ELEVATE MAGAZINE RJ MEDIA STUDENT MAGAZINE
REGIS JESUIT HS
K E WE
SPECIAL EDITION
H S I W
VOL. 5 ISSUE 2 MAY 2021
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MISSION STATEMENT Our mission is to amplify and include the voices that often go unheard at Regis Jesuit in the prusit of diverstiy, authenticity, and community by listening and sharing unique perspectives from every corner of our campus.
ELEVATESTAFF
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: SABRINA VIZURRAGA '22
RJ Media is an open Forum for student free expression
GRANT BARNES '23, MASON HARRIS '24, MOLLY NICHOLS '23
We meet Tuesdays after school.
SERENA NGUYEN '22
EDITORS:
HEAD DESIGNER: HEAD ILLUSTRATOR: JOEY PAOLUCCI '22
OUR DOORS ARE OPEN Comments, Questions, Ideas? Come and see us in the RJ Media Lab RM P102 or find us on Social Media.
WRITERS: Molly Nichols ‘23, Mason Harris ‘24, Serena Ngyuen ‘22, Sabrina Vizurraga ‘22, Jacob Gold ‘23, Em Fischer '23
PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN: PHOTOGRAPHERS: Reilly Wible ‘22, Audrey Harman ‘22, Chloe Simon ‘23, Sarah Faestel ‘22 DESIGN: Gabby Elliott ‘21
ADVISERS NICOLE ARDUINI, ADAM DAWKINS ‘98, MARIA LYNCH
ELEVATE
MAGAZINE
ONLINE MAGAZINE: RJMEDIANOW.COM
EDITORIAL POLICIES RJ Media [Elevate Magazine, rjmedianow.com, RJTV and RJTV Sports Network] operates as a limited-open forum for student free expression. The publications are for the students, by the students.
DEAR REGIS JESUIT COMMUNITY, We are so blessed to have received such positive feedback on our last issue, Rooted in Love; it was a challenging issue- in the best way possible. I hope that this magazine replicates the beauty you saw in our last issue, including the design, writing, art, and topics covered. The Elevate staff and I put so much love, effort, and countless hours into this issue- and I hope you can see it. I think this issue highlights what separates Regis Jesuit from other schools: our devotion to service and what it means to be with and for others. I hope this issue of Elevate demonstrates this to you. Hopefully, you’ll find solidarity and understanding with the articles written and photographed. -YOUR EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, SABRINA VIZURRAGA
COVER ARTWORK: Joey Paolucci ‘22 COVER PHOTO: Chloe Simon ‘23
The staff aims to balance what the audience wants with what it needs, and strives to make solid judgments with regards to news value and news awareness.
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FONTS USED:
AHJ Franklin Gothic for body copy & captions Masthead: Mongoose Bold Headlines: Mongoose Bold Subheadlines: Bodoni 72 Bold Drop Caps: Bodoni 72 Pull quotes: AHJ Franklin Gothic Condensed
The publications will serve as a medium for student opinions and ideas. RJ Media strives to produce objective, well-balanced and accurate reporting and content that features a range of students, their interests and their viewpoints. The staff is dedicated to being fair, accurate, balanced, truthful and responsible. The staff will seek the truth and report it, minimize harm and act independently. We promise to be transparent, accountable and open. The staff also upholds Ignation values with regard to social justice and openness to growth. The staff prides itself on using the Ignation Pedagogical Paradigm to help make decisions: context, experience, reflection, action, and evaluation. The student Editorial Board will have final say in the content of the publications. School officials,
administration or faculty and staff shall not practice prior review or the have the ability to censor any student publication, with the exception of material deemed to be legally obscene, libelous, substantially and materially disruptive, or coverage on any one of the following three topics, wherein coverage will be worked through with the president and principals: Obituaries, employee termination, and crimes or cases in the court of law. The views of columnists are not necessarily those of the newspaper staff. Opinions will be published on designated pages or otherwise marked. All material published by RJ Media is copyrighted to RJ Media, year and date of original publishing. RJ Media will not publish any material that is a violation of copyright. We take our own photos and produce our own content. We sometimes use photos with express written permission, but only if we absolutely have to. Those will be credited to the photographer with attribution specified by the permission of use. Read our full editorial policies at rjmedianow.com/policy Read our full Editorial Policies at rjmedianow.com/about
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material and length. The staff will not edit letters for punctuation, grammar and usage. Letters with issues will be returned to the submitter for further review. Contact the RJ Media Editorial Board at rjmedia@regisjesuit.com or in the RJ Media Lab (PAC-102). You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram @RJ_Media
CONTENTS
FEATURES 12 SPORTS HIGHLIGHT
Photos from your season C sports
17 POLAR PLUNGE
Raising over $26,000 the community came together for a great cause
18 MAKE A WISH
First annual Make a Wish event raises over $19,000 for Johny and the foundation
24 SOCIAL MEDIA & MENTAL HEALTH
Take time to yourself for overall health
26 KATHERINE AMES
18
Shares her personal journey with cancer battle
28 FIRST RESPONDERS
What it's like having family members who are nurses, police offices, and fire fighters
26 22 28
EXTRAS+MORE NEWS MEDIA LITERACY How to filter the firehose of internet information
32 MINI IMMERSIONS
24
Encountering the other in our own backyard
40 RJ GRADS TAKE A STAND
22
The Ookee Dokee Brothers turned down grammy nomination
44 STATE CHAMPS
40
Field hockey takes the 2021 5A title
48 UNFORGETABLE SEASON
Boulder Photo (Jason Connolly/AFP/Getty Images/TNS) Photos by Chloe Simn and Tyler Chan
Boys soccer sets historic regular season
48
TABLE OF CONTENTS ELEVATE 01
ELEVATE SPRING
02 ELEVATE SPRING
STATE
CHAMPS WINNING THE TROPHY AND BRINGING THE SCHOOL TOGETHER
THE VARSITY FIELD hockey team gathers around the state championship banner, holding up number ones, while students cheer behind. “It was so much fun when everyone stormed the field! I was so excited that we won but I was even more happy that all the kids were enjoying themselves! It was one of the first times it felt like high school in over a year since COVID started,” Grace Weigland said. PHOTO BY: AUDREY HARMAN ‘22
LEADING OFF ELEVATE 03
ELEVATE SPRING
I’M NOT A PLAYER I’M A GAMER
RATINGS Doom Eternal
9
Marvel’s Avengers
5
Watch Dogs: Legion
7
DOOM Eternal put up a compelling case to be the best game of 2020.
The game will always be remembered as a “what could’ve been,” as all it needed was a better end-game experience.
The game feels polished, but it will not be remembered as a notable game.
DOOM ETERNAL The year started with a massive installment in the DOOM series, releasing DOOM Eternal. Widely considered the best game of 2016, DOOM was a huge hit. The biggest question with the sequel was, of course, can it live up to the original without replicating itself? Not only did DOOM Eternal feel fresh, but it built on itself. All the previous mechanics got quicker and more refined. The sequel picks up right where the original left off: monsters have overrun Earth. You are, quite literally, a one-person army. You go on a quest to kill three witches, all ranging from a monster-infested Earth to an even more overrun Mars. DOOM Eternal is like DOOM, but it has a more precise goal
04 ELEVATE GAME REVIEWS
MASON HARRIS ‘24
2020 was filled with many surprises, but it had no shortage of console games. From Cyberpunk 2077 to Marvel’s Avengers, last year was filled with both hidden gems and over-hyped market pleasers. Some of the biggest names in the market all released new additions to their franchises.
The game is a lot more hectic, as you balance your ammo with melee attacks. You can no longer sit back with the comfort of range but instead must go head-to-head with some ferocious monsters. The game requires a ton of strategy...
and more refined mechanics. The game is a lot more hectic, as you must balance your ammo with melee attacks. You can no longer sit back with the comfort of range but instead must go head-to-head with some ferocious monsters. The game requires a ton of strategy, so take it slow and don’t rush through it. Overall, DOOM Eternal put up a compelling case to be the best game of 2020, putting up a rating of 9/10. The end of the year was packed with notable releases, including Marvel’s Avengers. The game is centered on a long campaign, switching your perspective
MARVEL’S AVENGERS
between multiple Avengers. Surprisingly, the focus character is Kamala Khan, also known as Ms. Marvel. The campaign succeeds at developing characters, especially Khan. The campaign follows Khan as a teenager, and the other Avengers serve as mentors. Bruce Banner sticks out as a mentor for Khan. However, the motive for every player is the end-game experience.
This game catastrophically fails at rewarding players for completing the ampaign, leaving players ultimately wanting more...Though it can be fun to play with friends, you often find yourself matched up with three strangers, all of which have different mindsets.
This game catastrophically fails at rewarding players for completing the campaign, leaving players ultimately wanting more. The multiplayer experience is faulty at best, with matchmaking taking a long time. Though it can be fun to play with friends, you often find yourself matched up with three strangers, all of which have different mindsets. The combat gets repetitive fast, and though swinging Captain America’s shield may sound fun, you get bored of it after an hour. Overall, the game will always be remembered as a “what could’ve been,” as all it needed was a better end-game experience. All of this contributes to the game’s 5/10 rating. Shortly after Marvel’s Avengers release, a new installment of the Watch Dogs series came onto the market. Watch Dogs Legion had an entirely new concept from previous games. The game takes place in London, basing many missions around all of the landmarks, both existing and faux. The game’s appealing concept was that you
WATCH DOGS: LEGION could walk up to anyone in the city and recruit them. Each person would have their unique skill set, bringing a new way to approach missions each time. You could recruit someone good with drones and watch from afar or recruit a construction worker and watch as they
infiltrated facilities. These people are tasked with bringing down the fascist police state that has overrun Britain. Though this feature is revolutionary, the element of the main character is thrown out the window. At the end of the game, you are left feeling like you did not get anything from it. There is no way to get to know the characters only because you are recruiting everyone. As a result, the game’s primary villain, Bagley, steals the show. Overall, the game has an excellent campaign but feels like a departure from the previous installments. The game feels polished, but it will not be remembered as
a notable game from a year packed with high-profile games. The game succeeds in enough areas to garner a 7/10 rating.
Though this feature is revolutionary, the element of the main character is thrown out the window. At the end of the game, you are left feeling like you did not get anything from it...The the game’s primary villain, Bagley, steals the show.
OTHER RATINGS Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
It’s a fun, adventurous game that provides beautiful graphics. The game is a worthy installment into an already accomplished series. Though the game is riddled with bugs, the open-world concept delivers on the biggest stage.
Call Of Duty Black Ops: Cold War
The lack of combat would typically be a downside, but the campaign’s response is overwhelmingly positive. Overall, the game is the best addition to the famed franchise in several years.
Cyberpunk 2077
The game is still pervasive, and the story is compelling, but it does not manage to stack up well against the other contenders. Though the game is riddled with bugs and did not nearly live up to the hype, it is still an engaging game that provides hours of fun.
8 8 7 GAME REVIEWS ELEVATE 05
ELEVATE SPRING
SPOILER ALERT
BY ELIZA WEST '23
WANDAVISION
review
TV, SPORTS, & MUSIC REVIEWS
06 ELEVATE REVIEWS
gave an inside look on how Wanda affects everything that goes in and out of the Hex, which is the name Darcy gives the world Wanda created. Another reason on why this episode is one of my favorites is because the ending perfectly syncs up with the ending of episode 3, and it shows the viewers what exactly happened between Wanda and Monica. Episode 7, Breaking the Fourth Wall is in my top three favorite episodes from the show. The episode goes back and forth between Wanda’s perspective in the Hex, n January 15th, Marvel released and what’s been going on outside the their first original TV mini-series Hex with Jimmy, Darcy, and Monica. At on Disney Plus: WandaVision. the end of this episode is when Monica Going into this series, I was a fan of becomes one of my favorite characters, Wanda and Vision, but after the series behind Wanda and Jimmy. This episode ended, they’ve become some of my had a twist I knew was coming, but wasn’t favorite Marvel characters. The first two expecting to come this episode. The ending episodes were fun, but the show really and the post credit scene at the end of the gets interesting at the third episode credits are what makes this episode one of when Monica is thrown out of Westview. my favorites. Episode seven’s ending was From the third episode on, WandaVision brilliantly written and was one of the best gets better and better, and keeping endings that I’ve ever seen from a T.V. show viewers anxious for the next episode. Two recently. To put it without spoilers, there of my favorite episodes are episode 4, was a character in the Hex who wasn’t who We Interrupt This Program, and episode everyone in Westview thought they were. 7, Breaking the Fourth Wall. Because I give WandaVision a five out of five stars of the movie like feel packed into 40 because it was way better than I thought minutes. it would be. Even though the first two “We Interrupt This Program” episodes are slow, it really starts to pick up started off with the events right after Hulk at the end of the third episode. The thing snapped everyone back from the Blip. that the WandaVision writers do perfectly is Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel is the endings and the plots of each episode. then introduced, and she is an amazing Some of the endings have left me with addition to the show. Rambeau goes many more questions than when I came back to S.W.O.R.D and talks with acting into each episode with. The plot points are director, Tyler Hayward. She then meets just as exciting as the endings because FBI agent Jimmy Woo, from Ant Man, most of the time, you don’t really know and she gets sucked into the Westview what’s going to happen next. WandaVision anomaly. Jimmy goes to Darcy Lewis, has kept me interested every week, and from Thor: The Dark World, to figure out each week felt like an eternity waiting what’s going on in Westview. After an for the next episode. For a mini-series of altercation with Wanda at the end of the 30-40 minute episodes, they’ve done a episode, we get to see how Monica got great job fleshing out Wanda’s backstory, blasted out of Westview at the end of showing her grief after Infinity War, and episode 3. I like this episode because it what she’s been up to after Endgame.
