Vol. 20 - No. 2

The

Howler VOL 20, NO. 2 / MARCH 2018

Editor-in-Chief Levi Wood

purpose

The Howler strives to inform, educate, and entertain the student body of Monarch High School as a studentproduced newspaper and open forum for student expression and opinions.

Expression made by students in The Howler is not an expression of Boulder Valley School District Board policy and the School District and its employees are immune from any civil or criminal action based on any expression made or published by students in The Howler. cover illustrations by Mandy Matteson

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Table of Contents

Editors Sali Castro India Turner Sneha Varanasi Treyton Williams

STAFF

This new magazine is a reflection of us, not as a staff but as a school, the physical expression of what it means to be a Monarch Coyote. Between us, here on the paper, our website (mhshowler.com), and the Mosaic Yearbook, we strive to tell the stories that live between these brick walls. We tell these stories because they matter to us as students, staff, family, friends, and even rivals.

We tell these stories in full color because we aren’t black and white. We tell these stories to prove that there are people who give a damn.

Illustrators Mandy Matteson Emma Gentry

Staff Writers Tori Armitage Emma Baziuk Claire Brache Chance Bradley Madison Devendorf Ruthie Fager Emma Gentry Ellie Guanella Zikra Hashmi Chasity Harris Leah Humphrey Rachel Klemaszewski Mandy Matteson Gwen McGarry Theo Morelock Phil Phronesius Zachary Salaman Sam Saliba Lexi Stone Anna Wexler Kevin Wu Adviser Bonnie Katzive Co-Adviser Ben Reed

The Howler reserves the right to refuse advertising which does not adhere to the publication’s standards, particularly in reerence to good taste and to products and/or services that are illegal and/or immoral for the majoirty of high school readers.

Guest contributions sent to The Howler which do not adhere to the publication’s standards may be turned down for publication. contact info mhshowler@gmail.com

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News highlights

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Hitting the right chords

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The cost of a free internet

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Building a schedule one block at a time

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Most valuable players

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Don’t let it happen here

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Sports closeup

coyote photo edited with permission from photographer Janet Kessler

March 2018

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ROLLING IN to NEW ADDITIONS An alternative to the regular white shirt black shorts gym class

by Elise Castro with reporting by Leah Humphrey

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hysical education classes are a graduation requirement, and as upperclassmen start to pay attention to credits, they would be disappointed to see limited options for people who do not have passion for sports. Teacher Troy Tewalt wanted to create a class that people could enjoy without having an interest in traditional physical education activities.

The bowling class met during the fall semester at the Coal Creek Bowling Alley during first period. Instead of only bowling for pleasure, Tewalt and other teachers across the district decided to create a bowling tournament.

“We do a tournament at the end of the semester, both with our class, and then we do one against Centaurus. This year we’re getting a trophy that we’ll keep track of every semester, but Monarch took the first annual bowling tournament,” Tewalt said.

The class is only offered to upperclassmen as it requires students to drive to the bowling alley and back to school.

“We feel like the underclassmen have enough, so when you become a junior or senior you get the privilege to enroll for that class,” Tewalt said.

During the fall semester, students participated in recreational sports at the school every other week and students like Abigail Cracraft (11) had to adjust to the schedule.

“The hardest thing was getting used to the two-week schedule, because we do two weeks in the bowling alley and two weeks here and I think one day I thought we were at the school, so then I came to the school in the morning and no one was there and I was like, what just happened?” Cracraft said.

Delenne Phan (12) has been able to experience the shift in how the class was structured during second semester, where they bowled every week rather than every other week like students who took the class during the fall semester did.

“I like bowling constantly like what we’re doing this semester,” Phan said.

The class will continue to evolve, and use the feedback from the students to further improve the class.

“The kids were having fun, so we talked to the management at the bowling alley and they said, ‘Yeah, you can come every week.’

So we’re giving that a try,” Tewalt said.

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Delenne Phan (12) bowling at Coal Creek Bowling Alley during Troy Tewalt’s first period bowling class photo by Levi Wood

photo by Elizabeth Danekind Ayla Goodman (11) prepares to shoot for the basket at the basketball tournament.

Unified Basketball Tournament

Alex Esposito taping Benjamin Hyde’s (12) foot at the Monarch High School vs. Broomfield High School game. photo by Sam Saliba

The Unified Basketball program placed sixth in a January 19. 2017 at an Adaptive Sports Basketball tournament in Jefferson County.

SPORTS Medicine CLub Behind the scenes and beside the sidelines

by India Turner with reporting by Zachary Salaman

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unter Armstrong (11), the president of the Sports Medicine Club, not only lead her club in a classroom, but with the help of Athletic Trainer Alex Esposito also gained hands-on experience during games by helping out athletes at games.

“Basically [the club] was started to help Espo out. He does so much work helping out the students if they’re injured or just daily during practice if they need any help,” Armstrong said.

Even though the club was only recently started, the club included 15-20 people and every grade level. While you may not have seen them, they were there on the sidelines of all the football games, helping Esposito tend to game injuries.

