Eagle Eye Issue 4 2012-2013

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THE COLLEGE EDITION

Everything you need to prepare for the next step after high school.

Page 11

Mountain Vista High School • 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126 • February 8, 2013 • Vol. 12 Issue 4

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2013) ( BEGIN FEBRUARY

OPINION

Pushing Yourself Too Hard PAGE 7

Cost of College PAGE 9

NEWS Gun Control PAGE 6

World News PAGE 5

THE

COLLEGE EDITION PAGE 11-19

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News 5 Eagle Eye

World News You Need to Know SYRIA

David Enders/MCT

MIKE O’SULLIVAN

T

he nation of Mali, formerly a paragon of African democracy, now celebrates the anniversary of its civil war with a major French military intervention.

Cultural and political differences between the North and South have long been the source of tension in the African nation.

That tension snapped in January of 2012 when several militant groups joined together to form the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad (NMLA); Azawad being the name for the

BEIJING

Tom Lasseter/MCT

MIKE O’SULLIVAN

Sophomore Gabe Savage plays the guitar outside during lunch with his friends. “It’s a passion and expression that makes me happy,” Savage said. “One day I hope to make a career out of it.” His favorite songs to play come from the band Secondhand Serenade.

Photo by Mark Maggs

T

he bloody four-day battle in southern Algeria ended on January 20 after the Algerian military launched its final assault on the terrorist forces in the oil facility.

The situation developed after an members of a North African Islamist group known as The Masked Brigade took over an oil facility in Southern Algeria as a means to protest the French intervention in Mali.

After the facility was seized on January 17, the Algerian government imme-

MIKE O’SULLIVAN

A

ccording to Syria’s President Bashar Al-Assad, this bloodletting in Syria is over and the regime stands strong, but the presence of rebel forces controlling half his nation serves to contradict this.

The now two-year-old conflict now enters a phase of stalemate and consolidation while the world waits and watches.

Assad himself predicted this lack of foreign intervention in November, claiming that the cost of such intervention would be “more than the world

could bear,” while defending his regime as the last “stronghold of secularism” left in the region.

Conflict has been slowing down recently due to the universal exhaustion on both sides, and President Assad has recently given a speech in the capital about his planned image of a post-war Syria under his rule.

Whether the speech is truly a step towards an Assad resurgence and postwar recovery, or a madman’s rants on an impossible victory, both sides understand that no peaceful victory is on the horizon of this new year.

northern half of Mali.

The Southern Democratic government was ousted by the military for incompetence, but this failed to stop the rebels, who announced the independence of Azawad.

The international community came to fear for human rights in the region when Islamists took over from the MNLA. “We don’t have to answer to anyone over the application of Sharia,” said one Islamic commissioner.

The French are just the first to intervene in the troubled nation, but as of yet, Mali’s future is uncertain.

Arnaud Roine/Zuma Press/MCT

PETER LEONARD

the U.S Embassy.

Car emissions, coal burning and a fundamental favoring of development over environmental safety has placed China in a precarious situation.

Yet China will more than likely continue on with what they are doing, an approach that has caused more than 8,000 premature deaths according to Greenpeace.

In a country where growth and expansion are the top priorities, China will not take the slowdown that environmental protocol will create.

B

eijing was covered in smog as air pollution reached hazardous levels in China’s capital.

At one point in the so called “airpocalypse,” air pollution levels reached levels 25 times larger than considered unhealthy in the United States.

To put that in context, the air pollution level in Denver is normally at 46 PPB, or parts per billion. In Beijing, air pollution levels reached 772 PPB. This was beyond health indexing, according to air monitors on the roof of

diately began preparations for a military solution to the crisis, which they first implemented through their first assault on the insurgents on January 19.

World governments have stated that the correct choices were made and that the deaths of the hostages falls only on the terrorists who committed the act.

The final casualty report is at least 23 dead hostages, 29 dead terrorists and one Algerian soldier.

Among the dead were at least three Americans, but a number of people are still missing from all nations.

MALI

Roy Gutman/MCT

ALGERIA

Test Your News Knowledge

1. Fidel Castro gained power in Cuba through… a) having the best score in DanceDance Revolution. b) a workers revolution. c) a democratic vote. d) control of the sugarcane fields.

2. What city was the site of the 2011 Japanese nuclear meltdown crisis? a) Sao Paulo b) Beijing c) Alcatraz d) Fukushima 3. Hu Jintao is… a) the secretary of education for Canada. b) the winner of the 2000 gold medal for long jump. c) the current president of China. d) a popular sport in Indonesia.

4. What city hosted the 2010 world conference on climate change? a) Copenhagen b) Kyoto c) Isengard d) Washington, D.C. 5. Monica Lewinsky is… a) a James Bond villain. b) the Russian president. c) the subject of a sex scandal. d) the U.S. Secretary of State.

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Answers: b, d, c, a, c

Eagle Eye 4 Epic Photo

Eagle Eye 6 News

MVHS STAFF opinions Brandon Brookfield Spanish

“If we were to allow guns, there’s going to be more issues for safety. I just see the potential for more people being hurt. The answer isn’t to open the option to teachers to carry weapons. [The problem] lies in mental help for people with mental issues and psychiatric problems.”

Pat McGuire

AP Psychology “Common sense is the key, especially with a situation like this.

There is really no way to fully prepare for something like that [shooting], but more training is better than less.”

Vance Fleet

Resource Officer “Teachers with guns could be seen as possible targets by incoming police officers. Adding guns to a situation might add more stress to a situation for both cops and teachers. The psychological field is an avenue that should be investigated further with background checks.”

Mike Weaver

Principal “The approach was reactive and not proactive. More people having guns isn’t the answer to violence. The better approach is to focus on early detection and mental health help. We should be working with at-risk kids and families.”

Photos by AJ Stowell

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Like State Senate, Teachers Don’t Approve Gun Bill

Overachieving

AJ STOWELL | PETER LEONARD

Summary: SB13-009 authorized a school district board of education and the governing board of a charter school to adopt a written policy to allow an employee of the school district or charter school to carry a concealed handgun on school grounds if the person holds a valid permit to carry a concealed handgun.

T

he words “gun” and “school” together have almost always preceded the worst of news. In past months they have become entangled in one of the highest debated topics in the state, if not the country as a whole. Guns in Schools.

The nation is split in opinions; one side believes that there are not enough guns, while the other sees far too many. Yet at the very base of this argument, is the overall goal of more safety in United States Education.

In the last two years, the state of Colorado has become a highly contested area for the school related issue. Witnessing battles in legislation and in public protest by both parties.

In early January the Colorado Senate introduced Bill 13-009, a bill that would have allowed local school districts across the state to create a policy that would permit the carrying of concealed handguns on school properties.

On January 28, the Colorado General Assembly killed the Republican pushed bill on its first hearing.

Did you support SB 13-009?

74% No 26% Yes

Would this bill have stopped future violence?

87% No 13% Yes

AIMING FOR RIGHTS: COLORADO DEBATES

Senate votes on 13-009, the bill’s first hearing.

Three to two in votings, postponed indefinitley.

01.09.13

Pro-gun rally at state capitol to show support for the second amendment. (1,000 in attendance).

01.19.13

Gun-control rally at state capitol (100 in attendance).

Bill 13-1170 introduced to House of Representatives. Bill is an identical to SB13-009.

House to have first hearing of HB13-1170. Open to public view throughout day.

01.28.13

01.30.13

02.09.13

Bill 13-009 introduced to Senate in the first meeting of the new year.