O
BY EMILIA FISCHER ‘23
LUCIFER A SHOW WHERE THE DEVIL IS THE TEACHER Lucifer shows us the one thing our theology classes never do: the soft, more emotional, caring side of the devil. This show puts a twist on the Bible that we are reading today, giving an inside look at one of God’s favorite angels. Lucifer lives life on earth in disguise as a human after he gets bored of hell. He lives in an amazing home and owns a bar in Los Angeles. He meets people and even starts fighting crime. He evolves in his relationship with God, his fellow brothers, and even humans. He makes new friends, strengthens his relationship with his Dad whom he hated, and even falls in love with a mortal! 1 Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” It refers to the devil as a lion who is waiting to “devour” you. This series shows the opposite as it reveals the soft side of the devil. However, this show creates confusion about who Lucifer actually was. The Bible doesn’t have enough about the devil to truly understand who Lucifer was. This show can change your whole opinion on the devil. As a Christian, is it bad to watch? It isn’t blasphemous in my opinion. It would be blasphemy if Lucifer said that God didn’t actually make the world or that God is inherently evil or selfish. The show doesn’t really mess with any of the biblical information about God. It shows a lot though about the ability to change for the better. It also proves this point by showing that the devil could change. All in all, the show is really interesting and keeps you on the edge of your seat. With a lot of suspense, fighting scenes, as well as funny jokes, this show is what I would call “Binge-worthy.” Go watch, but keep in mind it is fiction, don’t let it change your opinion on your faith!
MADLIB-SOUND ANCESTORS REVIEWS
CHANNEL TRES- I CAN’T GO OUTSIDE REVIEW COMPTON RAPPER AND PRODUCER Channel Tres has been one of the more exciting new voices in music for the past few years, garnering industry attention after two solid EP releases in 2018 and 2019. Tres’ unique style consists of a blend between west coast hip hop and traditional house tropes; his deep voice and laid-back delivery blend the line between rapping and traditional DJ voiceovers. On his most recent project, I Can’t go Outside, Tres delivers a handful of songs that more or less fit his original formula. While the lyrical content references life in the pandemic, the production is the main attraction, a chilled collection of bouncy, houseinspired beats. There’s more of a traditional hip-hop feel to this record than previous Channel Tres projects, with many of the songs being built around sample flips. Songs like “fuego” with Tyler, the Creator are extremely solid, energetic, and repayable, and as a whole the album is short but sweet. However, as the third of a series of short projects from Tres (this one’s only 21 minutes long), I’m left hoping for something more substantial in the future. RATING: 7/10
TO HIP-HOP FANS, Otis Jackson Jr. is seen less as a beatmaker and more as a religious figure. Responsible for some of the most acclaimed hip-hop records to come out of the last two decades, either as his producing alias Madlib or under the name Quasimoto as an MC, Jackson has solidified himself as an elusive but respected figure. Working with a range or artists from the late MF Doom to Freddie Gibbs, Madlib seems to consistently bring the best out of the people he collaborates with. On his recent album, Sound Ancestors, however, Madlib’s production is unaccompanied. This isn’t the first time Madlib has dropped an album with just beats, but Sound Ancestors differentiates itself from past Madlib beat tapes through the diversity of its samples. The traditional sample flips that made Madlib so respected are still there, but they are accompanied by numerous other sounds mixed in from obscure sources. As a result, Sound Ancestors feels like the musical equivalent of an Adam Curtis documentary, albeit with much less cynicism. The album compiles sounds from earlier decades and recontextualizes them into a sort of sparse, empty soundscape so ubiquitous in recent years. As the title suggests, Sound Ancestors is very much a reflection on the past, but it doesn’t merely capitalize on nostalgia. Instead, it traces the longing feeling of music from the past to a search for meaning in the 21st century. FAVORITE TRACK: “ROAD OF THE LONELY ONES” RATING: 10/10
FOOD & MUSIC COLUMNIST MATTHEW TIERNY ‘22
FISHTASTIC A FISH SANDWICH THAT RIVALS THE TRADITIONAL CATHOLIC FISH FRY
BY MATTHEW TIERNY '22
Matthew has been an Elevate writer for the last two editions, sharing his opinions on culture, especially food and music. Coming from a family of musicians, music has always been a large part of his life in one form or another. Now, he enjoys listening to and reviewing a variety of music for Elevate. ARE YOU INTERESTED IN writing a reviews for music or restaurants Contact the RJ Media Editorial Board at rjmedia@ regisjesuit. com or in the RJ Media Lab (PAC-102). You can also find us on Twitter and Instagram @RJ_Media
Like many Catholics, I would look forward to Fridays during the season of Lent. While it was difficult to avoid meat for a day every week, my parish’s fish fry at the end of the day was a worthwhile reward for a day of abstinence. It was a fun, social event- and the fish was fantastic. Unfortunately, before I was grown enough to fully appreciate it (and participate in the gambling), the fish fry was put to an end amidst political strife within the parish. I would have to look elsewhere for fantastic, affordable fish dinners during Lent. So, when Popeye’s announced their new flounder sandwich this year, I hoped that once again I would be able to enjoy the greasy excesses of our consumer economy to the fullest extent while still following Lenten tradition. Naturally, I picked up a Cajun Flounder Sandwich the first Friday I had the chance, took it home, and gave it a try. Upon removing the sandwich from its grease-stained bag, I was impressed by the look of the fish and bun. Whereas time-tested Lenten fast food items like McDonald’s Filet-O-Fish are often dry, even, and unimpressive visually, this sandwich keeps the robust look of Popeyes’ infamous chicken sandwich. I was also pleased to find out that Popeye’s didn’t cut back on flavor with this; the fish is as seasoned as their chicken, with a mild spice that enhances the flavor palate. The Cajun tartar sauce slathered liberally on the bun was a nice addition, too. To put it plainly, this sandwich is better than any other fast food fish sandwich I’ve tried before in virtually every respect, and I have to recommend it. While the fish patty was somewhat small, it’s still a wildly indulgent meal, and one that rivals the greasiness of my parish’ old fried fish. While the days of going to the fish fry every week may largely be over (and with it, another social element of Catholic tradition), I can once again fill my face with grease, seven days a week. RATING: 7/10
REVIEWS ELEVATE 07
ELEVATE SPRING
BEING PRODUCTIVE 101 BY EMILIA FISCHER ‘23
12 4 3
HOW TO BE PRODUCTIVE IN THE MODERN AGE OF GAMING From our phones and iPads to our pc’s and game consoles, electronics take up most of our lives. Life without them would be so much different, I mean, we wouldn’t have online schooling, so that’s a win. But, that ain’t gonna happen so we have to learn to control our time when using electronics in a nonproductive way like gaming. From our recent survery, Calling All Gamers, 35% of the people who took the survey played video games from 1-2 hours which is a reasonable amount. 26% played 3-4 hours. What suprised us the most was during weekdays, 8% of kids are able to play 5-6 hours and another 8% of kids can play for more then 6 hours! Geez! Where are ya’ll finding this time. I'm kinda jealous. Now for weekends -from Friday through Sunday- the results weren’t as suprising. 35% play 5-6 hours, which was the most chosen answer but, a larger amount of kids play for more than 10 hours than kids that play for 7-10 hours. We got to change this and start being productive!
TAKE A 5 MINUTE BREAK
Take a 5 minute break after every 30 minutes but stay away from electronics and be active. I see you sitting on tiktok, go run up and down the stairs. It will help your blood flow, helping your brain focus!
HAVE A STEADY SLEEP SCHEDULE
Try to keep a steady sleep schedule and don’t stay up till 3:00 am because you procrastinated on homework by watching Criminal Minds on Netflix and then only started your homework at midnight. Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time as the night before.
HAND WRITE YOUR NOTES
When taking notes, hand write them so you can remember things better. Don’t be lazy, get them fancy rainbow pens and start writing like the tumblr girl you were always meant to be.
08 ELEVATE BEING PRODUCTIVE
TOP TEN 8
SET TIMERS
When playing games try to set a timer for an hour so you don’t get distracted and end up looking at the time and seeing that it is already 4:00 am!!
WAYS TO BE MORE PRODUCTIVE
10 9 6 7 4 5 When studying for a test, don’t be lazy. Make flash cards or make a quizlet. Notice how I said MAKE a quizlet, not find one. Making the quizlet and typing up all of the information you need will make it so much easier and faster for you to remember.
DO NOT PROCRASTINATE!!! Get it done, you won’t regret it.
DON'T BE LAZY
Stop trying to multitask! Don’t do your math homework while also scrolling through memes on Reddit. Prioritize your homework and do that and then worry about finding the perfect meme.
DON'T TRY TO MULTITASK
HAVE A QUIET SPACE TO WORK
Find a quiet, organized work space where you can focus, away from your little brother running around in his underwear with a nerf gun.
HAVE A TO-DO LIST
Make a to-do list or set up an online checklist and follow it in order, doing one thing at a time. Microsoft Planner is great because you can even seclude little reminders and organize your work.
Ya like jazz? No? Well too bad. If you like to listen to music, try to listen to music with no words so it doesn’t distract you like lo-fi or classical.
LISTEN TO NON-LYRICAL MUSIC
TOP TEN ELEVATE 09
ELEVATE SPRING
REGIS JESUIT’S WINTER & SPRING SPORTS
PLAYING UP
VARSITY GAGE BUSSEY
JUNIOR KEEPER GAGE BUSSEY STANDS IN FRONT OF THE GOAL DURING WARMUPS AS REGIS PREPARED TO TAKE ON VALOR. HOCKEY CLOSED OUT THEIR SEASON 12-1, LOSING IN THE FROZEN FOUR TO VALOR. PHOTO BY AUDREY HARMAN ‘22
BLAKELEY STOUGHTON
SOPHIE WALZ
Senior Blakeley Stoughton slams Senior Sophie Walz grips her the ball into the basket during the legs as she plummets toward the fourth quarter against Loveland water during a dive meet against in the first round of playoffs. The Rock Canyon. varisty boys basketball team Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22 advanced all the way to the Great Eight before George Washington knocked them out of playoffs, ending the season 14-2. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
10 ELEVATE FEATURE
BRADLEY BUTLER
Senior Bradley Butler flies through the air while tackling his opponent to the ground. Varsity boys wrestling adavnced to state, with Senior Anthony Segura taking home his third straight state title. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
SARAH WAGNER
Senior Sarah Wagner elegantly spins during the Mission Season Pep Rally. Poms took home 3rd place in the Ponderosa Classic, 2nd in league, and 9th in state. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
KATIE LOFTUS
Junior Katie Loftus dribbles towards the goal as a Cherry Creek defender chases her. Girls varisty field hockey closed out the season with their big state win. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
ANA FRANCIS
Sophomore Ana Francis runs the ball down the field during the first half of the varsity girls rugby game against Summit. The girls rugby team finished the season with 5-10. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22.
ELENA MEDINA Freshman Elena Medina slices through the air as she dives into the water during a race against Rock Canyon, assisting Regis with the 104-66 win. Varisty girls swim finished the season 6-5 with a state win from Emma Weber. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22.
ALEXIS SEGURA
Freshman Alexis Seguar lifts her arm in triumph after defeating her Douglas County opponent. Alexis went on to place second in her weight class in the 5A State Wrestling Tournament. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
BRENDAN O’TOOLE
JULIA DAVIS
Senior Julia Davis skips across the mats during a cheer practice. Varsity cheerleading finished top 20 at competition. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
AVERY VANSICKLE
Senior Brendan O’Toole races down the sidelines as a Heritage defended attempts to keep up. Boys soccer made it to the first round of playoffs and finished the season 7-1. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
Senior Avery Vansickle pulls up for the jumper as a Castle View player contests the shot. The varsity girls basketball team advanced to state where they lost to Valor but took home second overall and finsihed their season 15-2. Photo by Reilly Wible ‘22
VARSITY PHOTO ESSAY ELEVATE 11
ELEVATE SPRING 1
VARSITY SOCCER
AN season UNFORGETTABLE BY ANJALI WAHLSTROM ‘23
CHANGE AND HARDSHIP GOES ALONG WITH THE JOY THAT COMES OUT OF THE BOND OF THE VARSITY BOY’S SOCCER TEAM
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fter a heart wrenching loss against Broomfield High School in the state championship of fall 2020, a close score of 1-0, Regis Jesuit’s determined Boys Varsity Soccer team trained tirelessly for another grueling competition for the state title. Despite the season’s challenges, the boys came together to work diligently, celebrate their wins and hold each other up through the community they’ve built around the sport. Out of the four captains on Regis’s boys varsity soccer team, Alex Billings ‘21 and Tanner Scarth ‘21 have both been raised playing the sport. They’ve been playing soccer since early childhood, and have grown into their athletic abilities phenomenally. The web of connections within the team is deeper than surface level; with Scarth’s dad is an assistant soccer coach, and Billings with a close
relationship with Coach Wolf that passion for theology, teaching the subject goes back many years. in both divisions. He firmly believes the One thing for sure, is that there most rewarding thing about coaching is an overwhelming rapport that the is the people and the positive close team shared. relationships he establishes with his “This year we have a unique and team. diverse skill set in the field. Each of us This year has been unique for a are fortunately individually gifted and multitude of reasons, but the closeness collectively gifted. It clicked very early and community that surrounds his soccer for us,” Scarth said. team has been an amazing asset. The “The younger guys are always coaches leave most of the practices up to coming to our games, supporting us. the team captains, and this has paid off. We’re always looking out for them, “The leadership on the team, to begin especially in the hallways,” Billings with, is just amazing. The leaders are remarks on the outstanding bond. empowering the kids that are the leaders Senior Alejandro Herrera has been on the team to really mold and shape the playing for his club team for three team the way they want it,” Coach Wolf years while he’s at Regis and wanted says. to be part of the soccer program. The other circumstance that has “He’s a kid that has raised the changed this year drastically is the spread level of confidence and plays with of the pandemic, which moved soccer everything we’ve from the fall to this spring. His demanded with our take on the difficulties Covid19 kids from the first day THE LEADERSHIP ON THIS has thrown at the sports teams is of being part of our TEAM, TO BEGIN WITH, IS one of gratitude. program,” Says Coach JUST AMAZING. THEY ARE “There’s a lot of blessings that Wolf . EMPOWERING THE KIDS have come out of waiting to play There’s always a THAT ARE LEADERS ON THE until now. It’s been good, difficult, lot of pressure on kids TEAM TO REALLY MOLD but rewarding,” Wolf said. AND SHAPE THE TEAM THE Since the beginning of the to play for their club teams, and Herrera’s WAY THEY WANT IT. pandemic has given Coach Wolf club coach told him much to be optimistic about. to turn his uniform in This season has brought a and that he wouldn’t be a part of his range of emotions to all who are invested. club again when they spoke about the After a heartbreaking game with Cherry change. Herrera didn’t waver and just Creek High School, the neck to neck game wanted to play for his fellow students. ended with Creek scoring in the last two That showed a large amount of minutes to win 1-0. trust in the bond he shared with his The Regis Jesuit Varsity Soccer team teammates. played their hearts out, with a record Rick Wolf has been a soccer of 7-1 for the season and winning the coach at Regis for over 17 years, Conference Title. The brotherhood within starting in 2003 but become the the team has unwavering support for each head soccer coach during 2012. He other and that’s a bond no outcome could juggles his coaching along with his break.
