The Pack - Vol. 22, Issue 3

the pack The Student Voice of Monarch High School

Ice kings ROUGHRiders come from all over to play hockey

329 Campus Dr.│Louisville, Colorado│ 80027 Volume 22 Issue 3 January 2020

the pack The Student Voice of Monarch High School

Editor-in-Chief India Turner

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Managing Editor Haley Breit

Team Editors Evie Cuffaro Lia Farrell Lindsay Haight Amelia Krueger

Social Media Editor Kate Muldoon

Staff Writers Jacqueline Campbell Ruby Cervantes Jack Ewig Logan Lair Minh Anh Le Maya Matus Connor Nimmons Hahn Park Lincoln Roch Sam K. Saliba Jonah Speyer

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Cartoonist Akasia Zamastil

Adviser Ben Reed

Our Policies:

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

@mohimix

@mohimix

@mohimix

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Foreword

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All of my college applications are in. THANK GOODNESS. Everyone tells you it’s hard, but they don’t really emphasize how mind-numbingly difficult it is (sorry to the juniors whose hopes I just destroyed).

However, now that college those are in, I realize that the hardest part of college isn’t the college applications, but actually going to college. And going to college is terrifying.

I think that the happier you are, the harder it is to accept change. Often I think, why in the world would I ever want to leave this safe, comfortable cocoon of happiness?

There are so many beautiful things that I appreciate in my life. I love that my family decorates so much for Christmas that our yard can be seen by a local pilot mid-flight (true story).

I love my dance team with all our inside jokes and long competition weekends and how we always say “huddle up” before each dance, and in that moment it’s just the eight of us, supporting each other.

I love my best friends, who laugh too hard with me in AP Lit, who get through stressful times by bringing a 2 pound bag of candy corn to school, who dance with me outside during fire drills and don’t care who watches.

I love this magazine, too, and I don’t want to leave it behind.

It all makes it one thousand times harder to leave.

The hard part has been realizing that I have to let all of this go. That sometimes in order to create a new life, some of your old one will have to go away.

Maybe the RoughRiders hockey players can be my model. Take TJ Norris, for example. Norris committed to playing for RoughRiders in Colorado, 700 miles away from his home in Iowa, when he was only 14 years old. He boarded an airplane to Colorado to live with a host family he had never met, all to play hockey.

So, when I say I’m going to an out of state school, everyone says I’m crazy. Someone who loves their family, hates being alone, and isn’t the biggest fan of change doesn’t exactly seem like someone who should go out of state. But I know this is what I need in my life. If I don’t go now, I never will.

When your past is enveloped in this warm halo of light, and the future is one big question mark, it’s easy to want to stay put.

But sometimes you just have to hope that what comes next will be as beautiful as what has come before.

-India Turner, Editor-in-Chief

photo by Karen Pring

I M X MOHI

Monarch High School.

MOHI students set trends across Boulder Valley.

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

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The Coyote’s KYOT BEhind the scenes of friday morning video announcements

By Emily Bell A thousand takes. Countless amounts of laughter. Five stories.

One broadcast. The best part about Fridays. It’s KYOT. KYOT is the new, weekly broadcast shown in classes and on Instagram every Friday. Many in the Monarch community have grown fond of KYOT. Although the broadcast is only five minutes long, Producer Wyatt Liles ‘20 says there’s a significant amount of work that goes into producing it.

“First you start with brainstorming, figuring out what we want to do in that broadcast,” he said. “From there, we schedule interviews and decide where we’re going in that story. Then we have to get the footage we need. We put it all together in individual segments.

On the side, we film our anchors and head boy and head girl, and we mash it all together.”

Every week in the Hub, two teams scramble to get their stories completed. Both work hard to complete a fun story, a news story, and a feature story. The producers film Head Girl Ashlyn Maes ‘20 and Head Boy Ty Brache ‘20 for their weekly segments along with the anchors transitioning from story to story.

Two sets of anchors alternate each week. Carson Benesh ‘20 loves her role as an anchor. She’s teamed up with a close friend, Jordan Jensen ‘20. Benesch adores being on the team and being a part of KYOT.

“At first I was hesitant, but now I look forward to it,” she said. “It’s something new from the morning announcements, which I personally never listened to, but now I look forward to Fridays to watch them, even if it’s not my team.”

It’s not just the broadcast team that enjoys KYOT. Many students and staff at Monarch have come to love the new change from the intercom They say it’s quite a difference from the typical zoning out that happens during the first few minutes of second period.

“I think it’s really funny, especially the parts with the teachers they put in. It’s something different throughout the day,” Catherine Lee ‘22 said.

Although KYOT has gone leaps and bounds since the first broadcast was released, there’s still room for improvement. For many students, KYOT is only getting better and many are excited to see where it’s headed. Greg Bell ‘21 finds KYOT as the new inventive announcements.

“It’s an interesting, new concept for the announcements. It’s improved since the beginning, but still has a ways to go. I’m really excited to see where it’s going,” Bell said.

Students can register soon for the Broadcast Journalism class to be the next generation of producers, editors and anchors next school year.