During the fall season, students also helped out with football games.

“For football season, we did heel locks for all the football players, so they don’t sprain their ankles before the game.

During the game if there was anything super major that went on, it was usually covered by Espo, but we would definitely be there to help, to get water, to do stuff like that if an athlete really needed something,” Armstrong said.

From learning about CPR inside the school to helping out on the side of football games, the Sports Medicine Club gained hands-on experience in helpung take care of athletes’ injuries

Service Project in Uganda Caroline Skram (12) raised money and items through Monarch in order to go to Kamuli, Uganda for a service project. The village of Kamuli recently built a school which took in 250 students, half of whom are orphans from the village. Skram is bringing supplies like backpacks and books, and will also be providing money to pay for fresh water. If you would like to donate supplies or money to help the cause please contact Tony Tolbert. tony.tolbert@bvsd.org

Model United Nations Cooper Hanley was awarded Best Position Paper on November 11, 2017 for the Cherokee Trails Conference. At the Fossil Ridge Conference on December 9, 2017, Jack Davis won Best Position Paper for Sweden.

March 2018

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Justin’s proudly supports Monarch High School! www.justins.com

hitting Hitting the right CHords The symbiotic relationship of sound and emotion in film

by Kevin Wu, Treyton Williams, and Sneha Varanasi

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Sit back and watch a film, what do you notice most?

Most likely the visual effects or story, but probably not the music in the background. Musical score, an element that audiences may overlook or take for granted, often has a tremendous impact over a sequence, a single scene, or the overall tone of a film.

A score is original music written specifically for a film by a composer and usually incorporates orchestral, choral, and/or electronic elements. Due to the advancement of audio technology, composers today often write music that feature a hybrid of electronic and orchestral instruments.

There are two ways in which a score can be used to support a movie’s visuals. The most common method employed by filmmakers is to insert music that fits the scene. For example, a diminished minor chord is often played to portray danger (Jaws). Heroes get soaring anthems on brass (The Avengers), action scenes get high uptempo music (Jason Bourne), and sad scenes are filled with somber orchestral music (Titanic). The music reinforces what is happening on screen and brings about emotion in viewers. However, this method of scoring does lend a sense of predictability for audiences. To prevent this from happening, filmmakers may utilize music to send conflicting feelings to viewers. This tactic is used, but nobody executes it better than Pixar.

The idea is to present a contrast between what people hear and what they see. In the soundtrack by Michael Giacchino from the movie Up, there is a theme on piano that plays when (spoiler alert!) one of the characters, Ellie, dies. The musical motif evokes a feeling of sadness, but this isn’t the only time where it appears. The theme first shows up when Ellie first meets Carl Fredricksen and gives him the grape soda pin. It’s later heard again when Ellie is sitting by herself finding out that she can’t have children. By the time of the funeral scene, the viewer has already associated the theme with Ellie and her sense of adventure, which makes it really sad when she dies.

Later on in the film, the theme on piano is used sparingly, playing in happy moments, such as when Carl finds out that Ellie has been documenting their life together in her book of adventures, and at the end of the movie, when Carl gives Ellie’s grape soda badge to Russell.

What was initially sad music during Ellie’s death now plays over scenes filled with happiness. It presents contrasting feelings. Is it supposed to be sad or happy?

That feeling is left to the viewer, which is why Pixar is so good at tugging at our heartstrings.

However, score music today isn’t all about letting loose

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emotions or filling up the silence.

A film score can solely incorporate sound effects to drive the film forward (Arrival). World renowned composer Hans Zimmer does this very well. A pioneer in the use of electronic synthesizers and their integration with the traditional orchestra, Zimmer (The Lion King, Man of Steel, Crimson Tide, The Amazing Spider Man) revolutionized the film score industry. The usage of musical elements to create sound effects can be found in movies such as Christopher Nolan’s Dunkirk, where it provides a sustained and steady beat throughout the film.

Dunkirk is unlike many conventional scores. The story is set to a droning sound that gradually intensifies as the movie progresses.

Included is a ticking watch sound effect, which marks the passage of time. Also in full effect is Zimmer’s version of the Shepard Tone, an auditory illusion consisting of a series of tones separated by octaves.

Imagine three ascending octaves with one on the top, one in the middle, and one on the bottom.

The middle one is set to a constant volume with the top one fading out and the bottom one fading in. This tricks the brain into hearing a sound that feels like it’s getting higher and higher in pitch without actually going there.

This effect produces a sense of urgency and brings filmgoers to the edge of their seats by raising tension throughout the movie.

Usage of the Shepard Tone can also be found in director Christopher Nolan’s other films such as Interstellar, The Dark Knight, and The Prestige. Many of Nolan’s works revolve around the topic of time; they examine how it works in our dreams (Inception), and how it works

When Soundtrack BECOMES ICONIC in space (Interstellar). There is a sense of tension that comes with time, and that’s what make Nolan’s films stand out.

