November 2022
Issue 1
FHS mountain biking races into the season
Story by Madi Arnold and Michael Nedd
Impacts of changing the fairview website
Story by Addison Washburn and Elliott Pease
Why do students take mental health days?
Story by Siena Scornavacco
Fairview’s Mountain Biking team has been racing hard all season, becoming one of the best teams in the state. The team is split into eight categories for freshman, sophomore, JV, and varsity boys/girls, each with their own winners and standings. There are five major races that make up the season, including the state championship. Here are some notable highlights from this season:
Fairview’s girls’ teams conquered the competition at race one in Leadville (Aug. 28). For the varsity group, Jorja Bond (11) placed first with Elise Harless (12) following in second. Alexa McMynn finished first for sophomores, and the freshman swept the podium with Adeline Hamilton, Rachel Lev-Tov, and Gabby Scott placing first, second, and third respectively. The boys’ teams saw three second place finishes with Liam Baartman (12) taking second for varsity, Carter Kirkpatrick (10) for JV, and Adam Kubala for freshmen.
Two weeks later (Sept. 10th) the team headed to Eagle. Kicking off the second race, three Fairview riders sang the national anthem. Leif Bryan (12) took first for varsity boys, while Rachel Lev-Tov and Adeline Hamilton took first and third respectively for freshman girls.
At race three in Steamboat Springs (Sept. 25), Lev-Tov and Hamilton finished first and second, along with several other podium finishes across the other categories.
At the regional championship in Nathrop (Oct. 8th), the girls’ teams yet again saw several wins and podium finishes. Jorja Bond returned after
missing the previous two races while training with the national team, and took first for varsity girls. For JV girls, Fiona Gallagher (10) placed second and Camille Johnson (12) placed third. Alexa McMynn placed second for sophomore girls, and for a third race in a row, Rachel Lev-Tov stood in a familiar place at the top of the podum for the freshman girls. The boys’ categories also performed very well, with Leif Bryan winning his second race of the season in the Varsity category, and Nathaniel Yen topping the podium for sophomores. After race four, Fairview led the region in total points.
The state championships took place on Oct. 22-23 in Glenwood Springs. The freshman and JV categories raced on the 22nd, while sophomore and varsity raced on the 23rd. The team as a whole finished third overall in the state, with Sadie Gallagher (12) placing as Fairview’s top rider by points, followed by Luke Walter (11) and Nathaniel Yen (10).
story & design by madi arnold & michael nedd Luke Walter (11) at race two in Eagle. photo by michael nedd Lucas Waitman (12) at race one in Leadville. photo by michael nedd Elise Harless (12) at race two in Eagle. photo by laron van allengilbertWith a group of 120 riders, community lays at the heart of the team’s success, according to many students. “It’s not necessarily a team sport cause it’s just you riding your bike, but it comes together in a way that is not like any other sport,” Liam Baartman (12) said. The Fairview mountain bike team is one of the few teams that practices with girls and boys together. With freshman to seniors, experienced bikers or brand new, the range of skill levels within the team is drastic.
“We have nationally ranked riders, kids trying to go to the Olympics, and kids that have never ridden before,” said Connor Scott (12).
The team has eight team captains. One of the team captains, senior Meera Khadakkar (12), says being a team captain includes responsibilities such as “Including people, learning names, making sure everyone is registered for races, and
getting volunteer hours in.”
For Khadakkar, the most rewarding part of mountain biking is the community.
“This team is so supportive and it just makes me wanna get on my bike every single day,” she said.
The races are a great place to feel the community. Parent volunteers set up tents before races while riders anxiously wait to begin. During the race when riders aren’t competing, they have just as much fun off the course.
“I think for some of the riders, that’s their favorite part; we’re hanging out all day with all our friends eating food, hanging out cheering each other on, and that piece is huge,” said Feeney.
The team also works together to give back to the greater Boulder community through volunteering. Volunteer opportunities range from building trails, making food for the homeless youth shelter, or assisting at the races.
“We try to get every kid to do 6 hours of trail building and 2 hours of volunteering with the league,” said Feeney.
The team has won the Golden Pick Award 2 years in a row for their significant number of volunteer hours. The Golden Pick award is presented once a year to honor the hardest working groups in the community.
“It’s not about the racing, it’s about the community that it brings.” said Baartman. “It’s the people you meet, the family atmosphere… if you don’t like it, whatever. But I’ll tell you, you’ll find something about it that you like.”
story by bella pope
design by derek sexton and bella pope
Football, golf, and softball, oh my! With a new school year and new players, the boys and girls fall sports teams’ goals are different, but have one thing in common: they’re here to win. Fairview’s fall sports are back in full swing and ready to destroy the competition.