January 5

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BEST in town BEST Robotics, the fall robotics team, continues to inspire students to pursue a career in engineering, science, technology, and mathematics through robotics design here at Monarch. MOHI’s BEST season has recently come to an end, but the team had many successes. They qualified to go to the regional championships and placed 11th overall.

Students are strongly encouraged to join the FIRST Robotics team this spring by current members.

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An age old debate has finally been put to rest. The students here at MOHI have come to a conclusion: Pineapple on pizza is more favorable than not.

Pineapple on pizza?

51% yes

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49% no

2 Lines aren’t suggestions MOHI bad parking, an Instagram meme page featuring the worst parked cars in the school parking lot, has over 1,000 followers. Each time a car parks over the white lines, it faces the possibility of being featured.

While some people are naturally gifted in the art of parking, others have a constant struggle each morning.

“It actually inspired me to park better. That’s the whole point of it. Spread awareness, but also make it funny,” one of the account managers said.

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Let’s be real here are Some realistic resolutions that anybody can keep in the year of 2020

“Be nicer to strangers” -Walle Aserr ‘22

“Say hello to every dog I meet.”

-Wade Patterson ‘22

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“Just go for it.”

-Tessa Awald ‘23

“Drink Less Soda.”

-Mr. Aaron Paddock

“Take things one day at a time and appreciate the little things.”

-Levi Spinarella ‘20

January 7

The new king of streaming

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Things to bring back from the roaring 20’s 1. Flapper Dresses- These bring a certain class to partying. Why not party with class?

2. Swing Dancing- This style of dance takes some time to learn, but once it is mastered, it is great way to enjoy your free time.

3. The term “Know Your Onions”This means to stay updated on the latest gossip or news, and it brings classical weird to everyday slang.

4. The term “Bee’s Knees”- The term means very high quality or excellent. This brings a certain class toour normal conversation.

5. Gala type parties- These parties have so many things to do. You can enjoy some nice drinks and swing dance with your partner on the dance floor.

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The hottest new streaming platform, Disney +, has taken the world by storm with its vast number of movies, TV series, and shorts. If you don’t already have it, what are you doing? From every product deriving from the Marvel universe, to documentaries and shows from National Geographic, Disney + is a must buy for anyone looking for entertainment. With the touch of a button you can be watching the very shows that made you who you are today. The nostalgia alone is worth the small fee of $6.99 per month.

What kind of hot chocolate matches your personality? it’s a snowy friday afternoon- where are you?

inside by the fire rain or snow? snow rain cereal

what did you have for breakfast? pancakes candy canes or gingerbead?

winter or fall?

candy canes

winter gingerbread fall

You got: Maple Ginger Hot Chocolate!

You like some aspects of winter, but you don’t like the cold. You are outgoing and not afraid to share what’s on your mind. Your peers look up to you. Pair this creative hot chocolate with a cold night in front of the fireplace! add: - 2 tsp maple extract - 1 tsp ginger - 1/2 tsp cloves - 1/2 tsp cinnamon - No vanilla extract

You got: Peppermint Mocha Hot Chocolate!

You love and embrace winter above all else, just like this classic wintery drink. You are also sweet and adventurous. Pair this twist on the classic hot chocolate with a snowy evening, and you’ll be in paradise!

out enjoying the snow! sledding or ice skating? ice skating

sledding

pumpkin or pecan pie? You got: Nutmeg Pecan Hot Chocolate! pumpkin pecan

add: - 1 candy cane stirrer - 2-3 tsp mocha extract - 1 handful marshmallows

You enjoy fall more than winter. You are more calm and collected and prefer quiet days. You prefer a spicy twist rather than the classic. Pair this drink with a cold fall afternoon or evening and enjoy the leaves falling! add: - 2 tsp pecan extract - 2 tsp nutmeg - 1/2 tsp cloves - No vanilla extract

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Hot chocolate recipe 1 mug milk 2 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp sugar 1 1/2 tbsp cocoa powder 3 tbsp cocoa mix Heat your milk in a small saucepan.

Whisk in other ingredients and don’t be afraid to experiment!

January 9

The

Prowl Stewart makes splash in two sports Senior generates Big influence on Monarch Sports

By Logan Lair

3 Facts About Stewart

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“Trey Stew” is a standout athlete in both football and basketball.

Stewart first started on the boys basketball team his freshman year at Monarch.

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He has the most receiving yards for Monarch in his first two seasons on varsity Football.

Trey Stewart ‘20 is one of the most influential sports stars in recent years at Monarch. His contributions on the court, as well as on the field, are immeasurable.

“I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by great athletes in both sports and they all push me to get better everyday,” Stewart said.

Ever since Stewart could walk, he has been playing sports.

He started playing basketball in kindergarten and football in third grade. His love for basketball and football derived from watching his older brother. “I grew up watching my older brother play, and I always had fun playing those sports,” he said.

His athleticism and his drive to be the best he can be have paved his way towards starting on varsity football in his junior year. Playing both sides of the ball is one of the toughest things a football player can do. With the most receiving yards in the past two seasons for the yotes, as well as a total of 86 tackles, Stewart makes it look easy.

While his high school football career has come to an end, he hopes to continue playing football in college with offers from multiple schools.

On the other hand, his high school basketball career is soaring this season. In his senior year, Stewart hopes to catch the eye of some colleges, and hopefully play basketball at a college level.