Sometimes, the composer might not be the one providing the sound effect at all. Often, sound recorded on set does not capture the audio produced by movement by actors. Foley artists are tasked with making everyday sounds such as paper folding, doors slamming, wind, etc. On the other side of the spectrum, effects such as explosions, gunfire or even a lack of sound are produced by sound engineers.

The task that falls upon the sound engineers can have a tremendous effect on the audience. For example, in Saving Private Ryan, director Steven Spielberg opts to slowly mute the sound effects as the characters dive into the water at Omaha Beach.

This is done to simulate the physical sensation of going underwater. This method is also on display frequently in Christopher Nolan’s films (most notably Dunkirk). The “ear ringing” effect is also a common trope in war-related movies as a soldier experiences a concussion.

In the end, some might think a movie is a just an opportunity for audiences to sit down and relax for a couple hours but it is much more than that. Movies are an avenue for filmmakers, composers, and screenwriters to tell stories that resonate with the human spirit. They can raise attention to issues that run rampant through society today, show us how life might be centuries from now, and even bring our wildest fantasies to life and sound plays a key role. So next time you go the movies, try to catch those little details like score, and sound design--it just may change the way you experience film.

Take a look at this poster of The Breakfast Club. What song immediately plays in your head if you are familiar with the movie? Most people who look at it have Simple Mind’s classic song “Don’t You Forget About Me” blaring in their minds. Sound is so integral to a film’s tone and longevity. Sometimes the soundtrack of a film is so well put together, so iconic, that it attains mainstream success outside the world of film.

Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” is often considered to be the greatest song in the singer’s illustrious career, topping the charts internationally. Due to its prominence in the film Titanic, it is commonly associated with the film to the point that this massive hit song is sometimes simply known as the “Love Theme from Titanic.”

Huey Lewis and the News are forever associated with the sound of the 80’s.

One of their trademark hits was the song “Power of Love.” This song wasn’t written just for the air waves, however.

It had been written for 1985’s Back To The Future and, due to the film’s popularity, thrust the song into a blockbuster hit. In fact, this song that had been written just for a film became the band’s first #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Sometimes, the popularity of a song outshines the film itself. People familiar with the artist Prince know his song “Purple Rain.” What commonly escapes some listener’s memories is that it had been written as part of the soundtrack for a 1984 movie of the same name, starring Prince himself.

March 2018

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The co$t of the internet Net neutrality should concern you (& your wallet)

by Treyton Williams and Ruthie Fager photo illustration by Sam Saliba

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teenager arrives home from a long day of school and escapes to cyberspace. She checks her Snapchat and replies to her friend, then she switches to Twitter to see what her favorite celebrity has posted. Shortly after, she uses Google to look up a question about her homework before submitting her work to Schoology. When her work is done, she goes to Netflix to binge another season of her favorite show. She does all this seamlessly, bouncing from one web platform to another, without any hiccups or slowdowns. This is a scene familiar to most BVSD students.

It’s the same scene, but in the future, where net neutrality is no longer around. The same teenager goes onto Snapchat, which her parents pay an extra $15 a month for her to use, then tries to go onto Twitter, but her parents never bought the package deal that would allow her long, it loads up the answer. Her parents should have paid for Premium Fastlane Internet, an extra $30/month. Funny, she thinks. Before all this the internet ran faster for no extra cost. She finishes her day by finally going over to Netflix (an extra $20/month), and watching an episode of her favorite show for twice its actual playtime due to needing it to buffer constantly.

Under the rules of net neutrality established by an FCC rule during the Obama administration, an Internet Service Provider (ISP), such as Comcast or Centurylink, cannot package websites and apps together like cable companies do with channels and certainly couldn’t charge extra for some sites to run faster than others. With the FCC’s decision to repeal net neutrality on December 14, nothing prevents companies from doing exactly this. One might think, “Fine, if they do package sites and throttle internet speed, I’ll just go to their competitors.” The only problem is that many millions of Americans only have one ISP where they live.

This fear of corporations putting anti-consumer policies into practice isn’t baseless. For example, in New Zealand, companies like Vodafone actively package and sell websites and apps five at a time for a monthly rate. They run advertisements explaining what a great deal they are presenting to consumers, when in reality customers are being charged for the right to even open the app.

It is entirely possible that an ISP could filter information by, for example, blocking a competitor’s website or a host of negative reviews. The internet, a bastion of free speech, can be censored outright by a corporation. These acts wouldn’t even all be overt; without net neutrality, different sites could be subjected to different upload and download speeds, as well as buffering speed for videos and embedded articles. This means that certain sites can be slowed down at will by ISPs. After all, who wants to wait five minutes for a three minute video to load, even when the video tells you exactly why your internet is slow and who’s responsible?

Incidentally, the fastest pages on the web just might belong to the ISP, be it through their main site, or the content given through their subsidiaries.

The risks of losing a free internet are a concern for everyone in America, including those in Boulder county. This legislation affects not only us, but our neighbors, parents,

and classmates. With this in mind, students aware of the repeal have been vocal on their viewpoint of what they fear and hope will come out of it. For example, some students are against the repeal in it’s entirety.