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1.TANNER SCARTH ‘21-Photo by Reilly Wible 2. VARISTY BOYS TOGETHER Photo by Tyler Chan 3. ALEJANDRO HERRERA ‘21 - photo by Tyler Chan 4. ALEX BILLINGS '21 Photo by Chloe Simon
12 ELEVATE SPORTS HIGHLIGHT
getting to practice longer (18 months since the last championship game) and having a mini fall ball season just within the Regis program. ELEVATE: WHAT DROVE THE TEAM THIS YEAR? GRACE WEIGAND: The team was really driven by the opportunity we had to play. We knew that nothing was going to be given to us and were excited to just be back on a field again. We wanted to give our all because we were so grateful to be out there and excited to be given the opportunity to play.
STATE champions
A WIN THAT BROUGHT THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND PROVIDED A SENSE OF NORMALCY BY SABRINA VIZURRAGA ‘22 1. FANS GATHERED and cheered on the girls Varsity field hockey team as they played in the championship game. 2. ?? ??? 3. PLAYERS LEAP from the sidelines, hair swinging after the first goal of the State Championship game against Cherry Creek. Photos by Audrey Harman
ELEVATE: WHEN YOU STARTED THE SEASON WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS AS A TEAM? ANNIE TARTELL: We started the season with the intention and goal of going to state. On the first day of practice for the season, I remember Coach telling us that today was day one of preparing for state; I honestly think that sent the tone for the whole season. Our goal was to play our game this season. We recognized our strengths and weaknesses and made sure we used each players strengths to the best of their ability.
ELEVATE: WHAT WERE YOU FEELING WHEN YOU WENT INTO THE SECOND OVERTIME FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? HOW DID THE TEAM COME TOGETHER FOR THE WIN & HOW DID IT FEEL LIKE WHEN THE FANS RUSHED THE FIELD AFTER THE BIG WIN? TARTELL: Going into the second overtime I knew the game wasn’t over yet and I had faith that we could do it, as we have practiced the overtime and the 7v7 before. Our offense has always been our strong suit, especially the speed in it. Coach says all it takes is two or three right decisions and executions in a game to score a goal and I knew Cate and Ellie could do that. It was honestly one of the best feelings having the student section there with that many people supporting us and believing in our team. I was overwhelmed with joy when they rushed the field! It is something I am never going to forget! One of the highlights of my time at Regis because that support and community we felt is what makes Regis who we are.
ELEVATE: HOW DID COVID EFFECT YOUR SEASON? TARTELL: COVID definitely made the season unique as we didn’t play many of the teams we usually do. They broke the regular season up into three brackets and we only played within our bracket until semis and the championship. It also affected us as the team had to quarantine for a week, so we couldn’t practice and had to miss some of our regular season games. Luckily the coaches were able to move games, so we had four games a week when we returned. But a positive from COVID was the delayed season
WEIGAND: I was really excited when we went into the second overtime. I was grateful to be given extra time out there with my friends and to have just a little more time on the field. I was confident in the seven we put out there and I knew how skilled our front line was. It was so much fun when everyone stormed the field. I was so excited that we won but I was even more happy that all the kids were enjoying themselves. It was one of the first times it felt like high school in over a year since COVID started. It was so much fun, and it was amazing to celebrate with the whole school and the best team.
SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS ELEVATE 13
ELEVATE SPRING
DEFYING THE BY MASON HARRIS ‘24
New challenges, new adventures
ODDS
This year, robotics was faced with unprecedented challenges. Heading into this school year, they weren’t sure if the program would even be able to function properly. They were faced with restrictions that made it nearly impossible to work as a team. The amount of people that could be in the STEM center was slashed to six total, making it impossible to communicate with every member. However, they persevered through every challenge and came out more unified than ever. “The team did an amazing job of taking his unorthodox year and putting their best into it,” Aidan Sim ’22 said. This year, Sim and other leaders had to take on an increased workload and role. Many leaders had
KEEP
BY ELLIE FOX AND SOPHIE WALZ‘21
PEDALING
Ranking 10th amongst private schools in Colorado, our team didn’t let a pandemic stop them
MOUNTAIN BIKING team gathers for a photo before school. THE TEAM rides trails at Phillip Miller park in Castle Rock. Photos provided by team
14 ELEVATE CLUB SPOTLIGHT
to be more versatile than ever, taking on leadership roles in areas they weren’t previously strong in. Combined with the challenges of Covid, this year’s robotics competition consisted of the skills challenge, the innovation challenge, and the game design challenge. For the skills challenge, they reused a robot from last year for an autonomous driving session. The most creative challenge this year was the innovation challenge. The club was tasked with designing a product with a full business model that could keep people mentally and physically fit. They had to do this through encouraging play and active movement. Despite all of the challenges, Sim was optimistic about this
“First of all, it’s a team. Stop with the club stuff,” RJ Mountain Biking Team founder Chris Walsweer says. The Regis Jesuit Mountain Biking Team has seen an uptick in participation this year due to COVID-19, unlike the majority of sports. This past season, with most sports postponed, mountain biking stole the show. Regis’ Mountain Biking Team is ranked 10th by private school review in the state of Colorado. According to Chris Walsweer, the RJ Biking Team founder, the team consists of two categories of riders: casual riders and “kids who are kinda crazy.” This ‘casual rider’ category saw the most growth during this past season, with an increase in kids from other sports that had been benched by COVID, just trying to stay in shape. These riders attended the two formal practices a week at Philip Miller Park in Castle Rock and one long ride on Saturdays at whichever trail was deemed safe enough for the group. It is these Saturday rides that seem to set the Mountain Biking team apart from other sports at Regis Jesuit. This long ride may include ‘Hell Hill’, a part of the trail lovingly named by Mr. Walsweer, due to its 13 percent incline. Hell Hill leaves Walsweer thinking “what kind of kid says yes to this?” These multi-hour rides force the team to travel all over. “These kids are leaving skin on every dirt trail in the state,” says Walsweer.
past year and future years. “I think that I’ve gotten a good amount of good friendships, especially with upperclassmen coming in a freshman and as a sophomore. For skills, really learning how to work with people I don’t really have a ton of similarities with, and learning how to teach people as well,” Sim said. Even with the complications of online learning, the club persevered through every challenge and they’re now awaiting results. They submitted their last product in early April. Each team worked together better than ever, and the club developed a sense of unity. They hope to come back stronger than ever next year.
This rigorous training schedule attracts some amazing athletes to the second category of hard-core riders; some of whom even plan to ride in college. One of these athletes is Freshman Elise Holt. Holt is one of two female riders on the team, and has already proved herself as a leader on the team. She began mountain biking at just five-years old and began racing at six. Holt’s training also includes club practices with Avout Racing that can add up to more than five hours a week. At Ken Caryl (her favorite trail), she really enjoys “hard up-hills, only supporting Walsweer’s claim that these kids are crazy. Holt also faces up-hill battles of the trail as one of the few females in a male-dominated sport. However, Holt says she never felt like an outsider on the Regis team. “[The boys] were all so welcoming and made me feel so great to be a part of their biking community,” Holt says. Holt also said that because the female biking community is so small it is also extremely tight knit. “I get to see their faces and get to know how they bike. And this helps me know what to work on to beat them in races and to find their weak spots.” While Walsweer’s account of practices and Holt’s intense love of the sport may be intimidating for novice riders, the Mountain Biking team welcomes new riders with open arms.
BY MOLLY NICHOLS ‘23
11
PHOTO CREDIT JIMMY TERRY, JAMES KROPP, ASHTYN ANDERSON & AMY FROM SPECIAL OLYMPICS COLORADO
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TAKING THE PLUNGE together
Raising over $25,000 the community came together for an unforgettable event
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6 1. DEVON TERRY, drenched, climbs out of the water. 2. TEACHER MARIANNE BUEHLER smiles as she runs out of freezing water. 3. ANNIKA TANNER ‘22, Josie West ‘21, and Tierney Kohl ‘24 are all dedicated to the girls swim team and a good cause. 4.RONON KRAUSS ‘23 floats his way back to the shore. 5. FRESHMEN LILY BRUSTKER, Alexandra Hatizdakis, and Elise Holt sprint into the water. 6. AVA FITZMARTIN ‘23, Gabby Elliot ‘21, Julia Davis ‘21, and Ava Rae Chilcott ‘24 cheer on the plungers.
On a snowy Saturday morning, April 17th, the project unified Special Olympics Club along with hundreds of students, teachers, staff, coaches, and administrators gathered at the Aurora Reservoir for the polar Plunge. An event that raises money for Special Olympics Colorado and where the mission is singular; plunging into the icy waters to support a worthy cause. “It’s amazing,” Girls Division head Mr. Tim Bauer ‘88 said. “It’s like nothing else I’ve ever experienced,” Bauer told RJTV reporters while attempting to warm up post plunge. “We were able to do the plunge as we normally would, except we spread it out over a lot longer period of time,” Special Olympics CEO and president Megan Scremin said of the organization’s flexibility during COVID-19. Special Olympics club moderator Marianne Buehler praised the teamwork of the Regis community. “The kids did such a great job. I’m so proud of our students and I’m so proud of all the staff that helped me. Ms. McDermott was a huge help,” Buehler said. In total between the six Polar Plunges they ran this year, Scremin says Special Olympics Colorado raised close to half a million dollars. Regis Jesuit Polar Plunge raised more than twenty six thousand dollars alone. “We just did so much,” Buehler said “And to see Mr. Tricco here and Mr. Bauer and some of our admin, it was amazing.” The temperature was low, but spirits were high as many Regis Jesuit teams plunged into the icy waters. “There was a lot of energy. It was pretty cold, but it was a lot of fun,” sophomore Cole Harman said. The biggest club at this school came through with a huge impact once again proving amidst a pandemic year their mission to support unified sports is still strong.
CLUB SPOTLIGHT ELEVATE 15
ELEVATE SPRING
WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT HELPING THESE KIDS THAT ARE IN NEED AND EXPERIENCING THESE REALLY DIFFICULT CHALLENGES IN THEIR LIVES.”
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BLAKE PAVLIK, YLC MEMBER
MEETING OUR SUPERHERO BY: MOLLY NICHOLS ‘23
BY SABRINA VIZURRAGA ‘22
16 ELEVATE MAKE A WISH
IN THE FIRST ANNUAL MAKE A WISH WEEK, STUDENTS RAISED OVER $19,000 FOR THE FOUNDATION AND JOHNY
1. PARKER STAVA ‘21 gives Johny a ride dressed as a dinosaur. 2. BLAKE PAVLIK along with Parker Stava, and Sarah Grosh from Make A Wish, show Johny around the school and go to the library for a special treat. 3. JOHNY WITH HIS MOM, Maira, and his sister, get comfortable in the RJ Media lab for the interview. Photos by Chloe Simon
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7 4. CAMERON CARY ‘22 dressed as Batman and surprised Johny with a cape and balloon. Photo by Reilly Wible 5. THE CHEERLEADERS gather at Lou Kellogg stadium for the opening ceremony of the first annual Wish Week at RJ. Photo by Chloe Simon 6. WAVING TO THE crowd, Johny joins Emma Donovan from the Servant Leadership class as she introduces him to the crowd. Photo by Reilly Wible 7. DURING THE OPENING CEREMONY, students participated in a Miracle Minute where they pulled out their phones to donate money. Over $3,000 was raised during that time. Photo by Chloe Simon
C
arrying his navy rocket ship backpack, Johny Arellano runs ahead of everyone, curious for what is to come. Johny’s presence marked the beginning of Regis Jesuit’s first-ever Wish Week and its April 23rd opening ceremony. A lover of cars, superheroes, and all candy, Johny might just seem like any ordinary, energetic toddler. But over a year ago, doctors diagnosed Arellano with leukemia. “He was in six months of very intense treatment. Honestly, even through all the chemo he had, you would think that he would be bedridden. This little boy had some much energy even through all of that.” Maira Arellano, Johny’s mom, said. After six months of treatment, Johny was leukemia-free. Thanks to the hard work put in by Blake Pavlik ’21 and Parker Stava ’21, Regis Jesuit was able to start this new tradition and help kids like Johny. Wish Weeks are an organized way of raising money for the Make-A-Wish foundation, which works to give children with chronic illnesses their wish, whether that be meeting a celebrity, adopting a puppy, going to Disneyland, or, Johny’s case, meeting the Avengers.[AD2] This Wish Week consisted
of not just the opening ceremony but a “Miracle Minute” on Venmo that raised over $3000, restaurant fundraisers, and Wish Week Kits, which allowed students to dress down, raising over $19000. Earlier this year, Regis Jesuit announced that seven students were chosen to be a part of the Make-A-Wish Youth Leadership Council (YLC) who had bi-monthly meetings to brainstorm fundraising ideas, such as by attaining auction items from larger companies, and learn networking skills. “We are passionate about helping these kids that are in need and experiencing these really difficult challenges in their lives,” YLC member Stava said. “We are trying to promote Make-A-Wish and help make wishes become real.” The YLC members had bi-monthly meetings in which they planned on how to fundraise, such as by attaining auction items from larger companies. This year’s Wish-Week sponsors included Safe Splash Swim School and Spinnaker Support. Their hard work paid off, resulting in a week that Regis students are excited to recreate in years to come to help many more kids’ wishes come true.