Last year, Stewart scored a total of 43 points in 21 games contributing to the Yotes’ success.

“He helps connect our team as a whole. He’s a great leader and motivates everyone,” said teammate Lucas Pleva ‘20.

MOHI

Hot Takes

5 Predictions for Current Winter Sports

By Lindsay Haight, Jack Ewig and Logan Lair

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Girls Swimming

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Wrestling

The wrestling team had a great season last year, but a disappointing state tournament. Despite a record number of state qualifiers, only two people placed on the podium. The team looks to qualify more people for the tournament this year with the help of senior leaders Max Fredricksmeyer ‘20 and Austin Fiala ‘20.

Girls Basketball

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With the leadership from the senior captains, the lady Yotes will have their best record in years. With a 3-0 to the season, the ball is in their court. If they can alley oop wins against Fairveiw and Broomfield, making the playoffs will be a lay-up.

This upcoming season for girls swimming is turning out to be one for the ages. With the talent emerging from the deep end, and the wise words of the veterans, the Yotes winning wake will not be stopped. With a close loss against Fairview, the rest of the season looks bright.

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Boys basketball

The 2020 season for the boys basketball team looks to be the most promising in years.

With some of the best young talent Monarch has ever seen rising up to help the Yotes win, they look unstoppable. With clutch shooter Trey Stewart ’20, Monarch’s opponents have their hands full.

Cheer After not competing for eight years, the Coyotes Varsity Cheer team took their routine to the floor at their State Competition on Dec. 6. They placed 12th and are preparing for the Nationals competition in Anaheim, Calif. in February.

January 11

rough

R I D E R S

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“Now I’m more committed to hockey. I’m focused 100% on hockey, and it’s made me a better person, dedicating my time to something I love and want to do with my life.”

- Jameson Folden

by Haley Breit, India Turner, Ruby Cervantes and Hahn Park

Boys come from all over the country, and even Canada, for one reason and one reason only: hockey. They don’t just come to Colorado to play on any team, though. They come to play for the Roughriders.

“Everyone is there for the same reason, everyone is there to play hockey and to develop as a player and as a person,” Jameson Folden ‘20 said. “The facility and the Sports Stable is a really nice area, and the development is great out here for you as a player and as a person.”

The Superior Sports Stable has two and a half sheets of ice. The space is phenomenal, and the team takes full advantage of what the facility has to offer. The U18 AAA team practices at least 15 hours a week. AAA is the top tier of competitive hockey for youth hockey players.

The hours of practice are worth it, though, because their coach is a former NHL player.

“Through our own coaching and mentoring, the coaches help them to try and understand just exactly what it takes to become successful not only in our sport but in our life,” Coach Doug Smail said. With common interests and similar goals, the team continues to push each other to be better hockey players.

January 13

The ice kings

TJ Norris THREE time traveler TJ Norris ‘21 was going about his life in a small town in Iowa his eighth grade year: school, homework, hockey.

Iowa seemed to have everything for Norris. His hockey team, his friends, his family. But, Colorado had a pull as well: RoughRiders.

“I really wasn’t sure about it because back then I was playing football and running track for my old school as well,” he said. “But then I came [to Colorado] in June and I went to a camp in St. Louis, and right before I left I got in contact with the U16 coach and he said, ‘Send me some film on the weekend of you playing.’ I called him at the end of the camp, and he said, ’We want you to come out.’”

The next weekend Norris was back in Colorado. Within a couple of days he committed to come to Colorado for his freshman year and stay with a host family. His entire future changed in a matter of days, his home moved from Iowa to Colorado, all for hockey.

“I was just hooked by the guys that they had and the facilities and the development, I knew I was going to be in the right place,” he said. “Colorado is one of the best states for triple-A hockey that there is. There’s a lot of good players in Colorado, and I get to come play with a team that I know is going to have good guys every year. I know they’re going to lift me up, and I’m going to try and lift the team up.”

Summer passed and as fall came, Norris prepared to leave for Colorado. His stuff was packed into a suitcase as 14 the pack he flew 800 miles to his new family with fellow

player, Chase Heckerson ‘20.

The transition was awkward and uncomfortable at times. Norris had to adapt to an entirely new family: when they ate meals, what their rules were, their pet peeves and likes.

However, “We grew a bond really early, and things seem a lot easier after that,” Norris said. “We would just sit in the family room, talking more than anything, watching TV together.”

Most teenagers leave their parents behind for college, but Norris had to make that decision much earlier, at the age of 14, and has continued to come back to Colorado for RoughRiders for three years.

“My mom was super sad about it, but they both pretty much told me that if this is what you want to do [then] we’ll support you.

‘Don’t do it for us, but if you want to do it we’ll support you every step of the way,’” he said.

But there was reason for Norris to leave. The feeling when he was on the ice, surrounded by people that challenged him as much as he would challenge them. To be surrounded by dozens of other people who are just like him, separated from their family and friends, in order to make hockey their first priority.

“I think being out here on my own really focuses everything on hockey because that’s what I specifically came here to do, “ Norris said. “So, I think the focus turns towards that, whereas if I was at home I would have everything that I had before, like friends and family, that I could spend more time on, but when I came out I just had myself and hockey.”