“I’m definitely for net neutrality. I think it’s important that at least us Americans have equal access and opportunity to all the different websites and to be able to form our own opinions and to do it for a reasonable cost and not have the internet become cable basically,” Nate Harris (12) said.

Even students who aren’t necessarily anti-repeal have concerns about the implications and possible risks of no net neutrality.

“I fear that there’s already a problem with the rural divide without net neutrality. I think that could possibly escalate more divide on who could use internet and who could not use internet and possibly the divide between who could buy and who could purchase certain companies and packages,” Ethan Wearner (11) said.

The rights of the internet consumer are under threat.

The possibility of anti-consumer actions taken by ISPs in the years following the FCC’s decision should be cause for concern and action. Luckily, there is a way to fight back and restore net neutrality. Congress has the ability to overturn the FCC’s decision and can vote to return net neutrality.

However, a decision must be reached before April 23rd.

The Senate has 50 out of the 51 votes needed to overturn.

The FCC has taken it upon itself to give corporations the ability to chokehold the access rights of the consumer for profit. By protesting online or in public and writing to Congress asking members of the legislature to support net neutrality, the consumer can fight back. Do not let your rights be taken from you while you have the power to cry out against it.

This is an ad from Vodafone, an Internet Service Provider based in New Zealand, where there are no net neutrality regulations. Paying the specified amount for any of the packages for one day, seven days, or 28 days allows the customer to access the popular social media applications listed on the ad. These are the kinds of price structures that could soon be seen in the United States with the repeal of net neutrality rules.

March 2018

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BUILDING A SCHEDULE ONE BLOCK AT A TIME Monarch’s search for the ideal schedule

by Mandy Matteson, India Turner, Sali Castro, and Tori Armitage illustrations by Levi Wood

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alking through the halls, you might hear rumors such as “First period is going to start later next year” or “They might take away block scheduling.” But are any of these rumors true? Why has the schedule remained the same? And what are the reasons behind the seemingly never-ending wait for a change? The Howler set out to learn why no change has been made yet, and what factors go into planning a schedule that will benefit everyone.

It has already been determined by the administration that there will be no changes to the schedule for the 2018-19 school year. However, changes are still on the table for the 2019-20 years and beyond. Over the past few years there have been proposals to lengthen tutor time and start later, just to name a few proposals.

There are many factors that administration must take into account when considering changing the schedule, and these factors affect the process greatly.

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A longer tutor time and potential security concerns The idea of a longer Wednesday or Monday tutor time has been proposed in the past, in order to give students a chance to get as much academic help as they need.

However, some students rarely attend tutor time. The students that do stay at the school during tutor time don’t always go to classes for help, and this can lead to discipline concerns.

“Our discipline data shows that our two heaviest days for discipline are Wednesdays and Fridays… Wednesday is definitely attributable to the late start. Kids have an hour and a half… that’s kind of why we plugged a tutor time in there, hopefully to get more kids coming and using that time productively,” said assistant principal Mark Sibley.

And during Monday tutor times, many people simply go home. Students that take the bus home, however, cannot leave until Monday tutor time has ended.

“I think [people don’t use Monday tutor time because] they’re just really tired...they’ve been here for seven hours,” Amit James (10) said.

Many of the students who take the

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“It’s really tough for us to monitor that many students who are not taking advantage of tutor times like they should be.”

-Steven Brown Security Monitor

bus remain in the halls as they wait for tutor time to end, talking to friends or getting started on homework. Having large numbers of students out of class can create safety and supervision challenges.

“We are all for students getting the extra help that they need to be tutored.

That’s what we’re here for, right? But with that being said... a large majority of the students don’t take advantage of [Monday afternoon tutor time]. So what we end up having [is] a lot of underclassmen who feel they don’t need to be tutored, and they find that time to involve themselves in things they probably shouldn’t be involved with. It’s really tough for us to monitor that many students who are not taking advantage of tutor times like they should be,” said campus monitor Steve Brown.

Although there are potential benefits of a longer tutor time, it could also make it increasingly challenging to monitor students, and could shift more supervision responsibility onto teachers. And not all teachers are willing to spend time in the halls supervising students.

“A big issue is to try and get more teachers...to be willing to take hall duty.

This is not the most fun thing to do,” said science teacher Kristin Donley, an active voice on the school’s schedule change.

Changes In Administration Recent changes in school and district personnel have slowed down the schedule change process. Last year both the district superintendent and our own school’s principal left the district, putting a pause on any definitive decisions in scheduling changes.

“We are waiting to see with a new school board and a new superintendent what their direction is. And it’s really up to that new superintendent to set what our mission, our goals, our values are. And until we get that person the committees are kind of stalled,” Donley said.

Essentially, committee members are somewhat hesitant to recommend scheduling changes until they have a definite directive and mission on which to base decisions.

Sports and Later End Times Although a later start might mean more sleep for students, it would also mean that school would end at a later time.This means that, especially during the winter, if school began an hour later many athletes would end practice around 6:00 or 7:00 p.m. Because of this, some athletes have argued against later start times.