MAKE A WISH ELEVATE 17
ELEVATE SPRING
TUESDAY
WISH
JERSEY DAY To show support for Johny, and the Make A Wish Foundation students wore their favorite jerseys to school and proudly showed them off.
04.23 | Students meet Johny at the first annual Wish Week Opening Ceremony. Photo by C. Simon
FRIDAY
Students dressed in their favorite super hero gear to celebrate the first day of spirit week and Johny’s love for superheroes.
MONDAY
BLAKE PAVLIK ‘21
Juniors Caroline Byrne, Ashlyn Mannix, Olivia Bergeon, Ainsley Pitrusu, and Emma Crowley show off their super hero masks.
FRIDAY SUPER HERO DAY | Senior Cameron Cary
dressed up as Batman to surprise Johny at the Junior and Senior pep rally. The event was held in the stadium so we could adhere to social distancing guidelines. Underclassmen watched in the classrooms. Photo by Chloe Simon
18 ELEVATE MAKE A WISH
JERSEY DAY
PAJAMA DAY
CHARLOTTE TOLVA ‘24
SUPER HERO DAY
COLE MUNRO ‘21
TUESDAY
WEEK ACTIVITIES
SOPHIA WOLF ‘21
MONDAY |In order to raise money for Johny and the foundation, RJ partnered with restaurants to raise money. They MILES donated 15% HERRERA ‘24 of the proceeds from the day to the Make A Wish foundation in RJ’s name.
MONDAY SPIKE BALL
TOURNAMENT| During spirit EVA MIKITA ‘24
week, students could participate in a tournament during lunch in Lou Kellogg Stadium. It was a fun way for students to get together and have fun. Photo by staff
THURSDAY | Raising
WEDNESDAY
ELLA KOTTENSTE & COLETTE ANSELMI
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04.27 | Janie Adams ‘22 and Isabella Realuto ‘22 watch The Sandlot on McNicholas Green.
PINK: FACULTY RICARDO DIAZ
RAIDER DAY
THURSDAY
JUNIORS: GREEN ALEX GUERRIERO ‘22
DYLAN MCGOWAN ‘21
$2,000 for Johny’s Wish, the girls and boys rugby players got to shave Coach Anthony Mattacchione’s head. Sophie Walz ‘21, Lauren Schraeder ‘22, and Spencer Aye ‘21 had the honors of creating his new hairstyle. Photos by F. Sullivan
CLASS COLORS
JOHNY | The school community came together and surpassed the goal of $10,000 and raised
SHOW OFF YOUR SHIRTS | Morgan Landow ‘24, Mia Chavez ‘24, Hunter McGowan ‘24, Erin Callahan ‘23, and Annie Pardun ‘23 show off their school pride by wearing their Make A Wish shirts to class on Friday.
$19,000
RAISED MAKE A WISH ELEVATE 19
ELEVATE SPRING
STAYING
What Does It Mean In The Age Of Alternative Facts?
INFORMED
I
t’s been another hectic day at Sentinel Colorado, a newspaper based out of Aurora that covers both local and national events that impact the lives of area residents. It’s late in the afternoon, and Editor Dave Perry is on hold with the Governor as he waits to discuss his next local story; a profile of a recently unemployed man struggling to jump through hoops in order to get benefits amid the present Coronavirus pandemic. While he’s waiting at his standing desk, he gets a call from a student journalist seeking to ask questions about his viewpoints on the growing distrust of the media in the United States. “It’s mostly a kicking dog,” Perry remarks, “Everyone in the business accepts that.” Perry, who has been in the news industry for decades, is talking about a national issue in the United States that effects his day-to-day operations greatly. The distrust of reporters is nothing new, says Perry, because people are often hostile towards those who deliver bad news. “Any time your job is to tell everyone how horrible things are, there’s a certain amount of distrust. It’s part of our jobs as reporters,” Perry said. The notion that distrust in the media is higher than it has been historically is backed up by statistics. According to a recent Gallup poll, nearly 60 percent of Americans say that they don’t trust the media. That number has grown by nearly 30% in the last 50 years. In addition, a poll by the Knight Foundation finds that as many as 50 percent of students and teachers in American high schools don’t trust the media. Adam Dawkins, a journalism teacher and RJ Media lead at Regis Jesuit, spends plenty of time developing educational content based around fact-checking and evaluating the reliability of sources, also known as news literacy, for his students. Dawkins says that one of the causes of low media trust is that the news industry has changed so much
20 ELEVATE FACTS
DIVERSIFY YOUR SOURCES
BY JACOB GOLD '23
Make sure that you aren’t getting all your information from one source.
EXAMINE THE AUTHOR’S BIAS
No one can be truly unbias, make sure you look into the author’s bias.
EXAMINE YOUR OWN BIAS
Make sure you know your bias. Your bias can often affect how you read the story.
in recent years. “The business model of media broke in the early 2000s, when folks stopped using newspapers to advertise anything, but also people stopped subscribing and paying for news,” says Dawkins. According to Dawkins, this change caused many news organizations to shift towards more biased content that is aimed at attracting clicks on stories, not informing the public. Increasing bias is very effective, says Dawkins, because people often develop a tribal mindset about their social and political beliefs. “People feel good when they see or read something and they think ‘I knew it’,” says Dawkins. Dawkins attributes the effectiveness of this bias to low news literacy. Most people, according to Dawkins, don’t diversify their news intake. They insist that their sources are the truthful ones, and they become distrustful of outside information. Editor Perry also believes that many of these problems are caused by a low level of news literacy. He suggests that this problem is best fixed through the development of a news literacy curriculum in American schools. “One of the most important things is training people from a young age to evaluate what’s going on in the world,” says Perry, “There is no such thing as ‘alternative facts’.” Currently, in Colorado there are no laws requiring any school to implement any news literacy education into their curriculum. In the middle of 2019, House Bill 19-1110 passed with bipartisan support. The bill created a committee to advise the Colorado General Assembly on including news literacy as a part of K-12 education throughout the state but did not require it. Zebulon Carabello is an Aurora Public
School teacher and member of the media literacy committee, which released a report in January 2020 making initial recommendations to address media illiteracy in schools. According to Carabello, it’s not particularly challenging to integrate media literacy curriculum in schools, but action simply hasn’t been taken to do it. “In a way, nothing makes it difficult - we just don’t do enough of it, and we don’t do it
Don’t Get Too Caught Up in the News
Don’t let the information provided in the news consume you.
intentionally enough,” said Carabello. Carabello also went into more detail on the specific recommendations that the committee made to the General Assembly. “The main idea is not to say ‘Website A is always valid and Website B is never valid’,” said Carabello, “but to give the students the tools they need to evaluate and analyze the media for themselves so they can determine their own conclusions.” A bill is currently moving through the statehouse to implement some of the committee’s recommendations into Colorado’s public schools. While Regis Jesuit doesn’t have any formal program for teaching news literacy to those who don’t enroll in journalism classes, Dawkins says that students still do learn the basics of evaluating sources. “I think that our English and History departments do a good job of teaching literacy skills and how to sift through things,” says Dawkins.
How To: Navigate Online Information
Dawkins does believe that Regis Jesuit does a good job of educating its Ask yourself who the publisher is, and what students on this topic, type of content they tend to produce. but he also thinks that a formal method for all schools to incorporate Make sure that the date the piece was written is media literacy into the current, so that you know the information is relevant. curriculum is the solution to this problem. “I think that it’s refined. certainly time for a formal program in all “Media literacy is about developing an schools to implement media literacy all the eye for the content that’s coming at you. The way through kindergarten and high school,” only way to do that is through practice, and it says Dawkins, “It has to be a robust part of has to start early on.” the curriculum.” Even after reading about the roots of the Dawkins finishes by emphasizing the media illiteracy problem in the United States, importance of teaching this type of content many are still left with some questions. How across a long period of time, not just a single does this apply to my life? Until there is more lesson. To him, media literacy is not just media literacy curriculum in schools, how a simple subject that can be reduced to a can I stay informed? How do I determine short presentation, but a skill that needs to what the most authentic form of the news be worked on for some time before it is fully is? Media literacy experts have many suggestions, such as diversifying your news intake, evaluating bias in articles, and seeking a full understanding of statistics before coming to conclusions on important issues. But this isn’t always easy. With the sheer amount of information being sent towards the average person, it can be overwhelming to thoroughly research every issue. Understanding different types of information and learning how to identify misleading statements is the best way to stop the spread of false information. To learn how you can help stop the spread of misinformation, see the next page for more information on improving your everyday media literacy.
WHO IS THE PUBLISHER?
CHECK THE DATE
Do Your Own Research
Make sure you do your own research! This is the fool proof way to get information.
“
ANY TIME YOUR JOB IS TO TELL EVERYONE HOW HORRIBLE THINGS ARE, THERE’S A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF DISTRUST. IT’S PART OF OUR JOBS AS REPORTERS.”
Dave Perry, Sentinel Editor
FACTS ELEVATE 21
ELEVATE SPRING
IT’S OK TO
NOT BE OK
BY MOLLY NICHOLS '23
MR. TRICCO’S THOUGHTS ON MENTAL HEALTH AND IT’S AWARENESS AT RJ
22 ELEVATE MENTAL HEALTH
A
start fitting in more time for students to meet with therapists on campus, and recently hired an Assistant Principal for Student Support. All of these factors are simple ways that Regis is working to advocate for the unfamiliar issue that is mental health. In our world and especially in high school there are many misconceptions about mental health and just how important it is to maintain. Doctors and physicians will tell you that proper mental health care can be just as important as sleep and eating right are for your physical health. Sometimes reading a book, taking a walk, or even just taking time for yourself can be equally as important as hitting the gym. Tricco finds that there are many misconceptions surrounding mental health as it is not as easy to recognize and treat. “PEOPLE MAY
s a community, Regis Jesuit SEEM TO “HAVE High School is EVERYTHING constantly working to create TOGETHER,” more mental health support BUT ARE REALLY and better footing within our FEELING school. Jimmy Tricco, Regis DESOLATE, ALONE AND HURTING Jesuit’s principal, said he INTERNALLY,” and other school facilitators TRICCO SAID. are constantly working to It is hard in today’s make mental health less society to know exactly stigmatized. He plans to what people are dealing with inside which is why the approach to mental health needs to be taught more.
There is no such thing as a quick fix for conditions such as anxiety and depression. Many medications and treatments such as therapy can help people to cope, but in society that is believed to be the entire solution. As a leader at Regis Jesuit, Mr. Tricco is finding his own ways to deal with the stress of the position given the current pandemic. Finding time for peace and quiet is crucial, and working to strengthen connections with family and friends in this time even more so. He finds that the pandemic overall has been beneficial in the aspect that it has given us time to reflect on what truly matters. Now we can spend more time on priorities, and being grateful for what we have at the moment. The biggest change made within his position due to the pandemic is creating connections with colleagues and students. “It was frustrating and depressing to not see people on campus and visit classrooms,” he said. Being able to see almost one hundred percent of students back on campus now has made
all the difference. Tricco encourages students if struggling to seek support offered within the Regis community through the countless staff members willing to listen. The biggest way we are working to spread awareness at Regis Jesuit is to quit the stigmatizing. To make sure we are making the effort to try and understand everyone’s unique situation and be empathetic towards that. “I also think when people are open about their situation and circumstances, it invites others to do the same,” he said. By offering an open invitation to students to share their struggles with staff on campus, he hopes to aid the known empathy deficit right here on campus. As research continues to develop our understanding of all mental health conditions fixing society’s understanding of these issues is the focus. Tricco believes as we continue to grow more empathetic mental health negative stigmas will become a thing of the past. “I feel confident that mental health will be seen as a normal part of society,” Tricco said. With treatment constantly evolving it’s the hope that the topic of mental health doesn’t have to be avoided or something constantly stigmatized.
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id you know that researchers have found that social media usage can produce an increased risk of depression, anxiety, and even suicidal thoughts? Social media can be a source of knowledge and an outlet for expression in addition to entertainment, but it is far from safe for pre-teens and teens. When it comes to social media, the ‘when’ matters. Doctor Lisa Coyne, a doctor at Harvard Medical School Affiliate, says, “The earlier teens start using social media, the greater impact the platforms have on mental health.”
SCHOOL ISN’T THE ONLY THINK MAKING YOU DEPRESSED & ANXIOUSSOCIAL MEDIA IS TOO THE LONG-TERM CONSEQUESNCES ARE UNDENIABLE AND DETRIMENTAL BY OLIVIA J. ROUMPH ’23
Social Media can be detrimental to those with developing brains, like middle schoolers. Jaqueline Sperling, Ph.D., a physiologist at McLean Hospital researches anxiety disorders. She touches on the extremity of all the changes a middle schooler undergoes and continues to say, “As the [middle schoolers] go through puberty, they’re tasked with establishing their identity at a time when the frontal lobes in their brains are not fully developed, and there is a lack of impulse control.” Sperling continues, “It’s a very vulnerable population to have access to something where there is no stopgap before they post or press the send button.” Sperling suggests waiting until at least fourteen years of age before downloading social media. Social Media and the comparisons of looks, achievements, and the constant feedback of likes that it provides can have negative effects on personal identity. “The content we expose ourselves to on the media changes the way we think about ourselves and others. Young people are highly affected by the values embraced by media. In effect, media offers numerous interpretations of what is beautiful, sexy, attractive, and appropriate.” BardoneCone an Author from Penn State, says.