Jameson Folden Senior predicts his future in hockey For almost every high school athlete, the dream is to move on and become a professional in whatever sport you play.

For Jameson Folden ‘20, coming to Colorado and playing for the RoughRiders was just another step to helping him achieve that goal.

“I’m going to try to play junior hockey,” Folden said. “Normally, you have to play two to three years after high school before you start college. You start playing college hockey when you are about 20 or 21. So, right now that’s my plan.”

For Folden, the distance from his home state of Minnesota helped him strengthen his dedication and commitment to the sport. “Now I’m more committed to hockey,” he said.

“I’m focused 100% on hockey really, and it’s made me a better person, dedicating my time to something I love and want to do with my life.”

Hometowns

of the U18 team where the U18 members traveled from January 15

The many of 16 the pack

J

Face #1: solving the Puzzle

faces Jordan

Jordan Mosakowski ‘21 takes Rubik’s Cubing to the next level

By Lindsay Haight, Logan Lair, Jonah Speyer, Maria Ruscitto, and Maya Matus The quiet clicks and movements of the Rubik’s cube echo through his classes. As Jordan Mosakowski ‘21 passes through the hallways onto his next class, students stop talking in their groups and are mesmerized by him and the cube. They see how quickly he can solve it in under a minute and is completely impressed.

In the spring of his fifth grade year, Jordan Mosakowki ‘21 started playing with solving the colorful puzzle on a Rubik’s Cube that had been sitting in his basement for years.

Mosakowski was determined to make it happen. He used online computer guides to give him a head start.

“I was able to solve it by following the guide in two hours,” he said.

“I spent the next three weeks learning all of the algorithms so that I could do it from memory.”

Mosakowski can always be caught with a Rubik’s Cube in hand, and will never fail to impress with his speedy skills.

Aside from solving the cubes for fun, Mosakowski also participates in competitions, and even went to CubingUSA Nationals 2019.

“There is a computer program that will generate a series of moves that will scramble the puzzle thoroughly. From there, the competitors will do five solves. Then, they can use the speed of those five solves to calculate an average time,” he said.

Mosakowski has some expert tips that he uses to help others solve a Rubik’s Cube. “You want to build up the cube in layers, so instead of thinking of it as six individual faces, you kind of want to think of it as three individual layers,” Mosakowski said.

January 17

Face #2: Decoding the Coder How to make an app 1.

Jordan Mosakowski ‘21 walked into summer camp before fourth grade excited to learn what was in store.

The camp immediately sparked his love of coding.

“I just had this kind of drive to learn how to build a website, and so I spent the rest of my summer working on building a website,” he said.

Mosakowski’s current plan is to continue pursuing coding in the future, while studying computer science in college and taking an interest in economics.

Mosakowski designed the apps that Monarch students use everyday such as the Monarch Bell Schedule App. The Monarch Bell Schedule app allows Monarch students to input their classes and personalize it to fit their own schedule. The app changes according to schedule changes such as a delayed start or finals.

Open up a Google Doc and make a long list of everything you want the app to include.

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Grab some paper and start throwing different designs down. Doodle until you’re satisfied with the layout and design.

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Once you have the initial idea of how you want the interface to look, it’s pretty easy to transfer that over into an actual app for people to use.

How to solve a Rubik’s Cube

by Jordan Mosakowski 18 the pack

1.

“So basically the idea is that you want to build up the cube in layers, so instead of thinking of it as six individual faces you kind of want to think of it as three individual layers. You basically start by solving all of the edge pieces and the center on the bottom face so that you can create a plus shape.”

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“Fill in all of the pieces around that so you have one layer complete, then from there you can solve the middle layer, then once you solve the middle layer there are five different algorithms that you can use that will align all of the pieces on the top.”

FACE #3: LEARNING THE ROBOT LANGUAGE

At age 9, while the other kids were learning how to swing from bar to bar on the playground, Jordan Mosakowski ‘21 was learning how to code, opening the doors of his future wide open.

“I became motivated to start learning programming. I didn’t know what it was.

I just had this drive to learn,” Mosakowski said.

He started competing in middle school at the Lego Leagues: an international competition that challenges teams from around the world on real world scientific topics. “I did the first Lego League competitions when I was in sixth and eighth grade,” Mosakowski said.

When Jordan left Eldorado K-8, he finally got rid of his training wheels. He now had the opportunity to work with something new and joined the robotics team.

“I came to Monarch as a freshman and did the BEST robotics competition in the fall.

This was only the second year our school did it, so almost everyone was very, very new to how the competition worked,” Mosakowski said.

His computer science teacher Ms. Johnson

appreciates Mosakowski’s efforts in class.

“He does both Computer Science and Engineering,” she said. “He’s an excellent computer scientist.”

Jordan now works at Lockheed Martin, an aerospace and defense company. Because of Lockheed Martin’s security, he is not able to share the specifics of what he does. “I don’t know what I’m allowed to say about that because a lot of it is very proprietary information,” said Mosakowski.

At Lockheed Martin, Mosakowski is a boy amongst men. Most of his coworkers are college students who are working their way towards degrees in computer science, while he is working on getting into college. He keeps up with his competition and hopes to do great things in the future.