“A few years back…[seniors on the] cross country team did not want the times to change because they did not want to run at night in the dark for practice. They were very vocal, and they got onto Facebook and got a lot of parents to really vocalize their dissatisfaction to our superintendent.

So he slowed things down in order to kind of look at everyone’s needs,” said Donley.

Cross country was not the only sport that had reservations about starting late and ending practice in the dark.

Soccer players and many other athletes want to maintain an early start time.

“High school [girls’ soccer] season is starting right now...if [practice] was pushed back right now it would be in the dark...[If we had a later start time] everything would be pushed back an hour, and because of the amount of schoolwork I have, because I’m an honors student, it would be really bad.

When practice is later, I have less time

“It’s not a problem [getting up early]... it kind of prepares you for later on in life when you have a job and you’re supposed to wake up early in the morning.”

-Audrey Bahintchie (9)

for homework and less time for other things,” said soccer player Athena Angel (11).

Even some students that don’t participate in after-school athletics agree that an earlier start is better for athletes and other students in general.

“It’s not a problem [getting up early]... it kind of prepares you for later on in life when you have a job and you’re supposed to wake up early in the morning,” Audrey Bahintchie (9) said.

Traffic and Later Start Times If the high school and Monarch K-8 were to start at similar times, it would effectively mean twice as many cars on already-crowded roads. And, considering the K-8 start time is at 8:40 a.m., this limits the high school’s efforts towards a later start.

“The district basically said no to us, and said we could not go to 8 o’clock [start time]. because of transportation,” Donley said. The traffic complications continue even further from there. “[There are more traffic concerns with Monarch] than other high schools because we’re the only high school that shares a campus with a middle school.

So if we both started at 8:30, [it would be an] absolute mess. There would have to be, somehow, still that staggered start,” said assistant principal Mark Sibley.

March 2018

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Waking Up Early can be Harmful With first period starting at 7:30 a.m. during most of the week, students have grown accustomed to waking up at 6:00 a.m. (or earlier). But it’s easy to feel groggy and exhausted during first and second period; many people have even fallen asleep in class.

This level of exhaustion raises the question: can it be unhealthy to wake up extremely early? Does this widespread sleep-deprivation simply result from going to bed late at night, or are other factors at play?

Surprisingly, a growing body of research indicates that there are biological factors that make it more difficult for teenagers to wake up early.

Teenagers don’t begin to produce melatonin (a hormone that aids in sleep) until about 11:00 p.m. despite already feeling exhaustion from waking up early. According to the CDC, two out of three high schoolers sleep less than eight hours per school night.

Essentially, teenagers’ circadian rhythms are different from those of children and adults. Their brains don’t stop producing melatonin until 8:00

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“ According to the CDC, two out of three high schoolers sleep less than eight hours per school night.”

a.m. This means that most students have already been in their first-period class for a half hour before they are actually awake enough to work efficiently.

Early first-period start times negatively impact students’ sleep.

However, beyond the evident exhaustion sleep deprivation causes, a lack of sleep can cause many other health issues. A lack of sleep has been linked to increased rates of depression, diabetes, obesity. It also decreases short-term memory, and can slow reaction time.

This widely publicized research has already resulted in many changes in start times throughout the district.

Fairview and Boulder High both have an 8:30 a.m. start time and many other schools are making moves to push their start times forward.

Student Voice The schedule committee has included student representatives. However, there were no student representatives for this year as the committee was mostly dormant awaiting a new administration. Student presence within the schedule committee is important because without a voice from the student body, students cannot voice their opinions that could affect an important decision like change in schedule. Without student representatives, the administration doesn’t know what students want or do not want with a change in schedule.

Student input is an important part of the process.

The committee is looking for new student representatives for the 2018-19 school year. Student representatives would speak for all Monarch students in potential scheduling decisions. Any student who is interested in becoming a representative can talk to teacher Kristin Donley for more information.

What Happened to Freshman Seminar?

For the first time in over a decade, ninth-grade students no longer have Freshman Seminar. To many students, the change seems sudden; however, it was actually based upon years of experience with tutor-time changes.

“Twelve or so years ago we came up with the freshman seminar program.

It was an every-Wednesday-morning thing for an entire year, and it was supported by teachers,” said social studies teacher and 360 coordinator Justin Abbott.

“At the end of that year it was apparent that having it on Wednesday morning was difficult because it conflicted with tutor time.... and so that scheduling committee came up with the idea that we would create a half-hour space on Monday afternoons where we could put Freshman Seminar, and then tenth, 11th, and 12th grade students would have some sort of tutor time then.”

So a Monday-afternoon tutor time has existed, in some form, for the past 11 years. Over time, it was reduced to one semester because, “it became increasingly hard to find teachers that were willing to do it, [and] it became a source of resentment for 9th graders as to why they had to be there,” Abbott said.

Teachers Justin Abbott and Taryn Cawlfield remained involved with Freshman Seminar throughout the decade-long history of the program.