01.28.13

Mythbusters:

College Edition with

Counselor Wendy Strait

The Myth:

“Joining as many activities as possible in high school will make my college application look better.”

After a three to two party-line vote, the Democrat controlled senate denied the bill.

Yet even after the failed attempt Republicans moved the exact same bill to the House during the Jan 30. meeting. Much like on their senate counterparts the house is controlled by Democrats.

So what did the teachers at Mountain Vista think?

A poll distributed on Jan. 24 gave every teacher in the building the opportunity to share their views on the issue. With 62 participants in total, the results came out significantly one sided.

Teachers overwhelmingly disagreed with the bill, having 74 percent of staff members saying “No”.

In fact to even more of Mountain Vista, 87 percent, the general idea of allowing employees “Concealed Carry” would not prevent further violence in schools.

Without the teacher and Democrat support future legislative efforts look dim. While “things” need to change, Colorado legislation has yet to find the bipartisan solution.

By the Numbers:

Opinion 7 Eagle Eye

False.

“If you’re a member of eight different things, first of all, they’re going to ask why?

Colleges see right through that.

Four clubs. Three AP classes. Two sports.

One job. 24 hours in a day.

I

TAYLOR BLATCHFORD

n Highlands Ranch we are bred to be overachievers, to think that taking normal grade-level classes isn’t good enough. Being involved in one school activity isn’t good enough. Going to a community college, or sometimes even an in-state school, isn’t good enough.

The number one justification I hear from other students for doing anything is “because it will look good on my college application.” It seems to me that many people don’t do the things they truly want to do and enjoy themselves in high school — they just want to look as desirable as possible to college admissions officers.

Yes, colleges look for good grades and school involvement, but that doesn’t mean that’s all they look for. They also want to see that you’re a person with interests and passions, not a robot who has joined 10 clubs and taken 15 AP classes.

I certainly believe that challenging yourself is beneficial, especially in school, and I know a challenge means something different for everyone.

Some people are genuinely challenged by normal grade-level classes, some find taking five AP classes to be hardly a challenge and some find challenges everywhere in between.

The people in most danger of overloading themselves are the ones who have been encouraged to exceed expectations and take advanced classes since elementary school. I know this, be-

cause I am one of those people. The problem with this group is that it’s easy for us to become addicted to the challenge — addicted to the superficial competition of who can take the most AP classes, have the highest GPA, be in the most clubs, do the most community service, get the most recognition.

I don’t think students should join a club or activity unless it’s something they truly care about and want to invest time and energy.. Do you really want to attend a Key Club meeting twice a month to organize community service projects because you’re passionate about helping others, or do you just want the graduation cord and another activity on your college application?

In 20 years when you look back on your high school experience, what will matter most are the people you spent time with, building relationships and making memories. No one’s going to ask what your high school GPA was or the number of organizations you were involved. I don’t think you’re going to wish you’d taken one more AP class or joined one extra club just to put it on your résumé.

So, as you plan for next year, don’t overwhelm yourself. Taking one extra AP class or joining one extra club likely won’t determine whether or not you’re accepted to the school of your dreams — but it could determine how much you enjoy your fleeting time in high school.

It’s really a matter of depth, not numbers, that’s important.

Admissions counselors are not dumb people.

Some schools don’t care at all what activities you’re involved in, but if we’re thinking about the schools that do look at that, like your highly selective or private schools that use a committee to look at your resume, they’re not going to be impressed with 15 things on your resume.

They want to know what you’ve contributed to each thing, how many hours you’re spending on it and whether you’ve had a leadership role.

If you’re doing it just to show up and don’t really do anything, it won’t have as big of an impact.”

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OPINION 9 Eagle Eye

VISTAj STAFF

Thursday, March 14 9:00 A.M.-12:30 P.M. ACC Littleton Campus

Co-Editors In Chief Bridget Cooper Joanie Lyons

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Cost of College

Photo by Riley McCloskey

While the ever-increasing cost of college is known, little is said about the growing pressures of applying to college, and the growing selectivity of top schools.

C

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ollege. It’s the first step to the rest of your life. It’s where you “find yourself.” It’s where you decide on a career path. It’s probably the best four years of your life. Well, all of that is great, but before the fun and self-discovery, comes applications, forms, essays, stress, transcripts, standardized tests, signatures, lots of mail, scholarships, the FAFSA, spam emails, tears, panic attacks, acceptance letters, rejection letters and sometimes even alumni interviews.

Here’s my advice for all the seniors who plan on going to college next year but don’t know where yet: Stay motivated (I can’t repeat this enough).

But as of now, applying to college sucks. It’s a ton of work, a ton of stress and in the end you don’t even know if all the effort you put in for the past few months (and the past four years) was even worth it until you get the acceptance letter or the dreaded rejection letter, which for some of us might be as late as April.

Maybe by applying to 11 colleges and taking the ACT four times, I made more work for myself than necessary.

Even though the past four months were stressful to say the least, now all that’s left is the anxiety of waiting for those letters.

Applying to highly selective schools with my less than extraordinary 3.6 GPA probably exacerbates that anxiety, but wher-

ever I go I know I’ll succeed from the lessons I’ve learned here at Mountain Vista.

Here’s my advice to underclassmen: Work hard every year of high school because each year counts just as much as the next. A crappy GPA freshman year will hold you back for the rest of high school, and an average GPA two years in a row (this one I can attest to first-hand) is hard to strengthen even if you get straight A’s for the rest of high school. Do your best as a freshman and continue to uphold that standard throughout high school.

Sure, there might be some late nights spent finishing homework or studying for a test, but it’ll all pay off senior year when you apply to college and can rest easy, confident in your chances of acceptance. It’s a whole lot better than waiting and wondering if you’ll get in, waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night and thinking “Was my essay personal enough?”“Were my letters of recommendation powerful enough?”“Did I mention every extracurricular I took part in?” Trust me, it’s not fun, and laying in bed wide awake for hours, panicking, is exhausting.

Although applying to college is a lot of work, don’t let that discourage you from applying to as many schools as you’re interested. When fall comes around, no one cares about the stressful application process when we’re busy enjoying the first semester of college.

Riley McCloskey

Design Editors

Erin Kim Joanie Lyons

Advertising Manager

Shannon VanDok

Adviser

Mark Newton, MJE

Staff Members

Taylor Atlas Zoe Blandon Amani Brown Madeline Carlson Hannah Chatwin Logan Clark Caitlin Cobb Emma Cooper Gretchen Cope Cameron Cox Shelby Crumley Kenna Dougherty Amanda Ellingson Delaney Fitzsimmons Antonia Fornaro Dylan Freeman Libby Galligan Bailey Gambrell Scott Grimm Kenzie Haberkorn Amy Huang Dylan Ingram Mitch Kampmann Jason Keller Tyler Kraft Taylor Krason Ana Krasuski Peter Leonard

Emilie Love Kelsey Luke Mark Maggs Maeve McCloskey Whitney Merrill Devon Miner Roxy Montero-Atencio Rachel Nunnelee Michael O’ Sullivan Claire Oliver Sydney Ostdiek Anna Pippin Renee Probetts Peyton Reeves Alia Reza Ashten Ritchko Gabe Rodriguez Katie Simon Emma Singh Kara Stockton AJ Stowell Erica Tagliarino Anna Theis Shannon VanDok Cesco Viola Kelsey Warden Kyle Waters Taylor Yaw Kaitlin Zenoni

Peter Cleverdon Nicholas Lawrence

Eric Robinson Dylan Tran

Web Team

Policy

Eagle Eye, a legally recognized public forum for student expression, is published six to nine times a year by the Journalism class for students at Mountain Vista High School. Expression made by students in the exercise of freedom of speech or freedom of press is not an expression of Douglas County school board policy. The views expressed in Eagle Eye do not necessarily represent the views of the entire staff, adviser, MVHS administration or the Douglas County School District administration. Board policy regarding student publications (JICEA and JI/JIA) are available in the journalism/publications room (U328) or in the principal’s office.