January 19

CAN BE A MODEL.

By Amelia Krueger, Sam Saliba, Kate Muldoon, and Emily Bell

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hile sitting on top of an old freezer in a basement hardware closet, Sophia Miranda ‘21 is obsessed with a hard boiled egg. This is in the midst of a photoshoot conducted by The Pack. She will not rest until the egg is in her photos.

Finally, the egg ends up perched on a fire extinguisher hiding behind her. Now, the shoot may begin.

As Miranda poses, she lights up the room and makes it a place full of possibility. She has no modeling experience, yet she is able to turn regular space into a work of art.

“I think that you don’t have to be a model

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to model,” Miranda said. “Just put on what makes you feel confident, go to a fun location, and just do whatever makes you feel happy.”

In reality, there’s no actual criteria for beauty. It’s all subjective. With that mindset, The Pack decided to take five regular people and show how they can project their inner beauty outward. We gathered them in a basement, and set out to show how modeling knows no bounds.

“Looks have become such an important factor of status in society,” Alana Saliba ‘23, one of our models, said. “They’ve become a ranking for how important you are, or how

much you’re worth.”

Saliba knows that beauty is not shallow and can be expressed however she chooses.

“If you can’t get past the way I look on the outside, then why should I waste my time teaching you how I look on the inside? I think I’m pretty, as it goes,” she said.

There is no one specific type of model.

While Miranda is bubbly and her happiness is infectious, Matisse Kellner ‘21 brought a down to earth sensibility while getting her make-up done. She had a stark personality difference from Sophia and still brought her own unique energy to her photoshoot.

Kellner gazed dramatically across the

kitchen in order to pull together the atmosphere of her photos. Her pose was relaxed and dreamy, as if she was a natural.

Even though these people are more than capable of modeling, there is still a stigma around doing it professionally. “There’s still a ways to go,” Kellner said. She is looking forward to more inclusivity and diversity throughout the modeling industry. “It’s still tricky for a lot of the outliers and groups of people to get jobs.”

While it may be hard to enter the industry, our photoshoot mostly highlighted people who have the potential to model, but are inexperienced.

Michael Ryterski ‘21 is not a model, but his confidence in himself shows through everything he does, including posing for a photoshoot. Even though Ryterski could totally be a model, he is apprehensive about the industry.

“I’ve just always had it in my head that it’s a negative environment, just because it’s purely based off of looks and not personality or talent,” Ryterski said.

Throughout history, society’s perception of the ideal person has often been constructed around appearance. Standards have changed, but there’s still an air of negativity around using models from diverse backgrounds.

“Body positivity, at this point, has become a cliche, but it’s important,” Saliba said. “It’s real. It’s a part of our lives. I mean, we have to live in the bodies we have every single day. People can’t be held back by the idea that they’re not attractive enough.”

“I know it’s cliche, but everyone is so beautiful in their own way,” Miranda said.

“If everybody looked the same it would be so boring,” Using real people as models and inspiration could break the harmful stigma of the perfect look.

“Everybody has insecurities, so the best thing we can do is embrace them and love ourselves and love each other,” Saliba said.

January 21

A

lana Saliba ‘23 asserts, “Body positivity, at this point has become a cliche, but it’s important. Its real. It’s a part of our lives. I mean, we have to live in the bodies we have every single day. If we’re not happy in our own skin, you can’t be happy in the life you’re living and the world around you.”

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dams Cadichon ‘20 has been an athlete all of his life. Modeling has never so much as crossed his mind. “I had never thought about modeling at all,” Cadichon said.

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“I’ve thought about modeling.

I’ve thought about it just because it’s a good way to make connections in the media industry which is something I want to go into later, so I feel like that would be a great gateway to get into the industry later.”

-Michael Ryterski ‘21 January 23

Inside the of an

Mind Artist

by Lia Farrell, Evie Cuffaro, Maria Ruscitto, Ruby Cervantes, Sam K. Saliba, and Minh Anh Le

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Jace Popenhagen jace popenhagen finds his passion for art through the inspiration given by his father Jace Popenhagen ‘21 sat at the table with his dad. He watched how his father drew waterfalls and how the pencil took the lead. He saw how focused his dad was, how his eyebrows furrowed as he shaded in the spots on his drawing while taking an occasional sip of his coffee.

Jace wanted to be just like him.

“My father would draw on everything. He drew on napkins, plates, like everything. If he was able to draw on it, he drew on it,” Popenhagen said.

He knew then what he had to do.

He left the table and went to grab a piece of paper and pencil.

Then, he came back to the table and started drawing.

Popenhagen had found his passion. Now, he captures the beauty in the world and people. He gets inspired by the world and how it works. Drawing is one of his favorite hobbies in the world.

Jace looked up to one of his greatest heroes, his father. He said he wanted to make his dad proud, so he got inspired.

“My dad was kind of like my idol figure when I was a kid. So I wanted to make him proud, and I thought, ‘Oh, I should start drawing too,’” Popenhagen said Since then, he has always been drawing, and it has a special place in his heart.

It’s what keeps him calm and relieves his stress. He also sees it as a way to escape reality for a little while.

“It just helped me be able to think about things without actually focusing on them, Popenhagen said. “It’s a good way for me to go through my problems.”

