if they deserve a college education or not.

November 2020 23

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