Social media can cause negative effects on relationships. Kathryn Moore, a Ph.D. psychologist at Providence Saint John’s Child and Family Development Center in Santa Monica writes, “Cyberbullying, which 23% of teens report experiencing, can also negatively impact relationships, whether you are receiving mean comments or sending them to someone else.” While bullying is a well-known phenomenon, cyberbullying allows teens to hide behind a screen and often enables worse behavior. Cyberbullying can lead to extreme amounts of stress and anxiety causing teens to act out of being unnaturally aggressive causing anger towards relationships as a form of relieving stress. Some say that social media is entertainment and most often used for fun, but evidence shows that its addictive qualities lead to increase in mental illness. Regardless of your initial intentions, social media, “activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine, a ‘feel-good chemical’ linked to pleasurable activities such as sex, food, and social interaction. The platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments.” Coyne says. Delaying students’ start on social media would help mitigate some of these effects. Coyne and Sperling are just a few researchers that show us the strong negatives that these “fun apps” cause. These effects don’t dissolve right after you delete the apps-they can cause longterm deficiencies but a delayed start can help. For those who have already involved themselves in the media, it is never too late to try to take breaks periodically.
NEED REACH OUT HELP? YOUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR IS HERE TO HELP AND OFFER NO JUDGMENT.
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KATHRYN AMES: IRON WOMAN BY MOLLY NICHOLS ‘23
BOYS DIVISION COUNSELOR PROVES TO BE A TRUE SUPERHERO AFTER SURVIVING A DIFFICULT BATTLE WITH CANCER
24 ELEVATE KATHRYN AMES
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egis Jesuit is a community full of love, laughter, and most of all, support. Kathryn Ames, Boys division counselor, experienced this support throughout her battle with Breast Cancer. Ames has spent seven years in the Boys division counseling center and four years as the head coach of Regis Jesuit Girls Lacrosse. In early March 2020, Ames was diagnosed with cancer, around the same time that the current pandemic rose. The cancer was presented on a routine scan and came as a surprise to her and her family, as the condition was not hereditary. The timing with COVID made treatment options tricky and procedures complicated. Ames opted for an extreme surgery, that quickly transformed from an emergency surgery into elective surgery due to COVID. After having the procedure on March 13, 2020, she thought this would be a great time to make some household changes. It is becoming known that a significant percentage of new cancer cases are being traced back to environmental factors, rather than just genetic history. This was the case for Ames, she changed her diet to vegan and switched to more natural products. “I made a lot of changes in my own health, so that moving forward I can work more easily to be cancer free,” Ames said. The journey gives Ames the benefit of being able to learn more about her condition and other conditions that are similar.
Giving her time to research surrounding environmental causes of cancer as well, Ames feels more research needs to be done to determine the significance of these factors. She believes there should be much more emphasis on the prevention of cancer, rather than a focused effort towards a cure. Given the time to make changes, Ames adjusted her mindset; some being the importance of learning how to take a break, healthy ways to vent, and the effect of stress on your health. “I’ve always been a doer that is always go, go, go,” she said. “And it’s okay to slow down and prioritize.” She stresses the importance of asking for help when needed is for those struggling. As well as the idea of creating boundaries, learning when you need to say no for the well-being of yourself and staying calm. “I feel like life is so short, and you really got to follow your passions,” Ames explained. “I started to realize what really mattered to me over this time.” Being faced with a situation that can be life or death creates a space for people to feel grief, depression, and fear. Kathryn Ames felt all these emotions upon learning about her diagnosis. It was especially hard sitting through surgeries and doctor’s appointments by herself. Ames, as well as many other cancer survivors, feels
like part of a club that holds a negative connotation. “It’s strange to be associated with a word that carries so much heaviness for so many people,” she said. Going through all the emotions upon learning about her diagnoses, a colleague encouraged her to reach out and ask for the help she was not sure she needed. Ames worked hard to unpack the denial and grief to work towards being vulnerable enough to ask for the assistance. She received the help she needed from the Gonzaga circle of support, and is eternally grateful. They provided a collective and organized effort to help support the Ames family through this tough time. Through donations of gift cards, groceries, and homemade dinners, some of that stress was alleviated. With all the stress of a pandemic on top of multiple surgeries, Ames said it was nice to have groceries and small things taken off of her plate. She is constantly amazed at the strength and kindness of the Regis Jesuit community, who came together as a safety net for Kathryn Ames and her family. “Life can change in a heartbeat, struggle can be a part of that journey,” she said. “And it’s a really beautiful thing when people want to help you, and you’re open to the help.” Between the Girls Lacrosse team and the Gonzaga group, Ames is one of many recipients of the organization’s structured help. She hopes that her story inspires others and
lets them know they can get through their struggles as she has overcome hers. “I’m a fighter, I’ve always been a fighter,” Ames said. “I knew that I wasn’t going to sit in self-pity, even if I spent a few days in tears.” For her, it was again difficult to go through the process without family being by her side, but this gave her time to prioritize. “I’ve been given clarity o what matters, people get so wrapped up in checking the boxes and fitting the mold,” she said.
“I’M A FIGHTER. I’VE ALWAYS BEEN A FIGHTER.”
The lesson being that life is never going to be easy, choose to improve with the challenges thrown in. It is necessary to find a balance in the chaos of the world, Ames hopes to stand as an example of this for the students, staff, and parents of Regis Jesuit. Kathryn Ames is a true testament to what it means to be a fighter and a bright light in the Regis Community. “I don’t think my time is done, I have so much left to do,” she said. Ames continues to motivate others with the story of her journey from cancer patient, to incredible and inspiring survivor.
KATHRYN AMES ELEVATE 25
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FAMILY BY SABRINA VIZURRAGA ‘22
A woman burns incense at a memorial for shooting victims at a King Soopers Grocery store on March 26, 2021 in Boulder, Colorado. The shooting at the King Soopers Grocery on Monday left ten people dead, including one police officer. (Chet Strange/Getty Images/TNS)
26 ELEVATE FIRST RESPONDERS
ON THE front lines
For senior Kylie Pendelton, whose father is a Leutient for the Aurora County police department, it’s about trust and hope. “It can be scary. I also know that my dad is really experienced. He is one of the most respected officers in the state. I have trust that he will come home safe. Colorado, law enforcement has You can’t go into everyday thinking that become an especially dangerous he is going to die,” she said. career. Junior Clare Anselmi, whose father “I worry about my dad at work a lot is lieutenant in Arapahoe County, because of what he does, especially experienced a similar situation to during the summer when protests Bridges’. were going on. It’s always a little bit “Officer Talley is actually from my scary when he goes in at a random church,” Anselmi says. “I didn’t know him time when a shooting happens,” Blake very well, but it was really hard because said. “I worry about how he sees that he was an amazing officer. It was a and how it affects shocking experience.” him emotionally For many, in times of after seeing a body. sorrow, faith is what get’s them I was concerned for “I WAS PRETTY through and that is no different my mom at first. I FRIGHTENED BY for the Anselmi family. worried she would WHAT HAPPENED IN “In my family, we get sick, but luckily, BOULDER BECAUSE have a very strong belief that I HAVE FRIENDS she didn’t and hasn’t WHOSE SIBLINGS GO Christ is watching over our first had any problems.” TO COLLEGE THERE. responders and that [Christ] When a shooting I ALSO THINK will bring them home,” Anselmi happens, it sparks ABOUT IF MY DAD says. WAS IN THE PLACE OF fear in the whole In these difficult THAT OFFICER AND times, it isimportant to remain community. The I’M LUCKY THAT HE Boulder shooting thankful for the work that our WASN’T.” in March was no first responders do on a day-toexception. The day basis and how that effects shooter gunned their families. down officer Eric Talley, a father of “I am really appreciative of my parents seven. and I’m thankful for everything they do for “I was pretty frightened by what me and others.” Bridges says. happened in Boulder because I have Pendelton added, “Times are tough friends whose siblings go to college right now. We have to remember that there,” Bridges says. “I also think police officers, firefighters, nurses are all about if my dad was in the place human beings.” of that officer and I’m lucky that he wasn’t.”
IN LIGHT OF THE BOULDER SHOOTING, STUDENTS SHARE WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE FIRST RESPONDER PARENTS It’s all over the news: another shooting. Your mom is on duty. You toss and turn all night until you hear the garage door open and the engine of their car spurring at two in the morning. The headlights illuminate your room as your mom drives up. Relief fills your body, like a breath of fresh air. “She is home. She is safe,” you finally close your eyes to sleep. This is a reality for kids’ whose parents are first responders, the not knowing if their parents will return home every time they leave the house. With the political climate, the pandemic and the every day violence that occurs for many first responders, people often don’t think about the family until something tragic happens. For Blake Bridges ’22, whose dad is a lieutenant for the Denver Police Department and his mom is a registered nurse for Denver Health, the pandemic brought additional strain to the family. “My mom went through a lot of challenges going through the pandemic because a lot of people were sick,” Bridges says. “She worked a lot more because of it and had to step out of her comfort zone. We all had too. She worked hard to help people the best she could.” With the pandemic, political unrest and shootings becoming more common in the nation and especially
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OKEE DOKEE TAKES A STAND
IN THE FIRST ANNUAL MAKE A WISH WEEK, STUDENTS RAISED OVER $19,000 FOR THE FOUNDATION AND JOHNY BY MOLLY NICHOLS ‘23
28 ELEVATE OKEE DOKEE BAND
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egis Jesuit Alums Joe Mailander ‘04 and Justin Lansing ‘03 work hard to put the attitude “Men and Women with and for Others” into action in the real world. After participating in many bands and music groups throughout high school and college, the two men found their passion in the creation of their very own duo, The Okee Dokee Brothers eleven years ago. During their time at Regis Jesuit, they participated in all things musical including the choir and jazz band. They performed in many plays and found their place within the creative world of music. These two musicians started small with performances in many schools and parks with family friendly music. Within these small gigs the band created a fan base and went on to be nominated for many Grammys. Becoming an official Grammy winning band for Best Children’s Album back in 2013, with their song “Can you Canoe?” In becoming award winning musicians, Mailander and Lansing haven’t forgotten where their roots lay. In the world of music, they came to find a surprising lack of diversity when it came to artists and award nominations. This year, the band was again nominated for Children’s Album for their song, Songs for Singing. In the Ignatian spirit the band turned down this nomination, after finding out that all nominees in that category were white men except for one
female. They turned down the nomination along with two other nominees, Alastair Moock and Dog on Fleas. The thinking behind this lack of diversity was nothing new to Mailander. “When you have a lot of white people sitting in a room making decisions, their taste for music is veered towards white genres,” he says. When confronting the Grammy nomination committee, he found that it did not have strong representation from people of color, which was an immediate red flag. When it comes to the Children’s music genre, choices for nominations as big as Grammy’s are based more on what is familiar to the committee. Since Mailander and Lansing play more folk/country music they are preferential in the eyes of the judges, compared to say Rap or Latin music. This is where diversity takes a hit, if people are in favor of more folksy bands, that usually creates a majority of white nominees. The big focus of declining this nomination is that it was an action the band felt was to better the community. “The genre needed a bit of a wakeup call, and we didn’t make this decision lightly,” Mailander says. Since about half of the country’s population of kids are people of color, Joe and Justin think it’s important for them to see themselves reflected in what they’re listening to. The duo is making it a point to start finding solutions to these industry wide problems now, so kids won’t have to endure it later. “I think it has to change if the genre wants to remain relevant,” Joe
explains. “Otherwise, it runs the risk of becoming completely obscure if we don’t hear from tons of different voices.” Justin and Joe make it a point to use their platform to address these prominent issues with not only their fan base, but all families listening to the genre. They try to mention other artists of color as often as possible such as Pierce Freelon, a father and an extremely influential hip hop artist. In addition, they often reach out to other musicians of color in hopes that they will become members of the Grammy selection committee, working to diversify the academy. Overall, they stress the point that there are so many amazing artists of color out there creating so many diverse types of music. The Grammy selection and organization should be working to select the best artists, no matter the color of their skin. “The genre has a lot of work to do to expand inclusivity,” Joe says. “We’re trying to make sure different types of voices are heard and promoted.” The band hopes that the Children’s music genre is moving in the right direction to diversify and create a wider outreach amongst listeners. They are doing their part in making sure that all voices are heard equally and clearly, as the music world continues to change and evolve every day.
BANDMATES AND CHILDHOOD BEST FRIENDS, Joe Mailander and Justin Lansing, grew up in Denver and attended Most Precious Blood Catholic School and then Regis Jesuit together. It was at Regis Jesuit that they found their love for playing music in classes with Mrs. Timme and the late Ernie Denapoli.
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SYD TIMME AND CHRSITINA ORTIZ LED A GROUP OF 16 SENIORS THROUGH A FULL DAY OF HANDSON, NITTY GRITTY WORK IN WHICH WE RECONNECTED WITH NATURE DURING
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PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS WERE CHALLENGED, HEARTS WERE SOFTENED, KINSHIP WAS CULTIVATED,” ORTIZ SAID.
MINI IMMERSIONS CARING FOR OUR COMMON HOME
URBAN PLUNGE
In the afternoon the group met up with The Greenway Foundation for a river clean up at Sanderson Gulch.
TAKING CARE OF THE CITY Students heard from local organizers who taught our students how to cultivate and sustain fertile land, clean air, and clean water.
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THE MINI IMMERSION EXPERIENCE WAS A GREAT WAY TO LEARN, GROW, AND UNDERSTAND THE PROBLEMS IN OUR WORLD THAT EFFECT LARGE GROUPS OF PEOPLE.