January 25

“For me at least, it’s not something to caught up in the details about. You don’t have perfect control of how it fires and how it comes out. It forces it you to let go a little bit.”

-Mikayla Puska ‘20 26 the pack

Apollo Pickersgill digital art helps apollo pickersgill pursue his creative dreams Painting, writing, digital art. These are not the interests most students of Monarch would pursue, but they are for the artistic minority like Apollo Pickersgill ‘20. For him, he has a special talent in those areas.

Pickersgill’s journey began with playing around with his family’s old tablet.

“I used to draw over lines and draw on Photoshop itself because our family also had Photoshop,” Pickersgill said.

“The tablet was just kind of laying around, and the more and more I used it, the more I got used to it, and the more I was excited to just do more stuff. It just went from there.”

Pickersgill has an aptitude for art, but that doesn’t mean he’s perfect. Making mistakes is part of the process. He prefers using Photoshop because fixing these mistakes and editing a piece of artwork is easy.

“If I make a mistake I can always just go back, and there’s a lot more tools to help build pieces,” he said.

Art, while not necessarily Pickersgill’s passion in life, is still something he uses daily to help with his many creative pursuits and to organize his thoughts around writing.

“It does help me visualize a lot of thoughts,” he said. “I am a very creative person, and I think I might just go into more of a creative writing direction in my future. But definitely having digital art and all that stuff helps visualize characters or scenes in stories.”

Over time, digital art, along with other creative activities, has become an escape for Pickersgill.

“It is sort of a stress reliever, just having fun doing nothing,” Pickersgill said. “You know what, I’m going to make a huge piece today. And it’s going to be great. I’m going to spend my time on this, and I’m going to put all the details I want into this piece, and it’s going to be super fun to make it.”

January 27

Q

Our monthly question...

In 2020, I wish...

In 2020, I wish for more new rap music to be released. Overall, 2019 has been a good year in rap. Some new groundbreaking rappers such as Rico Nasty, Roddy Ricch, and Da Baby blew up in 2019, giving us a vast amount of new quality beats and bars. The quantity, on the other hand, has dropped significantly. In 2018, we had albums like Drake’s Scorpion, Travis Scott’s Astroworld, and many more by Rae Sremmurd, J. Cole, and Lil Wayne. So, in 2020, I wish that some new rap music would drop.

In 2020, I wish people would stop wishing for another “Roaring 20s.” If I see one more person post on social media about how much they wish they were alive in the 1920s, I’m going to lose my mind. Let’s not fail to remember that the 1920s was a very tragic time for America. I can’t help but laugh when I hear people say, “Ugh, I just want to be a flapper and listen to jazz and go to speakeasies.”

Do you really? Do you also want the racism, opioid addiction, and prohibition, too? I didn’t think so.

Ruby Cervantes - 1920s Logan Lair - New Rap

In 2020, I wish I could spend more time playing volleyball. I started playing volleyball a year ago, but recently I don’t have enough time to practice. As my first year in high school goes along, there’s already loads of homework to keep me from doing the things I love. In 2020, I wish teachers would give students less homework so people could spend more time doing the things they love because being in school for seven hours everyday is enough stress.

Minh Anh Le - Volleyball

In 2020 I wish the deep state heads at Disney+ cancel “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.” I’m not saying the original High School Musical movies saved humanity, but they got the children of America through two wars in the Middle East and the worst recession in eight decades. Fast forward to the world of 2019. As the now, teenagers of America cry at night missing Obama and obsess over the fact that Jeffrey Epstein didn’t kill himself; Disney + presented us with a reboot of a beloved franchise. However, just like the live action Lion King, the show is unnecessary and complete garbage. It’s just Glee but somehow with more teen angst. I hope there’s no second season.

In 2020, I wish that people will stop talking about The Office.

Like, come on. It’s been, what, nearly seven years off the air, and you’re still talking about it? Is it that good? This show is mediocre at best. It’s done nothing to cement itself in TV history like The Sopranos or Seinfeld have. My honest opinion? This show is nothing more than Steve Carrell being an idiot (or better yet, himself) for 22 minutes. I simply just don’t get it. What’s the appeal? You’re all teenagers- 14 to 18 years old. You don’t work in an office. How on earth is a show about office hijinks of any interest to you?

Connor Nimmons - The Office In 2020, I wish that I would figure out what I want to do in this life before I go to college. For all my life, my only hobbies are sleeping, lazing around, playing with toys (especially Lego), and gaming. I might have to try lots of things to figure out what really interests me. I have a few ideas about this topic at the very least. First of all, I like animals so being a veterinarian may hit it off with me. My mom and aunt say I should be a doctor to be better equipped to save my family. There’s also business, since money is definitely alluring. Oh well, whatever happens when I get to college, I hope they offer loads of try-outs. Or else, I’m doomed to work a job that pays a lot that I really hate.

Hahn Park - Future Plans

Lincoln Roch - Disney +

In 2020, I wish that people would stop using people’s music taste as a way to make fun of them. If somebody likes K-Pop or listens to music that’s in a different language, that is completely up to them.