After years of difficulty finding teachers willing to take on the extra duty and

give up tutor time, they decided that Freshman Seminar wasn’t effective in helping freshmen cope with the various challenges of high school.

“Ultimately Mrs. Cawlfield and I came to the conclusion that nobody was benefitting from this program. That teachers didn’t like it, that freshmen didn’t like it and they couldn’t go to tutor time… And so Mrs. Cawlfield and I believed that we could use our 360 leaders in a very different way, outside of a dedicated seminar, to ease the transition of freshmen to high school. And in doing so eliminate all the other problems that Freshman Seminar had created,” said Abbott.

Rather than maintaining a mandatory Freshman Seminar, Cawlfield and Abbott completely redesigned the way that freshmen have access to tutor time. “They’ve been offering [programming] Wednesday morning and almost 50 percent of the freshman class has actually been attending which is amazing...they’re offering food and doing fun activities,” Donley said.

The 360 leaders are now taking a different approach and offering choices like sports activities and study groups. The program was only for first semester, and was from 2:30 until 3:00 on Mondays during tutor time, and was also offered for half an hour during Wednesday morning tutor time as well.

Having gone a semester without freshmen seminar, it is still uncertain as to whether or not the program will return for next year.

“Mrs. Cawlfield and I… have come to the conclusion that whatever we do, if there is going to be some sort of freshman advisory thing, it needs to be driven by the faculty and the teachers here. So we’ll have some conversations about that, and we’ll see where things go. And at this point it’s very much up in the air,” Abbott said.

The main focus of this program and schedule change was made clear by Cawlfield. “This change came about after years of student feedback asking for a student/mentor model that is centered on relationships and connections and not curriculum,” Cawlfield said. No matter how the Freshman Seminar program changes throughout the coming years, the program will be focused more on relationships between upper and lower classmen, as well as creating relationships between the freshmen, rather than having a structured class setting.

March 2018

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MOst Valuable Players Teammates talk about what makes a standout athlete written by India Turner with reporting by Madison Devendorf, Rachel Klemaszewski

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aura Zhang (11) is a standout player not only to her coaches, but also to her peers. Fellow teammate, Erin Citarella (10) remarked how Zhang is always practicing outside of the required practices as well as balancing swim with other parts of her life.

“She somehow manages to balance getting great grades, being a supertalented violin player, having a job, and being one of the best swimmers on the team,” Citarella said.

Zhang swam the 100 breaststroke as well as the 200 freestyle as her main events and showed up to practice them almost every day.

With school practices the girls needed to wake up by 4:00 a.m. on school days, which was brutal for every teenager used to staying up late.

“A lot of people don’t come to practice every day, but Laura comes every single day no matter the weather or how tired she is or even if she’s sick and should probably stay home,”Citarella said.

The practice schedule for the team was demanding not only in effort, but in time as well.

“We put in an average of two hours a day, six days a week, before and after

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Yuta Young (12) was a defense player for the hockey team, and Jarod Krebill (12), another defense player, said that Young did whatever he could to motivate the other members of the team, even if the team was losing a game.

“Like, in the Regis

game when we were down by two goals, he just kept our hopes up, and that helped us start a little bit of a comeback. Even though it was too late to come back and win the game, we were still able to put a few more goals on there, on the boards,” Krebill said.

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Emerson Herrmann (11) was pointed out as a stand out player by her coaches and a leader by her teammates because of the extra hours she puts into her sport.

“I know I personally go and shoot on my own like at a rec center or somewhere else that has a

basketball hoop,” Herrmann said.

Even though Herrmann and the rest of the Girls’ Basketball team practiced about 12 hours a week plus games, Herrmann spent extra time on the court in order to help lead her team.

school. So, we get up and swim at 4:45 in the morning and then we have dryland after school. It’s definitely a lot of work,” Zhang said.

Not only did they wake up before school, but for part of the year they also had dryland after school to stay in shape.

Even when it wasn’t swim season, Zhang practiced before school for months between the summer league and the high school season. Zhang was, “Waking up at 5:00 a.m. to swim at the outdoor pool in the dark with one of our coaches and at the master’s practices, which are practices for adults,” Citarella said.

However, Zhang contributed more than just extra hours into her sport, she also took time to encourage her team to keep going.

“I definitely just talk to them before their race and encourage them to just do their best, but no matter what happens, at the end of the day it’s just one race so it’s not the end of the world but they should definitely go out there and push themselves and try to do their best... and try to spread the positivity within the team,” Zhang said.

In order to support the team environment, Zhang and the rest of the team shared pasta dinners, a swim team tradition, as well as spending time together before a meet.

“It’s a team sport so you’re definitely have a team behind you the whole time even if you racing alone,” Zhang said.

What’s your pregame music?

“Plain Jane”

by A$AP Ferg

Emerson Herrmann Girls’ Basketball Team #40

“God’s Plan”

by Drake

Parker McQuade Boys’ Wrestling Team

March 2018

19

don’t let it happen here The Howler editors reflect on school shootings and the need for youth to lead a change by The Howler editorial board When The Howler editorial board originally wrote this issue’s staff editorial, they could not have anticipated the tragedy that occured in Parkland, Florida. The movement of students that emerged so quickly made us rethink and reflect on the influence that young people have. Every editor had something different to contribute to the conversation; here are the thoughts of our five student editors concerning the Parkland High School tragedy and the movement it ignited.