Letters to the Editors

Eagle Eye welcomes and encourages letters to the editors. This is a chance to express your viewpoint on important issues. Letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters will be edited for splace and legal considerations, but not for inaccuracies, grammar or spelling.

Letters must contain information pertinent to the students of MVHS. The staff retains the right to not publish any letter not meeting these requirements. Unsigned letters will not be published. Please submit typed letters in person to Room U328 or via mail or e-mail.

Contact

Eagle Eye, Mountain Vista High School, 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126, Phone: 303-387-1500.

Adviser email: mark.newton@dcsdk12.org.

Publication email: EagleEyeEditors@dcsdk12.org

Cost

Single copies are free. Where available, additional copies of this paper are available for purchase for 50 cents each. Contact Eagle Eye for more information. Taking more than one copy of this paper is prohibited (C.R.S. 18-4-419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty under C.R.S. 13-21-123, will be prosecuted.

Open Forum Content

Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/ MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service and Creative Commons licensing. ©2013 Eagle Eye/Mountain Vista High School. All rights reserved.

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THE COLLEGE EDITION

When the Eagle Eye staff sat down to decide what our theme would be this issue, we wanted to discuss something that was on everyone’s minds. Although underclassmen might not be thinking about it as much as juniors and seniors are, college is a matter of worry or excitement for nearly every person in the school. And, there are things in this issue that will apply to underclassmen now and there are definitely a lot of things that will apply to you before you graduate—if you can remember them; or maybe save a copy a copy of this issue, then you’ll be a lot better off in the fall of senior year when you’re right in the situation all of us seniors just barely made it through.

Stanford University in Stanford, Calif.

Photo by Taylor Blatchford

Photo by Taylor Blatchford

&

then now Chris Purrington

Pepperdine University in Malibu, Calif. has 93 percent student retention rate.

Photo by Taylor Blatchford

The Choice:

How to decide on what schools to apply to.

Nine Tips for Applying m Know how many schools you need to apply to m Apply when the school’s application process is open m Try to visit the school m Get college advice m Go to college fairs m Have safety schools if you are trying to get accepted to a reach school m Know what the school offers m Figure what school is the best fit for you m Focus on ending high school well

Biola University in La Mirada, Calif. has a 86 percent student retention rate.

Photo by Riley McCloskey

MAEVE MCCLOSKEY

Senior Sydney Jackson is daunted by the task of college application.

Students can start applying their senior year when the college of their choice has opened its application process.

Jackson first applied to college last November.

She applied to four different colleges and wants to study criminal justice.

Jackson understands that the college admissions interview process is an opportunity to show admissions officials who you are.

“In order to get in to your school you basically have to sell yourself and tell them how awesome you are,” Jackson said.

Jackson has received many different pieces of advice for applying to college. “I’ve been told to always go and visit the college,” he said.

Many students face the problem of choosing what schools they should apply to.

Wendy Strait, a MVHS counselor who will talk to about a hundred upperclassmen each year about college, said it depends on the person on how many colleges they should apply to.

“It depends on if you know where you want to go, or if you don’t know and you’re just seeing if you’ll get accepted or not,” Jackson said. “For most people that have their mind set. It’s because of what the school offers.”

Strait said colleges still look at academics primarily.

“Colleges still look for your schedule, your grades, your strength of schedule and your ACT scores,” she said.

“When it comes to other schools, typically private, there are some other considerations,” she said.

College can be a big decision to students. “It’s not a matter of what the name of the school is,” Strait said. “What matters is that it is a good place for you.”

Denver University in Denver, has a 80 percent student retention rate.

Photo by Riley McCloskey

Biggest Regret: Not being more prepared for high school. What advice would you give yourself in eighth grade?: Try harder, get better grades, don’t screw around but try to have fun. Eighth grade goals: To get good grades but maintain an active social life.

Oskar Acevedo

Source: alisteduction.com from data compiled by the US News and World Report’s 2013 college rankings and the College Board

Carthage University in Kenosha, Wis. has a 77 percent student retention rate.

Source www.nces.ed.gov

Cate Caldwell Lexi Perardi

8th grade senior year

Biggest Regret: Not trying out for girl’s soccer freshman year and not taking more challenging classes. What advice would you give yourself in eighth grade? Try new things and get involved. Do you think you’d like your eighth grade self today? Yes, but I’d probably be disappointed in some ways. Eighth grade goals: Do well in high school and get into a good college.

Biggest Regret: Not taking P.E. freshman year. What would you change in the past four years? Nothing. What advice would you give to yourself four years ago? Don’t be so shy, try to make more friends. Eighth grade goals: I wanted to make good friends since I moved here freshman year. How have your goals changed? Now my goals are to go to college, not party too much, graduate and get a good job.

Photos courtesy of Cate Caldwell

Photos courtesy of Lexi Perardi

CU-BOULDER STANFORD

HOW DO

SAT690-790 700-800 SAT520-630 540-650 SAT 670-770 690-780 680-780 ACT 31-35 ACT 24-28 ACT 30-34 91% 37% 91% GPA GPA GPA ?

SAT560-690 610-740 SAT700-790 700-780 SAT630-720 630-740 ACT 25-31 ACT 31-34 ACT 29-32 92% 31% 87% GPA GPA GPA Reading

Iowa State University in Ames has a 84 percent student retention rate.

Photo courtesy of Becca Fox

Four seniors reflect on their past years at Mountain Vista

8th grade senior year

Do you think you’d like your eighth grade self today? I’d probably think I was an annoying little kid. Eighth grade goals: Then, I wanted to own my own business and now I want to go Photos by Mitch Kampmann to college.

HARVARD

13 ///// Eagle Eye

Math

Reading

Math

Reading

Math

Writing

Composite

Composite

Composite

of students have a 3.75+

of students have a 3.75+

of students have a 3.75+

Reading Math

Reading

Math

COMPARE

Reading

Math

Composite

Composite

Composite

of students have a 3.75+

of students have a 3.75+

of students have a 3.75+

UCLA

UCHICAGO

NYU

Cost & Press

re are Changing

$41,938

$41,417

$42,783

CU ASU STANFORD UCLA METRO ACC DUKE CSU HARVARD NYU UCHICAGO CU NOTRE DAME Boulder

Tempe, AZ

Fort Collins

Stanford, CA

Harvard, MA

Los Angeles, CA

New York, NY

Chicago, IL

Denver

Littleton

Denver

Durham, NC

Notre Dame, ID

4 4 4 4 4 4

To many underclassmen, college feels like it’s in the distant future because there are still years of high school ahead. Many don’t yet have any idea where they want to go or what they want to study. Whether you have a post-high school plan or are still figuring it out, these are important steps to take while selecting your classes for next year.

Rising Seniors//Current Juniors

4 Finish completing all credits needed to graduate 4 Stay strong in core classes, especially English, math and science 4 Colleges look for AP and Honors classes 4 Junior Lindsey Sorensen: “For senior year my philosophy is taking the minimum amount of classes possible, since I’ve had a full schedule the last three years. When looking at classes I want to take things that I’m interested in and/or will help me in the future. For English, I take AP and next year I’ll take ACC English because I love it and I want to be challenged so I can become a better writer/reader/etc.”