Dylan McGowan '21
30 ELEVATE MINI IMMERSIONS
The group met at Union Station early morning and spent the day on foot learning about and encountering our neighbors who suffer from homelessness and poverty. I’ve spoken to several participants today, all who mentioned that they will never look at another city the same way. Later in the day they heard from Denver PD, including mental health experts who have recently been hired to accompany officers on calls and who work to bring compassion into law enforcement encounters with the unhoused.
WELCOMING THE STRANGER Students and teachers gathered at the Geo ICE Detention Center in Aurora for a prayer vigil. At Geo ICE, asylum-seekers are detained awaiting their asylum claims. Students spent the day hearing personal stories of migration and watching the “Crossing Borders” original RJ Media documentary.
WAVING TO RESIDENTS at Chelsea Place the Arrupe club members spread the Valentine love. The club put on a parade as well for the residents. photo provided by Chlsea place.
FINDING WAYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN A PANDEMIC
SERVICE/ARRUPE
ELEVATE: HOW HAS ARRUPE CHANGED IN THE PAST YEAR DUE TO COVID? CARA: A lot of the populations that we typically work with are vulnerable to COVID, so it has become more difficult to actually interact with the people we are serving. We have had to find less traditional ways of serving that still make an impact, like writing cards to seniors or becoming pen pals with a detained immigrant. We have done a lot of work with the Food Bank of the Rockies, and we just (on Feb 14th) had a car parade for the residents at Chelsea Place Memory Care. The ways in which we do service have changed because opportunities are more difficult to find, but we have tried our best to make sure that we are still serving the communities around us. ELEVATE: WHAT KIND OF SERVICE DOES ARRUPE DO? CARA: Arrupe tends to do hands-on service, meaning working directly with the people in our communities. This could be serving
ARRUPE MAKES A DIFFERENCE a meal at Ronald McDonald house, helping with a Christ in the City lunch, or hosting a craft session at the Tennyson Center. A lot of this has not been available this year, but in general, we focus on giving the club members opportunities to interact with the populations we are serving. S: TO SOMEONE WHO KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT IT, HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE THE CLUB? C: Arrupe is a club for people who love service. We organize opportunities to serve different populations all around Denver, and we put together collection drives at school. Our club is open to anyone who wants to get involved in our wider communities, and we want to help the student body see the importance of serving others. S: WHAT IS A PERSONAL FAVORITE MEMORY FROM THE CLUB? C: One of my favorite memories with Arrupe was singing carols for families standing in line for a Christmas meal in downtown Denver
during my freshman year. I loved interacting with the people waiting and seeing how a small effort on our part brought a lot of joy, especially to the kids. Some people were singing along, and I hope that our caroling brought a brighter spirit to their day. I also really loved the Valentine’s Day Parade that we just held for the seniors at Chelsea Place. The parade was open to the whole school, and it was incredible to see so many students come with decorations all over their cars to bring joy to the residents. The seniors absolutely loved it, especially because many of them have not been able to see their families during the pandemic, and it was great to see the RJ community come together as well. S:HOW CAN STUDENTS GET INVOLVED? C: They can contact one of the leaders (Olivia Baptiste, Kaylee Miller, or I) or Deacon Ferraro.
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VICTORY AT STATE BY SABRINA VIZURAGGA PHOTOS BY AUDREY HARMAN & REILLY WIBLE
32 ELEVATE FIELD HOCKEY
A WIN THAT BROUGHT THE COMMUNITY TOGETHER AND PROVIDED A SENSE OF NORMALCY
1. THE VARSITY FIELD hockey team gathers around the state championship banner, holding up number ones, while students cheer behind. 2. SENIOR TAYLOR TRUITT pulls past a Creek defender, helping advance the ball towards the goal. 3. PLAYERS LEAP from the sidelines, hair swinging after the first goal of the State Championship game against Cherry Creek. Photos by Audrey Harman
“IT WAS HONESTLY ONE OF THE BEST FEELINGS HAVING THE STUDENT SECTION THERE WITH THAT MANY PEOPLE SUPPORTING US AND BELIEVING IN OUR TEAM. I WAS OVERWHELMED WITH JOY WHEN THEY RUSHED THE FIELD.” - ANNIE TARTELL
ELEVATE: WHEN YOU STARTED THE SEASON, WHAT WERE YOUR GOALS AS A TEAM? ANNIE TARTELL: We started the season with the intention and goal of going to state. On the first day of practice for the season, I remember Coach telling us that today was day one of preparing for state; I honestly think that sent the tone for the whole season. Our goal was to play our game this season. We recognized our strengths and weaknesses and made sure we used each players strengths to the best of their ability. ELEVATE: HOW DID COVID EFFECT YOUR SEASON? TARTELL: COVID definitely made the season unique as we didn’t play many of the teams we usually do. They broke the regular season up into 3 brackets and we only played within our bracket until semis and the championship. It also affected us as the team had to quarantine for a week, so we couldn’t practice and had to miss some of our regular season games. Luckily the coaches were able to move games, so we had four games a week when we returned. But a
positive from COVID was getting to practice longer (18 months since the last championship game) and having a mini fall ball season just within the Regis program. ELEVATE: WHAT DROVE THE TEAM THIS YEAR? GRACE WEIGAND: The team was really driven by the opportunity we had to play. We knew that nothing was going to be given to us and were excited to just be back on a field again. We wanted to give our all because we were so grateful to be out there and excited to be given the opportunity to play! ELEVATE: WHAT WERE YOU FEELING WHEN YOU WENT INTO THE SECOND OVERTIME FOR THE STATE CHAMPIONSHIP GAME? HOW DID THE TEAM COME TOGETHER FOR THE WIN, & HOW DID IT FEEL LIKE WHEN THE FANS RUSHED THE FIELD AFTER THE BIG WIN? TARTELL: Going into the second overtime I knew the game wasn’t over yet and I had faith that we could do it, as we have practiced the overtime and the 7v7 before. Our offense has always been our strong suit, especially the speed in it. Coach says all it takes is 2 or 3 right decisions and executions in a game to score a goal and I knew Cate and Ellie could do that. It was honestly one of the best feelings having the student section there with that many people supporting us and believing in our team. I was overwhelmed with joy when they rushed the field! It is something I am never going to forget! One of the highlights of my time at Regis because that support and community we felt is what makes Regis who we are. WEIGAND: I was really excited when we went into the second overtime. I was grateful to be given extra time out there with my friends and to have just a little more time on the field! I was confident in the 7 we put out there and I knew how skilled our front line was! It was so much fun when everyone stormed the field! I was so excited that we won but I was even more happy that all the kids were enjoying themselves! It was one of the first times it felt like high school in over a year since COVID started! It was so much fun, and it was amazing to celebrate with the whole school and the best team.
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OPINION
ELEVATE OPINIONS
ACKNOWLEDGE, DISMANTLE, AND REBUILD
ADDRESSING THE DEEP ROOTED RACISM WITHIN AMERICA'S POLICE SYSTEM BY NOEMI E VITOUN ‘21
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lack youth, from the moment they are able to maneuver society independently, are taught by their parents and community the danger that is linked with their melanin. Dark skin is beautiful, but its beauty is misinterpreted by racist systems and institutions, as menacing. Black youth are especially taught to be cautious of police. This country’s monstrous history with slavery and the continuous criminalization of Black bodies means that racism is present in all aspects of life, policing being one of them. Police are initially presented to children as heroes, but with age, reality becomes apparent. And this heroic CAN HUMANITY UNITE AS perspective only A SPECIES IN ORDER applies to white TO HELP EVERYBODY, OR individuals, WILL WE ALL JUST.. PERISH DIVIDED? whose skin color will never be the reason for their oppression. On the other hand, an encounter with the police for a Black individual, could mean— has meant death. From its commencement, policing has been racially abusive. America’s racist form of police originated in the South during the 1700s. Of course, the South was severely anti-Black due to the regular sub humanization of Black bodies via slavery, which meant policing was strictly established to control and criminalize Black people. The Southern police, better known as “slave patrols”, specifically
34 ELEVATE OP-EDS
RJ MEDIA FOR STUDENTS BY STUDENTS
We encourage student voices submit your opinion piece or letter to the editor for our next issue at rjmedia@regisjesuit.com
took upon the responsibility of capturing escaped enslaved people and preventing the “threat” of any sort of organized resistance. Enslaved Black people who were trying to escape their oppression, were reprimanded by slave patrols, who encouraged the silencing of Black people. This cruel foundation of policing communicated that Black people had to be controlled, which further criminalized them, all the while completely excusing and normalizing white wickedness. This perpetuated dangerous Black stereotypes and reinforced the idea that white people were in need of protection from Blackness, and the protectors in this case were slave patrols. After traditional American slavery was abolished in 1865, the allowance of punishment for crime continued and led to organized police forces. This was a loophole in the 13th amendment, as it still allowed the oppression of Black bodies to operate in society. These police forces were created to hinder Black freedom. White people could accuse any Black person of a crime and that Black person would be harshly reprimanded by police. Police officers played significant roles in the systemic engagement of racial bias, where Black people were assigned labels of criminality because of the color of their skin. Modern policing (policing of this century that is) is a product of what policing once was; nothing has really changed, except for the fact that policing has technologically advanced. Last year, we witnessed the painful sounds of a Black man wailing for his mom and begging for his life while a police officer forced his knee into his neck, ignoring his humanity and cries for help. This will forever be imprinted into my mind. Of course, this was an individual act of racism, but it is a single act that is a part of a system that was built on the dehumanization of Black people. History has taught those who participate in society as police officers that when they engage in the brutalization
of a Black person, they are simply doing their job. George Floyd’s brutal death sparked nationwide outrage. This national outrage has made way for the reintroduction of the phrase “ACAB”, which stands for “All Cops are Bastards/Bad”. ACAB has been extremely controversial, as members of the police system and their families have found the phrase offensive. Why say “ACAB” when people know police officers who are not bad? Despite its definition, ACAB does not really mean all cops are bad, it simply means that the system of policing is painfully flawed and needs reformation. Whether good or bad, all police officers are complacent in a system that does not value Black life. ACAB is a cry for aid from Black people who have been plagued with centuries of generational trauma at the hands of police violence. A system built on white supremacy and Black hatred cannot simply disappear. It took a plethora of years to establish the system of policing present in society today, and it will take plenty more years to fix it. The first step is for police officers to acknowledge the issues that exist within the system. It takes accountability and self awareness for progress to be made. Police officers who have caused great amounts of pain through their racism, must be held responsible. This includes justice for people and families who have lost loved ones due to racially motivated police murders. This means police officers need to address their racism, whether it is implicit or explicit. The ingrained idea that Black people are threatening needs to be dismantled. Police need to regain the trust of the Black community. The system of policing needs to be grabbed from its racist roots and radically transformed.
BEHIND CLOSED DOORS
BY MARITZA RAMIREZ ‘23
DEMANDING FULL INVESTIGATION INTO ICE FACILITIES
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he Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances of our American government are not being upheld; several ICE guards are seemingly above the law. Many officials commit crimes of sexual assault that are not criminally investigated. Despite there being more than 14,700 sexual assault complaints filed by immigrants in 2016, this problem is still very much dominant in certain places of the world. With an obvious power dynamic between ICE guards and the immigrants being detained at these facilities, immigrants are struggling to find a solution to this ongoing issue. Guards and officials for ICE have the ultimate power over the immigrants suffering the abuse. To fully protect both parties involved (the immigrants and the accused ICE guards), full investigations need to take place to determine if a criminal trial in a court of law is a necessary following action. The very clear power dynamic is one of the main reasons for further investigation into every claim of sexual assault made. Allegations from many immigrants convey a story in which the guard threatens them with deportation and claims that “no one would believe them.” This creates a toxic and dangerous atmosphere for abused immigrants and
everyone else working within the ICE facilities. In many previous cases, the immigrant is misrepresented in trial or is conveniently deported during the trial, creating a questionable case for many ICE officials. For example, a thirty-five-year-old women filed a complaint against an ICE guard; three days later, the Department of Homeland Security deported her. The frustration in this case was due to the fact that the government “allowed their most powerful witness to be deported.” This is completely unfair; it is clear the immigrants are not being treated humanely or justly in the American court of law. ICE is not fully taking these claims seriously and not fully investigating them. Of the 33,000 cases reported between 2010 and 2016, less than 1 percent have been fully investigated by the Department of Homeland Security. It is not a political issue concerning who is a citizen and who isn’t: it involves a larger cause. This treatment is a human rights issue: immigrants from other countries are being abused at government facilities and ignored when fighting for a change. This is an issue that has been at
LIMIT POLITICAL DISCOURSE As politics across America become more contentious, political discourse can be a minefield. Politically, the US has not been as hatefully divided as it is now since the civil war. This has caused the topic of politics to become a highly delicate matter. When brought up in a class setting, politics can cause verbal chaos, something I have experienced first-hand. Because of this contentiousness, political discourse, for the time being, should be heavily limited in the classroom. In the modern classroom, especially during this pandemic, it can be difficult to focus. This can be compounded when a classmate brings up politics. Soon after the issue is mentioned, the whole class is engrossed in an unproductive, distracting, and non-persuasive political discussion. This kind of argument wastes time that, especially during the current pandemic, is valuable and a key to a student’s success. A Kaplan study on the desire or humans to accept convenient lies for political loyalty found that it is difficult to change someone’s mind on politics; They also found that standard debate tactics like using facts and numbers to blow up your opponent’s claims do little to alter their stance or find common ground.
hand for so long and victimizes many immigrants. It is now more than ever extremely necessary to begin investigations and trials to stop the sexual assault by ICE guards. Some may say that the claims against some of the ICE guards are causing a bad representation of the other innocent guards. This is partially true, but at the same time this is not an issue of popularity; human beings are being sexually assaulted in their facilities. All guards should be under the same scrutiny until they are able to completely prove their innocence. Even though some ICE guards are corrupt with their power, it doesn’t necessarily mean all ICE officials act in this manner. The simple fix is more investigation and punishment for the officers who act in this brutal and abusive way. Immigrants are already suffering in the brutal conditions of ICE facilities, and the sexual assault they are experiencing only worsens their terrible situation. Complaints of assault are not being taken seriously and the power dynamic is silencing many immigrants from speaking up with the threat of deportation. Such factors are contributing to more and more victims of sexual assault in ICE facilities, it is becoming easier to take advantage of these people as they grow more powerless. The immigrants who suffered this abuse will remain scarred. The number of immigrants who haven’t reported any assault out of fear is unimaginable. The number of immigrants who could be suffering because of this issue right now is devastating. If we rose up as a community and began to demand the conduct of full investigations and criminal trials, we could help put an end to this extensive, horrific sexual abuse of immigrants inside seemingly ordinary ICE facilities.