People are allowed to listen to whatever they want to. Just because it is not what the main population is listening to doesn’t mean that they should have to stop listening to it because it doesn’t fit social standards. People have the right to listen to whatever they want to and deserve to not be judged for it.

28 the pack

Lindsay Haight - Music Taste

Monarch’s Mine History Two writers take sides on the new gravestone, made to honor Joe Jaramillo, a miner who died in an accident at the Monarch mine.

A disturbing reminder

By Haley Breit Walking up from the parking lot at 8:00 in the morning with an extremely heavy backpack is already dreadful enough. Being greeted by a gravestone right before I walk into Monarch was absolutely the last thing I needed.

Just when I thought Monarch couldn’t get any more unusual, a gravestone is put front and center at the school.

There is no doubt that Joe Jaramillo, the deceased miner, deserves to be remembered.

However, we could have put a plaque on a bench rather than moving his entire gravestone to the courtyard outside of our Student Center.

To be completely honest, it’s incredibly morbid. Just think about it. Graves at schools.

It’s straight up weird.

The students and staff know there isn’t a body buried under the gravestone but the poor parents who come to watch their kids perform most definitely don’t. For all they know, the body of the miner is sitting right there in the flowerbed beneath the incredibly creepy gravestone.

Think about all the eighth graders and their parents considering which high school they want to go to. If I were them, the last high school I’d even think about would be the one with a huge gravestone in front of it.

Not only because it’s a grave at a school but because there is a massive cross right in the middle of it. I’m not against religion, but I am an atheist. Having a cross on display at my public high school isn’t exactly what I want.

I’m fully aware that this isn’t Monarch pushing religion on the students here but, regardless, this shouldn’t be allowed.

The fact of the matter is, having a gravestone at a public high school is insanely weird and off-putting. The decision to relocate the miner’s grave to our school was an incredibly bad one.

Rembering our history

By Minh Anh Le “Weird,” “creepy,” or “strange” are just a few of the words that buzzed around our school about Joe Jaramillo’s gravestone in the last few weeks. I know that it’s creepy to have the gravestone in front of our school, but the history behind it is much more important than caring about how it looks.

As time passed, our community has forgotten about, or never knew about, the mine explosion that happened near the location of our school back in 1936.

Recently, Monarch worked with many local groups and the Jaramillo family to move the gravestone of Joe C. Jaramillo from underneath U.S. Highway 36 to our school, so it can be seen in the public eye.

Joe Jaramillo a miner who died during the explosion, but his body was never found.

Joe C. Jaramillo deserves to be remembered.

You might think it’s weird, but it was the deaths and devastations that we can’t ignore or let it sink into oblivion.

As a student of Monarch, I believe people should know about their school’s history.

To be honest, I would never have known about the mine explosion and people who lost their lives if the grave was not moved to our school. So, I believe it’s a way to commemorate and educate the students about the history of our school.

I agree that it’s questionable to have a gravestone at a place like school, but if you think about it objectively, is the looks of it more important than the commemoration of the history of our community and people who dedicated their lives for our community? I don’t think so.

I believe people should be more objective, and I don’t think it’s weird at all to be empathic or create a monument to those who dedicated their lives for our community.

Should BVSD display the gravestone?

Hannah Rowton ‘22

I think that the gravestone is a great way to commemorate Monarch’s past on the land. Before the stone I had no idea that there were people who lost their lives while working in a mine

Ms. Deann Bucher Culturally, it will remind us of our privilege as members of a community built from the hard work before us.

We became Monarch High School as a tribute to the same event. We will just have a reminder that it was real humans who sacrificed.

Ashley Hughes ‘21 It made the whole atmosphere of our school feel really creepy, and it was extremely weird to me. I think it made most high schoolers feel more dead inside than they already are.

Sam Gunning ‘20

Our school is, in general, a pretty bright and happy place, and while the gravestone isn’t exactly unhappy, it just doesn’t belong. We don’t have anything else memorializing the mines. No plaques or anything, so the gravestone just seemed out of place.

Elyse DeBarros ‘20

It seemed way too large, and I don’t think anyone really knew who the person that we were memorializing was. Once I heard about the history ,I thought it was cool, but maybe it could have a been in a better place somewhere else.

January 29

Starving the media Eating disorders can affect anyone

1.5

1.5 percent of American women suffer from bulimia nerviosa in their lifetime

0.3

0.3 percent of American men suffer from anorexia nerviosa in their lifetime

30

30 million people of all ages and genders in America suffer from an eating disorder 30 the pack

My grandma gave me a Keto For Women diet magazine when she came to make dinner for us one night.

She was trying to be sweet, trying to encourage me to continue to lose more weight.

She had good intentions, but her actions had the opposite effect. It gave me the validation that it was okay to keep hurting myself both mentally and physically.

To keep skipping breakfast, and lunch, and on the days I could, dinner. It gave me another reason to keep logging my calories in the fitness app that my mom suggested I download, and it fueled my daily weigh-ins even more.

In my head, the magazine gave even more power to the voice that called me “fat” and “weak” and worst of all “a waste of space.”

Anorexia and bulimia are selfish diseases.

The voice in my head doesn’t care how others may feel about me wasting away because this feels too distant to be suicide.