Rising Juniors//Current Sophomores

CU Boulder 82% admittance rate 19,857 applicants 16,187 admitted

4 Since there are many more class choices available to you, choose a variety of classes other than cores 4 Choose classes that are relevant to your career interests 4 Choose classes that are interesting to you, not just classes that fill your credits 4 Most important registration in high school 4 Sophomore Tessa Andrzejczak: “I’m going to take the next step up in all my core classes, staying at the honors/AP level for math and science and the regular level for English and history. If you’re going to take a hard class like AP, you should choose another fun class so that you have some easy classes.”

Harvard 9% admittance rate 22,955 applicants 2,108 admitted

Rising Sophomores//Current Freshmen 4 Most classes are selected for you, so choose what you can carefully

Breakdown

UCLA 25% admittance rate 33,760 applicants 8,553 admitted

$2,725

$4,834

$7,952

$9,152

$25,000

$7,394

$22,319

$37,500

$35,564

$41,606

$41,564

$39,851

$50,000

PEYTON REEVES, AMY HUANG & TAYLOR BLATCHFORD

Alongside the ever-increasing stress to go to college, comes the escalating price of it. According to Time Magazine, states are lowering per-student funding for college by about 13 percent in the U.S. and for a four-year private college education, the cost has soared up by about $18,000 in the past 31 years.

And yet, it seems inevitable not to go to college here in the 21st century. Students are now forced to find new methods of paying for college. Some resort to working multiple jobs like junior, Courtney Jackman.

“I pay for my car insurance, phone and clothes. Basically everything,” she said. “I was working at AMC and Costa Vida and doing cross country and AP classes. I was in way over my head.”

Shores said he dislikes, “kids working jobs who only do it for the money.” There needs to be something in the job that could provide experience for a future career.

Despite growing costs and mounting pressures, experts from Time Magazine say going to college is still the right move. A degree is still highly esteemed because college graduates, on average, earn $1 million more than those without a college education.

Shores says that achievement is defined in money and more money comes with a college education.

“But you have to remember,” he said, “there are other ways to find success.”

“When I went to college, the pressure wasn’t there. I applied to college late, almost as a last-minute thing,” science teacher, Brad Shores said. College has morphed into something completely different in the last 30 years.

“Sometimes, the motives for going to college aren’t what they should be. It’s now seen as a status symbol and it doesn’t necessarily make you a better person.”

“The survival of the fittest.” This phrase seems more and more relevant to society today with the intensifying cost and pressure for students. The need for new skills and abilities rises to incredible levels; with a highly technologically-based world, the need for a secondary education is more vital than ever before.

According to Time Magazine, college enrollment in the United States has grown from 5.1 million in 1970 to 10.6 million in 2011.

“In order to be successful, it is seen as a standard and expectation to go to college,” Shores said.

Pressure is in the Mountain Vista atmosphere and Shores says he can feel it too.

“There are two kinds of people,” he said, “the high-stress ones and the average ones. The key is to find balance and moderation with all the classes and activities that students are involved. AP courses are good because it gives you a taste of college, but too many can be an overload,” he said.

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What should think about while registering for classes?

Rising to new levels

ANNA THEIS

$12,500

15 ///// Eagle Eye

14 ///// Eagle Eye

Source: UniversityStat.com

4 Focus on filling some credits with the classes you choose for yourself 4 Easiest registration 4 Freshman Mallory Christensen: “To balance out my classes, I try to prioritize AP classes over honors classes because they’re weighted and will bring your GPA up.”

Registration Form Deadlines Rising Seniors Rising Juniors

Tues., 2/19

Tues., 2/19

Rising Sophomores

Tues., 2/19

5 Minutes with counselor Wendy Strait 4 Balance is really important when choosing classes. What we all try to instill in the kids is to not make decisions that are going to hurt you later.

4 Don’t take the easier classes just because you don’t want to work that hard, but at the same time, you don’t have to be all honors or all AP all the time. Look at what the rest of your schedule is going to look like, what activities you’re going to be involved in and balance yourself out so you’re not giving yourself an anxiety attack with what you have on your plate.

4 When colleges start looking at your transcript, they know based on our school profile how many honors and AP classes we have.

They’re always measuring you by what is available to you.

4 They would much rather see somebody who’s challenged himself and had a B than someone who’s never challenged himself and had straight As. I’ve seen kids be hurt before who’ve had traditional regular classes all the way through and had a 4.0, and then didn’t even get considered at highly selective schools even though they’ve had the full package and some other things. 4

What’s the major for Do you like to talk in front of others Alone

Start Here

Is helping others important to you?

Do you see yourself as creative or logical?

Do you like to take risks

Not if I can help it

Very important

Deciding what to major in for college is a daunting task.

Luckily, knowing your personality can help. Take the quiz on the previous page and then identify below which personality you best identify. KAITLIN ZENONI

Investigative

Artistic

Social

Neurology

Architecture

Psychology

Biology Archaeology

Graphic Design Photography

Real Estate Education

Health Care

Film/Video

Management

Math

Interior Design

Not at all

INVESTIGATIVE

Five Mistakes Made When Choosing a Major

1

Conventional Finance

Enterprising

Realistic

Entrepreneurship

Engineering

Accounting

Politics

Law Enforcement

Social Work

Advertising Law Political Science

Athletic Training

TourismResource Human

Pre-Optometry

2

Chemistry No

Are you good at problem solving?

Yes Do you prefer to work indoors or outdoors?

Do you like to work with your hands?

What is that?

Do you see yourself as ougoing?

No

Indoors

Conventional

No

Yes

ARTISTIC

Yes

SOCIAL

$

Based on money

Do you like to folllow rules?

Yes

ENTERPRISING

REALISTIC

Logical

Are you competitive?

Yes

Outdoors

Data

Not the most important

Creative

Not the most important thing

Is money very important to you?

Prefer to work with data or people?

People

Yes I’m pretty good at it

Group

The bigger the better

?

Not if I can help it

Do you prefer working in a Group or Alone?

17 ///// Eagle Eye

No Major? No Problem.

3

Deciding on a major is not permanent and does not define your future Although choosing a major is an important decision, the rest of you life is not based on the degree you choose. Over 80% of college students change their major at least once but on average most change it two or three times. Researching about the major and actually taking the class are two separate things and often times students discover other interests or majors that appeal to them.

Also, a common misconception is the major you choose determines your career. Any bachelor degree gives students skills to apply to the real world: time management, problem solving, critical thinking, presentation skills, and co-operation.

Un-employment after college is a problem for graduates and many “change” fields in order to find jobs. A common example is history majors becoming bankers or teachers in education.

Ultimately, you alone decide your future. Taking classes in high school that are interesting can help narrow down majors and allow you to find your passion. To go to college you don’t necessarily need to know your major either. Many students have an undeclared major until later on in their college career, which allows them the freedom to find the specific major they want.

Majoring in an area you struggle in Choosing a major to please your parents

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Based on difficulty

5

Rushing to make a decision

!

What colleges look for in Grades:

My mom unlocked the door and turned the knob, an unexpected arrival. I remember her looking at me, with tears streaming down her face like she’d never looked at me before.

“What?” I said. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Her distressed face made me think that something serious had happened and for a second, I forgot what today was; the day I was to get my letter of admission from New York University.