MODERN POLITICS DISRUPTING THE LEARNING ENVIRONMENT BY CHARLIE HUGHES ‘24
Now return to the modern classroom. Even if students prepare beforehand with information and facts, the Kaplan study suggests no common ground will be reached. Students on both sides of the political spectrum simply become further entrenched in their stances; the authority of a teacher can be undermined if he or she interjects his or her controversial personal feelings. Today’s world is also filled with widespread misinformation legitimized by social media and cable news platforms. In the classroom, it is likely that at least someone, if not many, will be misinformed. While this may be a good opportunity for the teacher to correct the student, there is the chance that the teacher is also misinformed or doesn’t know the difference between misinformation and factual information. The lack of a challenge can then be seen as an affirmation of the student’s false declaration and can further spread disinformation. One of the most common reasons friends and families growing distant from one another is because of politics; this can occur in a classroom, too, damaging friendships and the community built. One student can dominate the conversation, only
making it more difficult to have an actual exchange of ideas or for everyone’s beliefs to be represented equally. Most people say that restricting political discourse in the classroom violates the First Amendment. A private school like Regis Jesuit, while committed to an open forum in its media department, does not have any such restrictions placed on it by the First Amendment. Still, others believe political discourse in the classroom can be helpful and educational. However, with politics in its chaotic, hateful state, unregulated political discussions in the classroom will not be productive and will instead result in a shouting match. As a standard though, I recommend all schools ban all nonteacher-directed and prompted political discourse in the classroom for the near future. The impacts of political discourse being allowed in that classroom affect the ability of the teacher to teach the curriculum and for the students to focus during class. It’s not worth the chaos to have political discourse in the classroom.
OP-EDS ELEVATE 35
OPINION
ELEVATE OPINIONS
UNTOLD RACISM
A SINGLE COUGH IS ALL IT TAKES BY SERENA NGUYEN ‘22
The coronavirus that has been plaguing our world for 13 months now; it is very serious and something that shouldn’t be taken lightly. In our nation alone there are 2,000+ daily deaths from Coronavirus. Something else has also been on the rise since the pandemic began: racism towards Asians. When news that the coronavirus had started in Wuhan, China, many Americans used this as an excuse to harass Asians. Racism toward Asians is nothing new, it has been going on for years and years, and it’s been extremely normalized. “MY FRESHMAN YEAR, Growing MY BIOLOGY TEACHER up, I was SAT ALL THE EAST ASIAN constantly STUDENTS IN ONE bullied for the CORNER OF THE ROOM.” shape of my eyes – mocked for something that I simply could not change. It was only meant to be a “joke,” not something to take to heart. But I knew it was wrong, even if I was young, I knew that their “joke” wasn’t OK. And looking back they may have been ignorant kids who didn’t know what they were doing was wrong, but now, especially during the pandemic, these racist “jokes” began to happen more and more. For simply being Asian, I became a “carrier” of the coronavirus. It didn’t
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matter if I actually had the COVID-19 because that’s what people labeled me as. And whenever I would stand up for myself, I would be told to calm down, that it was only a “joke.” But these “jokes” weren’t OK when I was younger, and they are definitely not okay now. As people grow up and mature, they should learn that making jokes about someone’s physical features and saying that they are a carrier of the coronavirus simply because of their race isn’t OK. They should recognize that what they are doing is racist. This racism is felt by many Asians and there are a few that have experienced it in our Regis Jesuit community. Some of these incidents happened during the pandemic and some before. Both illustrate the point that racism towards Asians has been long-lasting and will continue to happen. From the Instagram Page “blackatregsijesuit” there were several anonymous quotes left by people that have experienced racism within our community. “My freshman year, my biology teacher sat all the East Asian students in one corner of the room. Then, frequently mixed us up and called us by the wrong name, though none of us looked anything alike and we’re different ethnicities (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, mixed race, etc).” In this situation the teacher contributed to the idea that all people of one race are the same, stripping them of their identity and individuality. And this is something felt within all races, but it’s most commonly ignored when it happens to Asians because most people see it as a practical joke. However, some people have taken it farther than just joking around. The Stop AAPI (Asian American and Pacific Islander) Hate had received more than 2,500 reports nationwide within the
first two weeks of launching. These reports included incidents where Asians were being harassed and attacked by strangers, being blamed and yelled at for “bringing COVID-19 to America.” Similarly, to how African Americans are being harassed and killed by police, Asian Americans are being harassed and killed by people in
RALLY GOERS TAKE A MOMENT of silence for the Atlanta shooting and Boulder shooting victims at the Stop Asian Hate rally at the Spirit Plaza in downtown Detroit, Saturday, March 27, 2021.
their own community. These deaths and murders aren’t covered by the news, and especially with Black Lives Matter happening there were more “important” things to cover. And although BLM is important and the racism against African Americans is important it should not be the only racism recognized in the country.
JUSTICE SERVED
BY GRANT BARNES ‘23
Relief. In response to the guilty verdict President Biden said, “For so many, it feels like it took all of that for the judicial system to deliver a just-- just basic accountability.” It was this same “basic accountability” that so many, including myself would not believe until we saw it. The same “basic accountability” we expected from the judicial system for decades, but it had never delivered. The entire world watched the painful 9 minutes and 29 seconds of George Floyd’s murder, and still, we doubted the justice system and expected Chauvin would walk away free. I have been doubting the system my whole life, my father has, and everyone before him. May 25, 2020, “shocked” the nation creating protests and angry outcry, but this was anything but new in America’s history of systemic racism and police brutality. I wish I could say I was shocked. Yes, I was sad and angry, but not shocked. Even though “Say His Name,” “I Can’t Breathe,” and “Black Lives Matters” were shouted repeatedly, it was hard for me to see if anyone was listening. On social media, in the news, and even in politics including the (former) President of the United States, people were saying “No.” We would shout “Say His Name” They would look the other way. We would shout “I Can’t Breathe” They would say “No”.
We would shout “Black Lives Matter.” They would At first, I thought we should not be celebrating reply “That’s a racist terrorist organization. No, you the fact that the judicial system did its job. We do not get to bring us down. He was a criminal.” should not be celebrating because George Floyd With every “No” and disregard of the fact that was still dead, and so many other black people black lives do matter, all I heard was them telling before him, and now after since his death. But what me that my life does not matter. I could see them else could we do? We waited a year for justice, proof staring me in my eyes trying to convince me that my that George Floyd’s life had value. Waiting an entire father’s life, my families, my neighbors, my friend’s year, listening repeatedly to Floyd calling for his late lives do not matter because of the color of their skin. mother, shouting “I can’t breathe”, and re-watchA human rights issue quickly became a political ing the life escape from his body. We waited for issue. It was labeled proof that George Floyd, a father, a “far-left liberal movement” meant to a brother, a friend, a human being “SO WHEN I dismantle our democracy. And this was was taken away too soon. HEARD THE coming from the President of the United Benjamin Crump, the attorney GUILTY VERDICT States. for George Floyd’s family has made IT WAS LIKE I So when I heard the guilty verdict his name well known nationwide. CAN FINALLY it was like I can finally breathe, it was a BREATHE, IT WAS His work to bring justice for George relief. But soon after that relief turned into A RELIEF.” Floyd and now many more victims shock, something I wish I felt earlier. of this same fate has marked a step Think about this. What does it say that in the right direction for the United I was shocked that a man who was filmed in broad States. But we have a lot more work to do. There is daylight murdering George Floyd was finally found more we can all do. guilty, but not shocked how George Floyd died? We need to start by having uncomfortable converWhat does it say about our country that we were sations. We need to try to understand what others nervous, we were expecting the worst, but we ended are going through and how we can help. Try to unup celebrating and dancing in the streets? Thank derstand each of our privileges and disadvantages. God for Darnella Frazier, the teenager who was able Try to hear each other with more than our ears, but to capture Chauvin’s knee pinned on Floyd, because with our hearts. And know that for all lives to matter, if there were no video evidence odds are he would Black lives need to matter too. have walked away free.
CULTURAL SENSITIVITYSTARTS IN THE CLASSROOM I BY SOFIA PEREZ‘21
ndividuals from all over the world make up the United States, including both native peoples and immigrants. Because of this diversity, I believe the education system should incorporate the curriculum of these distinct cultures into modern-day teaching. The education system has been present and evolving for so long. While some may think it’s been working so far, it is clear that it comes from one very specific perspective. The current education system was created to educate a certain group of people, mainly the rich, white men in our country. The general curriculum, in most schools, demonstrates this. It is all too noticeable that pieces of this curriculum have a direct and targeted audience. There aren’t a variety of classes in most schools that attempt to include any cultures outside of their own. This is something that needs to change. Ms. Christina Vela, director of equity and inclusion at Regis Jesuit says, “The history we’ve learned is from a very particular perspective, we’re not getting a
full picture of what happened in our history.” By including other perspectives, we are open to truly understanding the good and the bad events in our history, not explained through a biased source. This goes for the education system, similarly we must include more cultures to fully enrich our learning. There is so much diversity in the American population, and because of this, educators must be sensitive to the cultural elements that could affect students’ performance and self-esteem. “Teachers need to do the best that they can to educate themselves outside of the classroom,” Vela says. In order to educate students on diversity, our teachers must be educated first. The student body could benefit a lot from this type of education because it could help us to understand the fine line between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation. “When it comes to cultural appropriation, people don’t understand,” Vela says. “There’s a confusion between appropriation and appreciation.”
Education on this topic is the small help our community needs to grow from the hostility between all of the cultures present in America. Regis Jesuit, in particular, works towards creating an environment where we can incorporate more cultures in our curriculum. Vela explained that the school works with individual departments trying to incorporate this type of education. For example, the English department created courses that strive to educate people and create dialogue about our cultural differences. “The way that we teach has to incorporate the cultures of our students but every student is going to be different as well, and we must keep that in mind when teaching,” Vela says. Individuals can’t be understood unless they are seen in contrast to the cultural history from which they come from.
OP-EDS ELEVATE 37
OPINION
ELEVATE OPINIONS
A RETURN TO NORMAL MEANS A RETURN TO FEAR FOR US STUDENTS
BY JACOB GOLD‘23
I
t is not uncommon to read a line or two in a news story on a mass shooting telling readers about young individuals helping older people to get safely away from threats, and that is for a reason: We all, since our early childhood, have been forced to learn how to survive active shooting situations. After so much class time spent with teachers going over shooting safety, it feels like Locks, Lights, Out of Sight is as ingrained in each of our heads as Stop, Drop, and Roll. As people begin gathering in public again in the wake of COVID-19, A STACK OF BOOKS DROPPING LOUDLY AT THE mass shootings END OF THE HALL OFTEN in the United MAKES AN ENTIRE CLASS States appear GO SILENT, HOPING NOT TO HEAR ANOTHER to be returning POP OR BANG. to regularity as well, with 3 highly publicized killings in the last month alone. While it is not a new question, many people still wonder: Why does ‘Back to Normal’ seem to mean ‘Back to Terror’ for ordinary civilians, even children, in our country? In Colorado, we’ve seen more of this kind of violence than anywhere else, especially with the news of the recent Boulder King
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Soopers Shooting that left nine civilians and a police officer dead and shocked the entire state. For high school students in our country, though, the attack is another one of many reminders that we can be harmed nearly anywhere during our daily routine. Regularly, students are taught shooting safety techniques as a normal part of safety instruction, right alongside fire drills and shelter-in-place practice. Students know that, should a lockdown ever occur, they are to huddle in a corner together as their teacher locks the door, turns of the lights, and retreats to somewhere away from windows. Some teachers tell their students that they will allow them to text their parents, letting them know that they have not yet been harmed. While it is not something that is constantly in our minds as we go throughout our day, shootings are a consistent worry for many of us. A stack of books dropping loudly at the end of the hall often makes an entire class go silent, hoping not to hear another pop or bang. Nearly every high school student I know has had at least one worrying experience where they thought they might be killed by a shooter. While a few of us have been lucky enough to avoid any serious traumatic events, others have gone through full-on school lockdowns because of threats, myself included. There is no question that the threat of school shootings has become a normalized part of the school experience for this generation – Almost 187,000 students across 193 U.S. schools have been directly affected by them, according to the Washington Post. That number doesn’t include the massive number of family and
wider community members who have had to deal indirectly with the trauma inflicted by mass shootings. As much as many students would like to believe that the recent Boulder shooting would help the adult world to see the terror that comes with walking into a place where a shooting could happen at any moment, we know that change never seems come after an act of terror like this. Every time this kind of tragedy happens, politicians and public speakers alike, many financially backed by the NRA and the rest of the gun lobby, send their ‘thoughts and prayers’ to the victims, all while refusing to take any steps to prevent another tragedy. Those who try to propose solutions are bashed for ‘making the issue political.’ Others flock to claim that the issue is a mental health one, but at the same time deny any push to improve mental healthcare in our country. As a generation, we are tired of ‘thoughts and prayers,’ followed by inaction and apathy. We do not want to hear how sorry the adult world is for allowing yet another terrorizing event to take place. We want to hear how it is going to be fixed, and we want to see that change becoming a reality.
BETTER RECORD, BETTER GYM?