I still care about plenty of other things: my homework, my friends, my family. However, eating, not eating, food, and numbers are the loudest thoughts in my brain. I’ll find myself acting how I normally would, but for a different reason. Before, I would walk my dog so we could both go outside and breathe for a while. Now, I walk my dog to burn calories, counting my steps and minutes religiously.

I can do most weight conversions seamlessly. I can probably tell you how many calories in the last meal you ate because hopefully--for you-food is still food, not numbers and shame.

I’m at a healthy weight. I don’t look sick or starved. No one thinks twice if I skip a meal here or there as long as I remain smiling and strong, because losing weight is usually considered good, and it can be, until it goes too far.

The problem is that once it gets too far, recovery seems almost impossible.

Eating disorder culture is everywhere, hiding under masks of “low carb diets” and

The media has created a toxic stereotype of the perfect body. The results can be deadly, as impressionable teens can develop eating disoders. “intermittent fasting.” It’s all the same. At the end of the day, diets can cause harm in the hands of the wrong person.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD), at least 30 million people of all ages and genders suffer from an eating disorder in the U.S alone. In other words, at least 30 million people struggle with something most people don’t think twice about.

Eating disorders kill.

They have the highest mortality rate of any mental illness (ANAD), but still go unnoticed by most unless the person suffering is skin and bones.

Skipping meals and counting calories are not normal teenage behavior.

I beg adults, the media, and anyone reading this, please do not normalize these behaviors at any age. Recognize anorexia and other eating disorders are painful, consuming disorders that can affect anyone, not just teenage girls.

Being immersed in magazines, movies, and social media that promote idiotic things like “skip dinner wake up thinner” and “the perfect body” creates negative body image that can be solved with what seems like a simple, but deadly solution.

The media needs to understand that eating disorders aren’t romantic, or tragic in the Hollywood glamour type of way.

I’ve seen countless ads and commercials telling people that they need to change their eating habits from safe, healthy meals, to obsessing over their food to prove their worth.

I’m not saying diets are bad. Diets can definitely help different aspects of the brain and body if a doctor approves it. I’m saying that by growing up around media that offers extreme weight loss tips and disordered eating, it’s no wonder that people are taking these diets too far.

The media needs to understand that eating disorders aren’t romantic, or tragic in the Hollywood glamour type of way.

Financial status, physical health, mental state, support system, the plans they have for their futures.

These are just a few of the many factors women consider when making a choice. Maybe one of the most important choices of their lives.

The choice of having an abortion or continuing with their pregnancy.

Abortion has forever been a controversial, sensitive topic.

Now, it is on the verge of being banned in states across the country.

It is the woman’s decision.

Not her family’s, not her community’s, and especially not the decision of strangers.

Ultimately, the choice affects one person and one person only: the woman making it.

Roe v. Wade was a monumental decision made by the US Supreme Court in 1973. The court came to the conclusion that during the first trimester of pregnancy, a state may not regulate the abortion decision; only the woman and her attending physician can make that choice.

Roe v. Wade gave women the right to choose. Now, 47 years later, this right is under attack.

In May of 2019, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp signed the “heartbeat bill” into law, banning abortion as early as six weeks into pregnancy. Louisiana, Alabama, Ohio and Missouri have also passed similar laws.

There are no exceptions to this law. Not even for victims of rape or incest. The consequences for a doctor who performs an abortion in violation of the law vary from state to state but the most damaging are in Alabama where any doctor who performs an abortion with disregard to the fetal heartbeat could face anywhere between 10 and 99

expected. Birth control isn’t perfect. The woman can do everything right and still be left with unintended consequences.

This right to choose helps the lives of so many women and, in turn, make the lives of the children who are born so much better. Women look critically at the life of their future child and determine whether or not now is a good time to continue with their pregnancy. In many cases, continuing with pregnancy wouldn’t be fair to neither the mother nor her future child.

If she isn’t emotionally stable enough to raise a kid or doesn’t have the money to support one, then she shouldn’t be forced to continue with pregnancy. A woman should have the opportunity to go to college, pursue a career, or live her life the way she wants to. Sometimes, having a child prevents her from living the life she wants, needs or deserves.

In an ideal world, every child would be wanted, every child Opinion of the staff editorial board would have a bed and warm food, every child would have a loving family. Unfortunately, this isn’t an ideal world.

According to CNN, there are 13.1 million kids in the United States who live in a household that isn’t years in prison. secure when it comes to food, as of 2015.

These laws have yet to be enacted because In the end, a woman’s choice doesn’t hurt they’ve been challenged in court many you in any way whatsoever. Your life will times. Soon, the US Supreme Court will rule continue on just the way it is. Nothing will on the constitutionality of the “heartbeat change. You won’t suffer from the choice bill.” With more conversative justices than ever, these laws could be ruled constitutional, made so why bother taking the choice away?

The Supreme Court needs to remember which will overturn Roe v. Wade. that a child has a life outside it’s mother and There are so many things that are that women have lives of their own. The incredibly wrong with this.

Supreme Court needs to protect Roe V. As much as people promote birth control Wade. The Supreme Court needs to protect and abstinence, there will be pregnancies a woman’s choice. that cannot be prevented and that aren’t

It’s her choice, and only hers

The supreme court shouldn’t interfere with abortion rights

January 31

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