I had dreamed about this day since I stepped foot onto the Mountain Vista High School campus. All I wanted was to go to New York City. I knew there was something bigger there for me, bigger than who I am right now and bigger

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than every dream I could dream for myself.

So, I applied, with a secret hope that maybe a miracle would get me in. It had been three straight months of turmoil within me. And that week before I was supposed to find out wasn’t any better. I couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t eat.

For me, finding out was all about words. My head was spinning with words. It seemed like people were screaming words at me. I felt like I couldn’t even process them, nothing was coming out.

I had waited four years to hear those words. “You.” “Got.” “In.” Everything slowed down, just as I

think the most important moments in our lives do, so we can remember the inhale and exhale of the moment.

The world was spinning as my mom grabbed my hand.

For that moment, I felt completely and utterly alive. “What do you mean?”

“Are you joking?” “What?”

I immediately fell into my mom’s arms as she wept from happiness and whispered into my ear, “I am so proud of you.”

It was one of those moments where I had never known I had needed to hear those words. But I did. More than anything.

GABI CAPOCELLI

D

Accepted Rejected

Most Selective Colleges?

The Princeton Review rated all colleges and universities in the United States on selectiveness on a scale of 60 to 99. These colleges each earned a 99.

Harvard University u 6% accepted

t Yale University 8% accepted

Several seniors have received ac-

ent. About three weeks later, she called the school wondering why she was receptance letters to various colleges all jected. The Mines admissions counselor across the United States. But some, like was confused — Hart’s record said the senior Lindsey Hart, have received a decision had been to accept her. rejection letter. Hart applied to Colo A few days later, a letter arrived from rado School of Mines last semester and Mines beginning with “We have reconreceived a rejection letter November 8. sidered your application…” “[My rejection] was a total surprise,” For the other she said. “Everyone “Everyone always told me Mountain Vista always told me that I had a great chance that I had a great chance of seniors who have received a rejection of getting in, and I getting in, and I was totally letter, Hart says to was totally unpreremember that a repared.” unprepared.” jection is not a blow Mines may have to one’s personality. been Hart’s first choice, but she didn’t “They aren’t rejecting you because show many negative feelings toward they hate you. They have jobs to do, the school. “My friends were more angry and if it were a perfect world, everyone at Mines than I was,” she said. “It’s not would get into their dream school.,” she like [Mines] has a personal vendetta said. “The fact is, you will be rejected in against me.” life.”

But Hart’s story of rejection is differ-

AMANDA ELLINGSON

“My GPA is a 3.97. I’ve taken Honors Math every single year, except for this year, I’m taking AP math. The other core classes that I’ve taken that are harder is social studies classes. I took AP World History my sophomore year and AP US History my junior year,” Morabito said.

Grades are one of the bigger of the five factors in an application. A high school transcript is important in showing the courses taken and how the student did in the class. The more rigorous the course, the more impressive it will look. For example, someone who takes Honors Biology instead of Biology, it will stand out. Taking an AP class and receiving a good grade will also stand out greatly. Effort matters most, however.

Letters of Recommendation:

“I asked Mrs. Smith, Mrs. Bryant and Theresa Echtermeyer,” Morabito said. Social studies teacher Doreen Smith, Marketing teacher and sponsor of DECA Sheri Bryant and Theresa Echtermeyer, his soccer coach.

While not required at all colleges, a letter of recommendation can come from two kinds of superiors of the student. One is an employee at the school like a teacher, the principal, a counselor, etc. The other is a superior to the student outside of the school, such as a coach, a boss, etc. These letters should include information as to how much effort the student puts into his/her work.

Standardized Test Scores:

On the ACT, I took it three times, the first time I got a 28, the second time I got a 30, and then I got a 31 the last time. None of schools I applied to asked for an SAT score so I didn’t take it.

Morabito said, “All of the colleges I applied to said I could do one of the two (SAT/ACT).

You could do two but they only ask for one.”

Standardized test scores include the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the American College Testing (ACT), both which are initially taken during the junior year. They test a student on math, reading, writing, and science. One of the main differences between them is that the ACT score is usually looked over by colleges in the Midwest and Western states, while the SAT score is looked over by colleges in the Northeast.

So, if a student is to apply to a college in Colorado, the ACT score will be more important.

Essays:

I did the common apps for all four of [the colleges I applied to]. They were about an ex perience in high school that changed my life. There were supplemental essays for some of them. Notre Dame had five choices and you choose three of them. One of them was, ‘Why do you want to go to Notre Dame?’

They were all really hard. One was, ‘What’s the difference between wisdom and intelligence?’ Another one was, ‘Tell a story of your faith put to the test.’

Essays are very important to show one’s uniqueness and individualism. Topics usually ask for the applicant to explain what they can bring/ contribute to the college.

They are important for the

A

19 /Eagle Eye

Senior Marcus Morabito shares his experience applying to universities

pplying for colleges is a long and tedious process. Many seniors become relieved upon finishing them, yet tension settles itself in as they wait for a certain college to over their college application. An application is the main thing that most all colleges look for in a student. An application consists of five main factors: students to show theirgrades, aspi- letters of recommendation, standardized test scores, and extracurricular activities. rations, essays their personalities, and their values in life.

“Marcus has been an Extracurricular AP student of mine. I Activities: think we established a really good relation“For clubs, I’m apart of DECA, ship,” social studies which is the only club I’m acteacher Doreen Smith tually apart of. I was captain said. “Students who do for varsity soccer,” Morabito well in AP courses said, “I started DECA because deserve a letter both my brothers were in of recommendit and I really just wanted ation for doing to see how it went. After I college level figured out how well I could work.”

Photo by Gabe Rodriguez do in it my sophomore year, I wanted to stick with it. It Colleges Morabito applied to: actually ended up being what I’m applying for for my major.”

Involvement in high school can also show that a student will be involved in his/her college. Sports and clubs are vital to show a student’s personality and hobbies.

Along with this, community service will also show an individual’s dedication to his/ her community. Awards and special skills will also show how the applicant is unique.

Involvement would show a well-rounded student along with many likable traits.

Marcus plays, as a junior, in a high school soccer game “I’ve been playing soccer since I was four,” Morabito said.

Photo by Cody Emboden

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2

3

4

Freshman Amy Zhou paints in her free time to capture her ability to be creative

Reporter Jason Keller reviews some of the latest school events and pop culture topics.

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Props & Flops PROPS to men’s basketball for an undefeated season so far.

PROPS to having a fourday weekend over Martin Luther King Day. PROPS to people who keep their New Year’s Resolutions.

FLOPS to the Broncos for losing in the playoffs.

FLOPS to bad drivers in the student parking lot when it snows.

FLOPS to the lights going out during the Super Bowl.

Hallway Talk

“I wish we lived in a village so we could have a village idiot.”

“If he tweeted about it, it must be serious.”

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Freshman Amy Zhou paints one of her newest pictures.

“I can draw whatever I want and express my inner feelings,” Zhou said.

DYLAN INGRAM TAYLOR ATLAS

Photo by Joan Lyons

1 “The Lumineers”

QQQQ If you haven’t heard of The Lumineers yet, what are you doing? Double that if you’re a Colorado native.