India Turner: News Editor

We, as kids, have been waiting for adults and politicians to do what is supposed to be their job, protect us, but we have been left hanging, and are dying because of their refusal to act. For so long we have stood behind and waited for politicians and leaders to put in place the laws needed in order to save the lives of the children depending on them, and we have continued to die from because of that trust. We need to stop standing on the sidelines and stop waiting for adults and politicians to make a change because we, as the youth of today, are going to be the ones who lose. We have to start fighting for our own safety because no one will do it for us. This is a call to attend the marches, write to state and national senators and representatives, and defend the lives of our generation.

Violence in places of education has occurred before. On March 2, 2018 Carlotta LaNier spoke to our school about the violence and threats she was confronted with when she was one of the Little Rock Nine, and was one of the first African American students to enroll at Little Rock Central High upon its desegregation. On their second day of school, Carlotta LaNier and the rest of the Little Rock Nine went to Central High, only to be met by a mob of hundreds of people stopping them from going to school, and the repeated threats led to armed guards being positioned up and down every hallway. And students were scared to go to school. Under no circumstance, should students be scared to go to school and have their emotional and mental health suffer because of that fear. We cannot and should not be scared to go to school every day, in a space that is promoted and supposed to be safe for all students.

Those in power are making decisions for the minors who cannot, and those same minors, those without an official voice, are the same ones being killed. Not the politicians. Us. The students from Stoneman Douglas High School, after seeing

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Staff Editorial

their classmates dead and injured, after hearing gunshots ring through the very hallways where they were told they would be safe, created a fire for our generation. They began a campaign for a new march, one led by students on March 24, called the March for Our Lives. The title is blunt, but honest. Our lives are the ones on the lines, and so we must be the ones to fight for them.

Levi Wood: Editor-In-Chief

In February, schools all around the nation were forced to look at a grim reflection, one which posed the all too real question: “What if it was me?”

Every minute of the Parkland, Florida shooting was documented on student’s Snapchat stories, something we use every day. We saw a first person perspective of what happened and because the videos are all over social media now, people are beginning to understand the urgency of the situation.

It frustrates me, but makes me glad at the same time that in order for people to finally start caring they have to think selfishly. Seeing the victims of the shooting all over mainstream media forces the viewer to think inwardly. Parents start thinking about their kids, kids start thinking about their friends, and it has created a domino effect.

People are standing up and demanding change. And the people leading this movement are kids.

Politicians are not going to experience the consequences of their own actions, but the youth will. This recent shooting has forced itself into our vision as a society; our figurative hand is being forced to make a play. “How many more lives?” we have to ask ourselves.

I wish it didn’t have to come to such circumstances for such a needed movement to take place, but the fact that it is happening is what makes me hopeful.

Sali Castro: Features Editor

I get onto Facebook and stumble upon a video. The title following something along the lines of, “celebrities response to mass shooting.” They deliver an inspiring speech about how change needs to happen, how this is the time things will change and then that’s it. Days pass, months go by, and suddenly it has all been forgotten. Then it all happens again. I want to make a change. I want to walk into school and not have the thought in my mind, “What if today is the day that it happens to us?” I have less than three months of high school left, but what about my friends who are underclassmen? They have one to three more years left here, and I know it would kill me to know that one of my friends was hurt, or worse, killed. As I approach the real world and leave behind the comfort of childhood, I want to give kids everything that I wish I could have had when I was younger. To grow up in a world free of constant fear.

government and my community that I want change. I’ll vote in the midterm election this year, hopefully as all people of age will, to keep those who have fought for me and get rid of those who I feel are not representing me to the degree I want. I’ll keep writing and marching and voting because the problems of the world, my problems, won’t just stop one day. If they won’t stop, then neither will I. I won’t do it just for myself, either. I will do my duty as a citizen and as a man with a heart and soul because I stand with and for the people I love.

Sneha Varanasi: Culture Editor

When my grandma came back from India in 2012 my parents offered to go to a restaurant in Aurora to celebrate. But after the theater shooting that happened two days before, I was terrified beyond my wits, so I vehemently declined the invitation. My grandma assured me that it was fine and that we would go the next week, but we didn’t. We didn’t go the week after that either, or the week Treyton Williams: after that. When I look back at Thanks to the students of Opinions Editor it now, I feel I may have acted I’m graduating in just a few Marjory Stoneman Douglas immaturely. Though I lived months. Many of the problems miles from Aurora, the very High School, more reform and concerns of high school news of the shooting kept me are being minimized for me. away for months. I couldn’t has taken place by people of The more time passes, the less even begin to imagine the our age than by adults, or I’ll need to care, it seems. Is pain and fear that the actual it hypocritical for me to take victims must have endured. even by politicians. It’s easy a stand as a high schooler I don’t want this again. A to complain, but if we want when in a few months, I’ll movie theater is meant to be be one no longer? somewhere where can you to witness a turn for the My main reason for wantescape and forget reality for better, we have to stand up ing to make a difference isn’t a while, just like a concert, or really about me. It’s about those even a school. Someone shootand act, too.