D
espite many challenges and a constantly changing schedule due to COVID, the Regis Girls Varsity Basketball team made an impressive run in the State Tournament culminating an appearance in the state championship game at the Broadmoor World Arena this spring. With an all-time 162-19 home court record, making it to the state championship is an expectation for the girls’ basketball team, yet the boys’ 2020 Elite Eight run surprised everyone. The condition of the Regis girls’ home court and facilities does not reflect their greater success. Regis, alongside schools nationwide, need to better reflect the equality they preach to their students, rewarding and advertising each athletic team fairly for their successes. Under the 1972 Title IX law, sex-based discrimination in schools or programs are prohibited and schools are required to provide equal athletic opportunities to male and females at the high school and collegiate levels, yet unequal treatment persists as seen in the NCAA Women’s Basketball teams’ lower quality weight training area, media and meeting spaces, and apparel.
DESPITE CONSISTENT SUCCESS, THE REGIS JESUIT GIRLS BASKETBALL TEAM FACES INEQUALITIES DAILY
BY KATE MICHALEK ‘23
Regis’ story is similar. In the 2019 offseason, air conditioning was finally installed into the Girls Division gym. The coaches’ room in the girl’s gym is simply the gym storage closest with a desk stuffed into it, while the boy’s coaches’ room is a separate room attached to the gym where a desk fits comfortably. Regis places great pride into their athletic programs, but this pride is not always reflected in the facilities for the girls, even with their consistent success. While many claim these inequities faced by women in athletics are due to the difference in the levels of talent, success, and competitiveness, evidence shows otherwise. Many athletes, from the Regis girls’ basketball program, have continued their careers at the collegiate level, including Jada Moore, at Kansas State University, as well as Fran Belibi, at Stanford University in the past two years. As only 1.3% of female high school athletes continue their basketball careers at the Division I level, the talent seen in the Regis program is impressive and the success of the program strongly defies these statistics. We should be rewarding and celebrating this success.
Still others argue that the gyms are assigned by crowd size, but the poor advertisement in the Regis community for the girls’ varsity basketball team directly results in attendance disparities. Neither the faculty or students are clearly informed of both the teams’ success and upcoming events. After returning to class following the State Championship game, the majority of my classmates and teachers were not aware that we even played in the Championship game or the overall accomplishments the team achieved during the season. The successes of all programs and groups in the Regis community should not only be advertised equally but celebrated at a similar level. All schools, no matter their athletic success or level, need to work to correct the inequities females are faced with daily. While this can seem like a daunting task, the solution to this nation-wide problem must begin in our own community, not just on the basketball court but in all sports, hallways, and classrooms.
CURA PERSONALIS ISN’T HAPPENING IN THE CAFETERIA
REGIS CLAIMS TO CARE ABOUT STUDENTS’ HEALTH, BUT THE FOOD IN THE CAFETERIA SAYS DIFFERENTLY BY EMILIA HUNTER ‘24
W
hen Regis students first walk into the building, they are greeted by a basket of nutri grain bars. High in sugar with only one gram of protein, students can barely last on one for 20 minutes without being just as hungry as before. After first period, the hungry masses raid the cafeteria in search of chips, tater tots, and soda. By lunch, the starving teens have no choice but chicken, fries, and a cookie. If they’re seeking a healthy alternative, a small salad is the only option. If Regis values our physical, emotional, and spiritual health they need to remake the cafeteria to offer only healthy food. In a 5-year study between grades 2-11, the Nutrition Policy Institute housed at the University of California found that schools with a healthy food vendor had a statistically significant advantage over schools with unhealthier food providers. According to a Harvard Health study, healthy food can also improve memory, key to our retention of information. Fruits, vegetables, and whole grains have also been shown to
reduce the risk of a memory damaging stroke. Healthy diets also improve self esteem and assist us to having a positive self-image. According to Nutritionist-Recource.org, foods high in nutrition like, spinach, meat, dairy, and eggs, lift your mood and help you to think more optimistically. If Regis provides healthy food, it could drastically improve the students’ mental health at this crucial time. Cancer, diabetes, and heart issues are all long-term effects of unhealthy food; the work begins at our age to develop properly, prevent diseases, and live longer. According to the CDC, poor nutrition does in fact affect your health and increases your risk for diseases. The unhealthy food provided by Regis is actively impacting our physical health. Putting healthy food in the dining hall will improve our athletics, too. Health.Gov reports that a healthy diet helps with sleeping patterns, energy levels, and muscle growth. Adding more protein (meats, beans, soy, dairy, eggs, and seeds) into the cafeteria rather than high-carb
chips, cookies, and fries will be especially key as they build the muscle and cartilage so many use every day on the field and court. While some say diet alone can’t help you avoid disease and mental health issues, eating healthy can decrease the risk of getting these diseases and strengthen our immune systems, according to Web MD. Still others ask, “If this is so important, why don't you just pack your own lunch?” As a school community that claims to care about our health, we should provide this food because not all students have the money or time to pack a healthy lunch, and even those that do may forget it. Students deserve to get the protein and nutrients they need to not only thrive in school but also flourish long term. If Regis is actively trying to improve our mental and physical health, they should start looking at not only our activities, classrooms, and counseling offices but also the food we eat.
OP-EDS ELEVATE 39
OPINION
ELEVATE OPINIONS
WHY WE SHOULD PUSH BACK SCHOOL START TIMES BY ANDREW GLEASON ‘22
The classroom is pictured as a bright and vibrant place full of ambitious and ready to learn students. However, we all know that this picture is far from reality in many classrooms and for many students. These expectations are simply not possible when tired and groggy students are walking into classrooms unfocused and unprepared for the day. Teens are experiencing a health epidemic, an epidemic of sleep deprivation. The average high school teenager is getting between 7- 7 ¼ hours of sleep
THE EFFECTS OF SLEEP DEPRIVATION IN TEENS IS ALSO ROLLING OVER INTO THE CLASSROOM AND IMPAIRING STUDENTS ABILITY TO FOCUS AND PERFORM.
according to Nationwide Children’s Hospital Nationwide Children’s Hospital. This comes over two hours short of the 9 ¼ hours of sleep that studies and experts have said teens need. As a high school student athlete, I find it very difficult to balance school work, practice, and a social life while getting enough sleep to be attentive for school and energized throughout the day. It would be in the best interest of school districts to delay school start times to 40 ELEVATE OP-EDS
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at least 8:30 a.m. for high schools and middle schools in order to improve student health, help students be more attentive in class, and aid in preventing motor vehicle accidents. According to a 2006 poll2006 poll, 87 percent of high school students reported getting less than eight hours of sleep a night. The problem has since worsened due to technology and school demands leading the American Academy of Pediatrics to label teen sleep deprivation as a “national health epidemic” in a detailed study on teen sleep deprivation. Often the counter argument for delaying school start times is to advocate that students go to bed earlier and manage their time better. Although technology and distractions can play a part in going to bed late, it is a biological issue resulting from puberty. When adolescents hit puberty, their internal sleep clock moves back about two hours and the body does not produce melatonin in time for students to simply “go to bed earlier”. Because sleep is vital in helping regulate emotions, lack of sleep leads to mood disorders like anxiety, depression, and bipolar disorder. Suicide is the third leading killer for adolescents, and sleep deprivation has a strong link to suicidal thoughts/actions. According to various studies, this is independent of past issues with depression or drug/alcohol abuse. School districts need to account for the massive health benefits that come with pushing back school start times and letting students sleep in. The effects of sleep deprivation in teens is also rolling over into the classroom and impairing students ability to focus and perform. Studies show that sleep loss in adolescent students worsens their ability to remember, concentrate, and problem solve. A study led by Stanford’s Mary Carskadon surveyed 3,000 students. In the survey it was found that students with higher GPA’s reported getting more sleep
on weekdays as well as not sleeping in on weekends. Some students, however, do not have this option to go to sleep earlier. Data shows that if schools helped students sleep more through one hour later start times students grades, attendance, and sleep would increase. Sleep doesn’t just help teens learn when they are awake, it also makes sure information taken in during the day is learned and memorized. “We hypothesize that when teens sleep, the brain is going through processes of consolidation — learning of experiences or making memories,” says to Dr. Harry Yuan, “consolidating the important things and filtering out those unimportant things.”
Later start times could also prevent car accidents on the morning drive to school. When students are trying to maximize sleep while not being late to school, it often results in a rushed and chaotic morning. The crammed schedule often transfers into high risk and high speed driving. A 2014 study A 2014 study in Virginia found that students got in less car crashes in the school districts with later start times compared to those with earlier start times. An Australian study led by Alexandra Mariniuk found that teens who suffered the same amount of sleep deprivation as adults were more impaired when driving. Mariunik found that it only took six hours of sleep to render a teen driver impaired when driving due to lack of sleep. Sleep loss also increasing the odds of partaking in
risky behaviors like drug and alcohol abuse which Mariunik suggests can lead to other impaired forms of driving far after school. Changing school start times admittedly is not an easy task for administrators, however, it is not impossible. Boulder Valley School District ran in to many obstacles and take into account several factors when pushing for changing school start times. Food service contracts, after school activities, and busing schedules were just a few. Cherry Creek also had to deal with the change in busing schedules by making elementary students start earlier, essentially switching the start times for high schoolers and elementary students which could have negative affects on younger students. In Jeffco county, a shortage of buss drivers is a concern for
SHOULD A STUDENT'S FUTURE BE DEFINED BY A TEST SCORE BY EMMA PETERSON '22
Students spend twelve years in school just to ultimately prepare for one final test with extremely high stakes: their future. The ACT and the SAT are advertised as tests to measure college readiness and predict future academic success, but the testing system does not paint an accurate picture of a student’s potential. Regis Jesuit and every other high school in America need to abolish the SAT and ACT and instead establish more fair, flexible, and unbiased methods of measuring current academic ability and predicting future success. GPA OVER ACT Standardized tests like the SAT and ACT really judge a student’s test taking skills and their expensive prep courses instead of a student’s entire high school academic experience and other extracurricular accomplishments, which are actually predictors of college and career success. Although some argue grade inflation has diminished GPAs’ reliability, a study by University of Chicago Consortium researchers found that the predictive power of GPAs is extremely consistent across high schools while the same isn’t true for standardized test scores. The same study found that at a majority of high schools, there was no connection between student’s ACT scores and eventual college graduation. Additionally, they discovered that students with the highest ACT scores
many residents in the school districts. The district would have to increase spending in order to keep up with the changes in start times. Only 14% of residents. Only 14% of residents were ok with any amount of cost in order to push back start times. As of now the only way to get the funding for the schedule changes would be to take it out of the classroom which isn’t an option at the time for Jeffco according to Jeffco Officials. However, many school districts have been successful across the country including in Colorado with Cherry Creek (over 55,000 students) and Boulder Valley (30,000) have pushed back start times despite the obstacles. Not only did Cherry Creek push back start times, they have also measured significant success in regards to
were actually less likely to succeed in college. “The bottom line is that high school grades are powerful tools for gauging students’ readiness for college, regardless of which high school a student attends, while ACT scores are not,” said Elaine M. Allensworth, Director of the UChicago Consortium. These tests serve as the base sort of “requirement” for admission to certain colleges. This admission can potentially be jeopardized, simply because of a certain composite score. A study by TestPrepAdvisor.com showed that if SAT/ACT scores were the sole basis of admission, 53% of students who ended up getting accepted, wouldn’t have gotten in even though their complete resumes predicted their success. Diminishing the role of the ACT/SAT will actually result in a more academically successful student body. CONDUITS OF BIAS The language of the tests is racially and regionally biased, with the grammar section particularly favoring academic language in lieu of African American Vernacular English and those will multilingual upbringings. This type of bias poses a threat to historically marginalized students, with the average composite ACT score of 23.6 for high income White and Asian students compared to 19.5 for lower income Black and Latino students. While some claim that these tests offer hard, standardized data to fairly assess all students, these test scores are trying to be “one size fits all” for a diverse country. It’s like asking everyone to make the same dish with slightly different ingredients (backgrounds, circumstances, language, skills) and expecting it to taste the same. A fair way to test actual improvement and performance that isn’t based solely on a test score needs to be established. A fair system like this would represent
improvement of student attentiveness and happiness. Lack of sleep in teens is a national epidemic and must be addressed beginning with school start times. The American Academy of Pediatrics has strongly urged schools across the country to start high school days no earlier than 8:30. There will be significant push back, but the health and well being of students should take priority over avoiding rescheduling obstacles. By delaying the school day we can drastically improve the mental health of students while improving their performance in class, overall health and happiness, and keeping them safe on the road.
real life improvement and more accurately depict what a student is capable of. So while some view it as these test scores offering hard data on ways to help marginalized students get back on track, shouldn’t there be a different, more adjustable way to test intelligence that doesn’t unfairly target the historically marginalized? PAY TO PLAY These tests most often measure financial stability; success can be bought. Just to simply take these tests, students pay $47.50 for the SAT and $50.50 for the ACT. If they opt into the essay, those prices go up about $20. These test fees are placed on top of the thousands families spend on expensive prep booklets and tutoring. National Center for Fair and Open Testing says “[these tests] are highly coachable, advantaged students who can afford to spend $800 or more on test preparation classes.” There are more valuable education opportunities than the countless time students spend preparing for these unfair and ultimately unnecessary tests. Students should be judged on their accomplishments, hard work, and potential and not on one single test score. Therefore these tests need to be abolished and no longer be a part of the college admissions process and schools like Regis need to stop supporting them implicitly through test prep classes and school-sponsored testing days. We must communicate the facts about these tests and show schools, administrators, and colleges, showing them how extremely harmful and reminding them that we are more than our score. Let’s not allow twelve years of education to be defined by a single test.
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MAGAZINE
Juniors Dallas Macias and Finn O'Conner celebrate their first win of the season for Varsity Baseball against Lakewood High School with a score of 12-0. photo by Tyler Chan