The Centennial State’s own indie-folk group is now a recognizable face in mainstream music. However, I found their debut album to be less than worthy of its current prestige. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a terrible, awful, offensive collection of music, it’s just that nothing struck me as interesting. Each song (aside from the hit single “Ho Hey”) just seems to float by me without making any real, memorable impact. The instrumentation is wonderfully done, the vocals are warmhearted and sung with care, but despite all this obvious attention to detail, the album as a whole fail to make an impact. There were several moments I thought songs were building towards a crescendo of some sort, yet I was left hanging without a proper ending. If you’re looking for something new to mix up your day-today playlists with, The Lumineers are a wonderful starting point, but please, don’t stop here.

2 “Herr Kutter the Barbaric Barber”

QQQQQ Critiqued by editor Taylor Blatchford The Theatre IV class production of “Herr Kutter the Barbaric Barber” proved to be an entertaining and comedic romance. I was impressed by male lead junior Tyler Garrity as villainous barber Herr Kutter, especially his maintenance of a German accent throughout the show. Both female leads, juniors Renee Probetts and Sara Panahi, balanced each other out playing the ditzy Hedda Wood and innocent Lorrie Ell, respectively. The actors talked directly to the audience throughout the show and made purposeful sarcastic comments to each other offstage, which was an entertaining touch. Though there weren’t as many people in attendance as there would be for a bigger production, the actors were clearly skilled and, in my opinion, deserved

a larger audience. The one-hour long play was the perfect length to run without an intermission, though I would have been happy if it had been longer.

3 New Library Layout

QQQQ The school library has a new look, but is it for the better? For the most part, yes. The addition of new furniture (namely chairs and tables) is a nice attempt at fostering a more relaxed atmosphere, offering more room for anyone looking to take advantage of it. As much as I’d like to say I enjoy the new chairs, I just really can’t. Don’t get me wrong, I’m extremely grateful to have them, it’s just that they are a little unsturdy and uncomfortable, giving me a small heart attack on more than one occasion. But overall, the new layout of the library vastly capitalizes on its available space, without sacrificing function in favor of aesthetics.

4 Crave Real Burgers

QQQ Crave is the newest burger place to open in Highlands Ranch, to take the place of the much loved FatBurger franchise, and it’s pretty good. Inside the former residence of FatBurger, Crave makes its home out of the remnants of the old restaurant, without changing too much of it. Walking in felt like I was coming back to FatBurger part two, with little being changed as far as decorations or atmosphere. So as far as aesthetics are concerned, Crave leaves much to be desired. It’s a sit down restaurant, with employees who will seat you, instead of just allowing you to waltz in and order a burger.

Crave, much like FatBurger, specializes in burgers of all kinds, attaching unusual names to some creative takes on the traditional burger. Overall, the food is excellent, as is the drink menu, which offers a multitude of different milk shake combinations.

he paintbrush makes gentle yet decisive contact with paper, and in that instant, a certain liberty is imparted.

Amy Zhou is a freshman at Mountain Vista who has been actively painting and drawing ever since her father first taught her when she was a child.

“That was what really sparked my interest in a future of drawing and painting,” Zhou said.

For Zhou, the most important benefit of art is the freedom it gives her.

Photo by Taylor Atlas “Whenever I put the paintbrush to the paentering it,” Zhou said. “I had to really use all of per I can just put [onto paper] whatever is in [my] creativity and I liked how I could elabomy mind,” Zhou said, “[Painting] lets my mind rate on [the topic].” be wherever I want.”

However, Zhou found a way to benefit Zhou also believes that the directly visual creatively from the challenge. aspect of painting makes it easier to express “I think even though there are restrictions herself. and there are topics that I have to draw about, “I guess I can just express everything I have I can be creative with those restrictions and inside of me through the lines and the colors,” make them my own,” she said. she said. “I feel free, like I can do whatever I Her ability to manipulate the competition’s want and I can really express my own personconstraints paid off: she won the grand prize. ality and style.”

“I’ve also entered some art competitions in When Zhou was in the seventh grade, she previous years through the school,” Zhou said. entered a regional competition based on the She doesn’t seem to care much about theme of bullying to have her art featured in a recognition, though. When speaking about her calendar. first prize for the calendar painting, she calls “I had to find something that was creative the competitions she has been involved in “not and different because a lot of students were

major”.

Despite her prior success, Zhou does not have any particular plans or expectations for future recognition.

“I’m not sure how much recognition I can get, but I hope that other people will enjoy what I draw and paint,” Zhou said.

However, Zhou is certain that she does not plan to stop pursuing art at any time in the future.

“I just hope that I can continue art throughout my high school years and hopefully into the future and through college and as I become an adult,” she said. “I have to take it as far as it can take me.”

Photos by Kyle Waters

Artists featured in the Highlands Ranch Library Regional Secondary Art Show

The Critique

A Creative Pastime

Feature 21 Eagle Eye

Eagle Eye 20 Feature

Maddy McCombs, Sophomore Photography

“I’ve always been interested [in photography] because it’s just a cool art form to learn how to do, I guess.

I took Photography I and I was very interested so I decided to take Photo II and photojournalism also interests me so that’s why I took it.”

Maggie Mather, Senior Drawing

“My teacher, Mr. Goldman, is always encouraging me to try new things and he really lets me have a lot of freedom with what I want to do. He doesn’t try to overpower my concepts and just lets me go with what I want to do.”

Kylie Klein, Junior Painting

“I like to use it in fashion, sports and I kind of like drawing women in general because we’ve got an interesting fashion flow to us. Most of my artwork is just inspiration pieces based on fashion, what I think is fun and sparkly and magical in life.”

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It’s Life.

Photos By Gabi Capocelli

Student Courtney Dover finds joy in an unexpected pregnancy.

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Feature 23 Eagle Eye very day was met by frequent sneering in the hallway, as senior Courtney Dover constantly heard people talking about her.

Slut.

Whore.

Stupid.

Hoe. Failure.

She’s ruining her life.

Why is she doing this to herself?

Apparently, teen pregnancy was the worst thing anyone could do to herself.

On Aug. 17, the test came back positive.

Dover’s life would never be the same. She was pregnant. Sixteen years old and pregnant.

“My parents and I went to the O.B.G.Y.N. and there were a lot of decisions that needed to be made at that point in time,” Dover said. “Do I want to continue on in the pregnancy or give the baby up for adoption? There was a lot of stuff to think about.”

When she first found out, she had no idea if raising a child was possible for her, or if it was the best decision for the baby.

She considered adoption for a while but, “you get to a point in the pregnancy when you just can’t even think about giving up your kid.

You’re going through 10 months of supporting and growing and developing this little baby,” Dover said. She decided to take on the experience of raising the little baby growing inside of her.

On that day, Dover automatically had the support of her mother, Deana Dover, who was a teen mom herself when she raised her brother. “She’s definitely been a really awesome, but it was tough at first for everybody.” she said.

At the beginning of her pregnancy, her father was not on board. “There was a point in time where we didn’t talk to each other,” she said. “We couldn’t because there was so much tension between us.”

But when Dover finally made the choice to keep the baby, things changed. “It really hit him when we found out it was a girl,” she said.

“We brought home the pictures and didn’t say a word, we just handed him the envelope and he came upstairs and was so excited. It was real when he saw those pictures that he fell in love. It’s his first granddaughter.”

For Dover, having people behind her is a source of encouragement. “I started realizing that I can do this because I have so much support from my family.” she said.

Dover found out she was pregnant about two weeks before her senior year was to start in late August.

Attending school for her last year at

Mountain Vista was different than she had ever expected. The pregnancy wasn’t physically noticeable until late November. “But, as soon as you walk in those school doors, people are looking at you like you’re popped out and ready to give birth any second,” Dover said.