I love. I’m leaving soon, but my ing up the place with an AR-15 little sister isn’t. She’s staying and -Sneha Varanasi: Culture Editor is the last thing you want to be I won’t be here. It’s why I’m going thinking about. to spend the rest of my life voicing Why does this any of this matter? my opinion, voting for who I think will Shootings like this have been happenlisten and make a change, marching and ing since forever in the United States, and protesting to show my stance as a citizen though startling and discussion-worthy at first, I believe that the United States of America is the greatest we drop the topic after a couple of weeks. Yes, we’re nation in the world for one reason: it is flexible to the will of always angry, but little to no reform has been undertaken until the people, on a grand and total scale. Leaders can be replaced now. or reelected according to the will of the people. Laws can be The thing is, there have been too many. It’s ridiculous that we created and removed and reformed and changed as the people keep hearing of such incidents in increasing frequency. We need will. As time goes on, the world changes and problems change major change, and we as a generation need to be the instigators with it. As problems arise and threaten us, we must change to of such change. This could have happened to us. One of those 17 face them. That word is so important, that “we.” Nothing you in Florida, 27 in Sandy Hook, or 12 in Aurora could have been do, nothing you stand for is for you alone. What you believe our friends, parents, siblings, or one of us. in and fight to uphold will also be subjected to the scrutiny of This isn’t something vague; it’s an issue that directly concerns the people, who will help you fight for it and who will fight the wellbeing of our loved ones and ourselves. To stand by against it. and do nothing would be foolish, especially when we have so Right now, the problem on my mind is the fact that any day much power at our hands. Thanks to the students of Marjory now, I can walk into school and have some angry soul with a gun Stoneman Douglas High School, more reform has taken place end it all. When I leave, the problem won’t just disappear with by people of our age than by adults, or even by politicians. It’s me, it will stay behind and threaten the people I leave behind, easy to complain, but if we want to witness a turn for the better, people I care about. I won’t stand idly by just because I’ll be out we have to stand up and act, too. of the crosshairs soon. They’ll be plenty of other people down those sights. I’ll write this piece, stating my hopes and views and hopefully inspire others to do the same. I’ll march, showing my

“

March 2018

21

A tourist’s guide to jam city

illustration by Sam Saliba

“Pulling out some jelly, ball up, looks like I’m about to dunk it.”

“Protecting the ball.”

“Finishing up high over the defense.”

“Bringing the ball up [and] looking at the rim.”

“Checking the rim, checking the defense, looking where we are.”

Courting success with keegan johnson

by Rachel Klemaszewski

K

eegan Johnson (12) was said to be a stand out player by his coach and teammates because he knows that there’s more than just the games; the people matter.

“I mean, he’s our best leader, really.

He’s the most go-for-it, hard-working guy. He wants to win it all, so he makes sure we’re on task in practice and he’s helping us get better and encouraging us always,” center Jack Ramsey (11) said.

Johnson tried his hardest on the court; he went with the flow and worked to make the best decisions he could. “He makes a lot of mistakes during games, but if anything, it motivates him to do

22

Sports

better on the next play and he goes and gets it right back,” Ramsey said.

Part of being able to work hard on the court also involved working hard off the court, too, which involves motivation from the team. Every day, players work hard in practice, often for two hours each day along with watching 45 minutes of film before games.

“My motivation is just to be the best that I can be, and I think that drives a lot of us,” Johnson said.

PUTTING IN THE WORK

illustration by Sam Saliba

“I’ve picked up the ball and then you’re allowed to take two steps to get to the rim.”

“I’m actually shooting it off of the backboard into the hoop.”

“I’m dribbling in the first one, probably with my right hand because that’s the easiest way to make a right handed layup.”

Keeping it positive with Emerson herrmann

by Madison Devendorf and India Turner

E

merson Herrmann (11) was pointed out as a stand out player by coaches and a leader by her teammates. When asked who she thought was a leader on the girls’ basketball team Anna Trujillo (9) commented, “Like the juniors--like Emerson Herrmann.”

Juniors play a big part of the team.

“For sure they are really, really committed and you can tell they care a lot and they’re also communicative and nice to everyone,” Trujillo said.

Herrmann also sees herself as a role model on the team. “I’m one of the few returning varsity players and I’m still on varsity so I know how the program

works, so I’m able to step up. Last year’s seniors had the leadership roles, so it’s like I stepped into what they were doing [to] help the younger girls get accustomed to the sport.”

Even after having to find a new coach the players are still keeping a great spirit. “I think the attitude is pretty good, especially after switching coaches and having the whole program kind of being rebuilt--I think everyone on the team is really positive,” Trujillo said.

March 2018

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Monarch High School 329 Campus Drive Louisville, CO 80027