They didn’t just use their words to beat her up. “Towards the end of the semester, there were a couple of kids who said, ‘I wonder what would happen if I punched her really hard in the stomach,’” she said. “I was trying to avoid people because I didn’t know who they were and it was really scary.”

But Dover wasn’t about to take these comments about her baby from anyone. “You have to get past it. It’s bullying and it happens everywhere,” she said, “but it’s different when it’s not just about you.”

“It was at a point where I knew that I wasn’t what people were calling me,” Dover said. “It’s different when people say to you you’re ‘dumb’ or ‘ugly’ or ‘not funny’ or something because those are things that are easily believable. When someone is calling you a ‘hoe’ and a ‘slut’ and you know that you’re not, you just don’t care. It stops bothering you.”

It was her baby that got her out of bed every morning. “When people were mean because of the pregnancy, it pushed me harder to go to school because then I could get it done and I would have an education,” she said as she explained that she is taking college courses in the spring at Arapahoe Community College and then apply to a four-year school to study psychology and criminal behavior after the baby

comes in March.

“People keep telling me that the baby is going to slow me down from getting my education, but I don’t think so,” she said. Dover finished her required credits early in December, and will graduate with the Class of 2013 in May. “She [the baby] has pushed me to start my next step in life faster because I still would have taken the summer and probably the next year taking online courses to get my general education classes out of the way,” Dover said.

Dover said her hopes for the future have given her strength to embrace being a teen mom in sheltered Highlands Ranch.

“Everything’s handed to you. There’s not really much that you have to do for yourself,” she said.

“You can’t even walk through the supermarket without glares, whispers and giggles.”

“I was really sheltered. I think we all are.”

Dover said. “People sometimes are really short sighted and they can’t see past what they’ve known their whole lives.”

“I didn’t know who I was,” she said with confidence. “We’re in high school and we’re just kids trying to figure out who we are. She [the baby] pushed me to find out who I was sooner so that I can help her discover who she is.”

“People at our age assume that you gain weight and that’s it,” she said. But, being pregnant has been a painful and hard process.

The struggles have helped mold her into who she is today.

“Though this has been a battle, I’ve learned to stay true to who I am,” she said, “and that’s a beautiful thing.”

GABI CAPOCELLI

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Feature 25 Eagle Eye

Top Ten Books to Read Before You Graduate CLAIRE OLIVER

1

Harry Potter:

KATIE SIMON

The Harry Potter series by

J.K. Rowling has taken the world by storm since

2

The Hunger Games: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins has gripped the nation with its compelling story of Katniss Everdeen fighting for

6

Jane Eyre: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte is the haunting love story between forbidden lovers, Jane and her employer Mr. Rochester. After enter-

7

Pride and Prejudice: Pride and Prejudice

by Jane Austen is a beautiful love story. Mr. Darcy is a

its publication in London in 1997. It is about a young

her life for the Capitol’s pleasure. The book is a page-turner and keeps you on

ing Thornfield Hall, the home of Mr. Rochester, Jane knows that there is a secret

proud and rich man who falls in love with Elizabeth Bennet,

wizard who must defeat the Dark Lord Voldemort. It

the edge of your seat as you read about the violence in the seventy fourth annual

inside the ancient walls. Jane Eyre is a terrific tale that will leave you hanging by

an independent and witty girl. When he learns of her horrible

has become a worldwide phenomenon. If you loved

Hunger Games. It is a must-read for all teens.

a thread on each page.

connections he has to choose between his pride or her love.

the movies then you will love the books.

Each page is filled with England in the 1800’s. It will leave you smiling into submission. It is a fantastic romance book.

3

The Maze Runner: The Maze Runner by James Dashner, is about Thomas

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who wakes up inside a metal box in the middle of a strange society called the Glade which is

Gone With the Wind: Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell is the story of Scarlett O’Hara and her

inhabited by boys his age. The Glade is surrounded

struggle with the Civil War. Her obsession for Ashley Wilkes, who

by massive concrete walls, and beyond those walls

is a married man, turns heads and causes Scarlett to marry men

lies an enormous maze, which the boys within the

for money and position in society. When she meets Rhett Butler, a

society must venture into to escape. Each month, a

wealthy bachelor, she is torn between both Rhett and Ashley in a

new boy arrives, but when the box contains a girl,

horrific love story. It will give you a different perspective on the

everything goes wrong.

war waged on the home front.

4

9

Perks of Being a Wallflower: The novel The Perks of Being a Wallflower by

The Book Thief: The Book Thief is a historical fiction book is centered around the Holocaust. The main

Stephen Chbosky has reached teenagers all over the

character, Leisel, is having trouble finding her place in her new

country, telling about a boy named Charlie trying to

family until a Jew shows up at her front door who teaches Leisel

get through all the obstacles in high school life. He writes the story of his life to an anonymous person who he does not know personally. His new friends give him light in his life that he couldn’t have found himself. This page-turner relates to the troubles and triumphs of being a teenager.

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1

4

2 3

5

6

The Fault In Our Stars: The Fault in Our Stars, a novel by John Green, is a tear-jerker about two teenagers who suffer from cancer.

The main character, Hazel Lancaster, attends a support group for cancer patients. There Hazel meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor who

helps her take her mind off her illness and changes her life forever. It is definitely a book to read because it helps you understand how it is to live

7

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about the terror going on outside her small town. Her only comfort is found in a book “The Grave Digger’s Handbook.” This

9

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book by Markus Zusak can leave you in tears or make you laugh out loud. It is a great coming-of-age tale with a dark twist of fate.

10 The Hobbit: The first movie has been released, and now is the time to read The Hobbit before the others come out. J.R.R Tolkien is a

magnificent author who uses words to inspire the imagination. This book will take you on the journey with Bilbo Baggins and the thirteen

dwarfs as they travel to the Lonely Mountain. His use of imagery helps you to really get into the book.

life with a life-threatening disease.

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Senior Haley Shreves cheers on the boys basketball team as Vista takes on Rock.

Canyon. “Seeing our school coming together as a whole and working together is the best part,” Shreves said. The Golden Eagles won, 63-53.

Photo by Joan Lyons

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United as...

Unified basketball partners work with the athletes to make a difference

Sports 29 Eagle Eye

Meet the team

Photo by Taylor Atlas

Devin Bray Freshman

Photo by Dylan Ingram

Photo by Taylor Atlas

Bailey Roby

Junior “We get to play good teams and shoot the ball,” Roby said

Alex Drake Adult Transition

Photo by Taylor Atlas

Photo by Dylan Ingram

TAYLOR ATLAS DYLAN INGRAM As senior Danielle Cushing walks down the hallways at Mountain Vista, she sees the members of the Unified basketball team smiling, which instantly brightens her day.

She is one of the numerous partners and student coaches who invest their time and effort to better the lives of these student athletes who are living with disabilities.

“I just like helping them, not just to become better players but better people, too,” Cushing, the coach of Unified basketball said.

Each smile or laugh or cheer from

the players reinforces their desire to participate in the program and lets these coaches and partners know they are making a difference in the players’ lives.

“The most rewarding part is probably just being able to see them everyday and having the opportunity to see that they are able to come out and play,” Cushing said.

The MVHS community is inspired by the athletes’ efforts. To the coaches, they are not only inspirational, but also teachers of life lessons and goals, which one can only learn outside of a classroom.

“They have taught me patience, caring and loving,” Cushing said. “It doesn’t

matter what ability [a person] has; everyone is the same.”

Cushing said the nearly 75 partners enjoy every minute in this journey, no matter what they give back to the players. Each has gained experiences full of fun, laughter, learning and friends.

“Everyone just comes together and it’s just always so fun and everyone’s always so happy and willing to help,” Cushing said. “[The players] are honestly making a difference in my life.”

And she continues to hope she is doing the same for them.

Kyle Chambers Freshman “It makes me feel good,” Chambers said.

Photo by Dylan Ingram

Jessica Sorensen Freshman

Photo by Taylor Atlas

Jenna Zecchino

Junior “It’s a really fun thing to be a part of and I really like it,” Zecchino said.

Photo by Wes Edwards

Alex ChambersFreshman “Being a part of this team makes me feel special,” Chambers said.

Photo by Taylor Atlas

Photo by Dylan Ingram

Tommy Ryan

Senior “Iv’e been a part of this team for three years now, and I love it,” Ryan said.

Evan Kilcoyne Freshman

Eagle Eye 30 Sports

UNEXPECTED Sports 31 Eagle Eye

Photo by Maeve McCloskey

Tips for Keeping Your Resolution: g Have a balanced nutrition

Elite Speed training weight room Centennial.

and exercise plan g Have a specific and attainable goal g Find a partner, a team, or a coach to exercise with g Come up with some kind of reward system g Have reminders to keep you motivated g Know what exercise to do to help you with your goal g Stay satisfied and properly fueled g Make a plan that you can stick with g Find an exercise that you love to do g Stay motivated

Ravens overcome all odds to win Super Bowl XLVII ANA KRASUSKI

S

Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions Quick Ways to Get and Stay in Shape Throughout the New Year ZOE BLANDON & MAEVE MCCLOSKEY

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any people have a goal of getting in shape for the New Year. Shane Miller, trainer from Elite Speed, said, “A very specific and attainable goal and a plan will lead you to achieving those goals.”

To get in shape for the New Year, it’s important to keep an accountability system like a workout partner and a reward system that keeps you motivated to keeping those goals, Miller explains.

Mountain Vista senior, Jack Reeves, said, “I like the idea of resolutions, I think they are a good sense of motivation. It’s tough to follow through with them sometimes.”

Every year millions of people say to themselves that they’ll lose weight, yet according to Statistic Brain’s website, it says that only 46 percent of resolutions make it past six months.

Many people don’t know how to stick with trying to get in shape. “A lot of times the best plan that works is the one that you stick with,” Miller said, “and you stick with them by giving yourself very specific goals and some kind of reward system.”

Resolution Stats

Miller said, “Most people do it wrong, they say they need to eat less, and run on the treadmill, but what ends up happening is that they are starving and nobody likes to be starving so they can’t stick to a calorie restriction diet.”

Defining your goal will help to make the best plan for you. If you can define what your goal is you can specify a plan to help you to achieve your goal.

Staying properly fueled with healthy foods and a lot of water will also help in getting in shape. Staying motivated to keep with your New Year’s resolution is one of the biggest reasons why people are successful.

Having a specific goal and well made nutrition and exercise plan is one of the best tips for staying on track with your resolution, Miller said.

“I think people start out really motivated, and if they can stick with it then they can make a lot of progress,” Reeves said.

A good way to lose weight throughout the year would be to find something you love to do and do it with a workout partner, a team, or a coach.

Source: www.statisticbrain.com

g 64% of resolutions make it past one month g 47% of resolutions are on self improvement or education g 45% of Americans are successful with their New Year’s Resolutions

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g 38% of resolutions are weight related Photo by Maeve McCloskey

Drew Tarter/MCT Ed Reed (20) gives the ball to Ray Lewis (52), who played in his final NFL game, after the San Francisco 49ers failed to score in the final minutes of the Super Bowl. The Ravens won, 34-31.

uper Bowl XLVII was certainly a game to remember. Every play, every stat and every minute made history.

Coach Harbaugh vs. Harbaugh was certainly one of the biggest storylines, but perhaps the biggest was that of Ray Lewis, who ended his career with a Super Bowl win. Although Lewis didn’t make any crazy, worthwhile plays, he did come out of the game with seven tackles, and more importantly, a trophy.

The first quarter started off in the Ravens’ favor, with a 13-yard touchdown

by Anquan Boldin. The 49ers were unable to get in the end zone until the third quarter, in which they scored 17 points in four minutes and ten seconds.

The second quarter was rich with turnovers. The 49ers had one fumble and one turnover, and another touchdown for the Ravens.

Going into the third quarter, a blowout turned into a shootout. Ravens wide receiver Jacoby Jones returned a kick for 108 yards, tying with the all time NFL record for most yards rushed on a kickoff. The third quarter was a very interesting one, mostly because of the sudden power outage in the Superdome that lasted 34 minutes, stretching the game into the longest Super Bowl in history, at four hours and 14 minutes.

Joe Flacco: Most Valuable Player Lexington Herald/MCT

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was given the most valuable player award after capping off a perfect postseason with a Super Bowl win.

Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. With his contract ending, Flacco was asked by ESPN about his future. “I’m a Raven for life,” he said. “That’s how I see it.” It’s hard to argue that anyone else deserved the MVP. Flacco and the Ravens beat all the odds to get to, and win, Super Bowl 47. The Ravens were barely expected to beat the Indianapolis Colts in the first round of the playoffs, much less take on and beat Peyton Manning and the Broncos, Tom Brady and the Patriots, and work their way into the Super Bowl.

In this postseason alone, Flacco threw 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.

RAVENS

Passing: Joe Flaco22/33, 287 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT Rushing: Ray Rice- 20 ATT, 59 yards, 0 TD Bernard Pierce12 ATT, 33 yards, 0 TD Receiving: Anquan Boldin6 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD Jacoby Jones- 1 reception, 56 yards, 1 TD

49ers’ receiver Michael Crabtree then put up another seven points with a 31 yard touchdown, and ended the game with 109 yards.

Almost all the signs pointed to a San Francisco win in the second half, with amazing drives that almost tied the game, and the recovery of a Ravens’ fumble. They lucked out on 3rd and 8, when an incomplete pass and Frank Gore’s inability to score a touchdown brought in kicker David Akers to kick a field goal. Akers missed, but a flag was thrown on Baltimore for running into the kicker, resulting in a successful second try and a score of 28-23. Quarterback Collin Kaepernick then rushed 15 yards for a touchdown and failed at a two point conversion, bringing the score to 31-29. The Ravens came back with a 38 yard field goal by Justin Tucker.

The 49ers were then unable to get into the endzone on their final three plays, which also brought a multitude of controversy when the refs did not call a holding play on fourth down that almost resulted in a touchdown for San Francisco. Ravens punter took an intentional safety that cut the clock from four seconds to two seconds. When 9ers receiver Ted Ginn failed at scoring with the clock winding down, the Ravens came out on top with a 34-31 win and a shiny Lombardi trophy.

49ERS

Passing: Colin Kaepernick- 16/28, 302 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Frank Gore- 19 ATT, 110 yards, 1 TD, LG 55 yards Colin Kaepernick- 7 ATT, 62 yards, 1 TD Receiving: Michael Crabtree- 5 receptions, 109 yards, 1 TD Vernon Davis- 6

Bet You Didn’t Know...

55%

of people involved in an ESPN.com poll picked the 49ers to win.

6%

of working people call in sick the Monday after the Super Bowl.

Collin Kaepernick threw the first interception in 49ers Super Bowl history.

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Student Leadership thanks Mountain Vista for being Jaidyn’s HERO and granting his wish!

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