Shane Williams (12), a team captain for the boy’s varsity soccer team, has unfinished business. In 2021-2022, the varsity team last year had an early exit, which disappointed the team considering the previous season when FHS varsity won state. One of the primary goals, Williams, said was, “It would be amazing to win states this year. We have a great team that can go all the way.” To qualify for state, you have to win 6 to 8 games in the
definitely one of my main goals. I’m working on the things I need to work on to accomplish it next season,” said Stinchcomb.
The connection the team has made has become the main advantage this season. With a tight-knit relationship, the boys feel as though they can communicate easier with one another, and find themselves having a lot more fun. With a win against both Monarch and Boulder, the team is set to
Alambo, a junior on the Ultimate team, said, “A goal for this year is to win the state championship. It would be our first time winning.” The team so far has won two games against New Vista (13-2) and Boulder (13-1). The Ultimate team has the Fairview spirit and admiration to go far.
Last year, the football team had a very successful season but still strives for more.
Our 2022 Fairview football team captains, seniors Zach Lewis (12) and Mark Worster (12) said, “our goals for this year is a state championship, but also doing things to improve our RPI (rating percentage index) and just chip away.”
continue on to states.
Girls’ volleyball has been crushing the competition, even with some ups and downs.
regular playing season. The varsity team is currently 4-1-1 with wins against Grandview (2-0), Castle View( 2-1), Cherry Creek (1-0), and Mountain Vista (1-0).
Meanwhile, the boys tennis team is currently number one in the state.
Charlie Gomulka (10) doubles two on varsity, said, “It would be amazing to win state and beat Monarch.”
With the team skewing much younger, Will Stinchcomb, a varsity two sophomore, feels as though he and some of the other underclassmen have a chance at making varsity next season.
“Being able to make varsity is
Carly Burkhard, a senior on the varsity team, said that her main goal to finish out the season is to “honor the legacy of number 5 because the jersey means so much to the team and the volleyball program.”
The number 5 jersey is an important part of Fairview sports history. Gail Lessig, a former Fairview student, passed away in 1993. Family and friends remember her as an incredible student, and, and player for the team.. According to her former teammates, she was a very tenacious player. In the large gym, there is a plaque with the question, “what is the definition of tenacity?” in her honor, which motivates the team.
The Ultimate Frisbee (Ultimate) team this year is larger than ever. Simon
Coach McCartney added, “we believe if we win the non-league, beat Boulder, win the two towns, and win the Front Range League that’s the grand slam [which] gives us our best chance to be seated for the playoffs, and our ultimate goal of winning the state championship.”
Similarly to the tennis team, the team this year skews much older, and the underclassmen are feeling the heat.
“There is definitely a lot more
pressure this year being a freshman on JV,” freshman Bowman Waldo said.
The golf team this season has already advanced to regionals and seems to have a shot at winning states. Sawyer Sales (11), a varsity one player, has been playing competitive golf on the Fairview
team since he was a sophomore.
Now a junior, Sales said, “there’s definitely a lot more pressure this season because we lose 3 senior players but our goal stays the same. Just go as far as we can.”
Miles Kuhl (9) is a new addition to the Fairview golf team, and he’s making it clear that he’s not going anywhere. Kuhl currently qualified for states with a 71 along with Sales, who scored a 73.
As he continues to improve this season, he said one of his main goals is to “work on the setbacks I face while playing an individual sport, such as not doing well; which is kind of demotivating for me.”
Junior Holden Kritzeck is a varsity cross country runner and has more personal goals he wants to accomplish this season.
“Getting a new PR (personal record) would be amazing. I just want to run faster than I did last year,” said Kritzek.
Training in the heat, cold, rain, and snow, our cross-country team is ready to run faster than ever. Runners feel Coach Vandermosten has influenced them and impacted them in ways they will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Emma Mustelier, a senior on varsity softball, is looking forward to accomplishing her goal of connecting with the team more and having fun.
“My goal is to really connect with my team,” said Mustelier (12). “In the past few years, we haven’t had that team connection and with that, we haven’t had fun. Building that connection with each other will better us.”
While the fall teams this season have had both wins and losses, the fairview spirit was always there. Teachers, parents, and students supported every single one of their fellow nights!
The Boulder cruiser, also known as the “Happy Thursday Cruiser Ride,” was an event where high schoolers could gather together and socialize. Every Thursday, students would embark on a bike ride between different parks in Boulder. The ride started at 8:00 pm and usually ended around 10:00 pm. Every ride had a different theme that the riders would dress up for. Some of these themes included euphoria, animals, disco, pajamas and more.
“I liked the themes a lot. The themes were so cool. I loved dressing up,” said Emmy Croasdale (12).
“I enjoyed how everyone got together. It was an event to hang out with your friends at, and it was also just a really cool idea because it was an outdoor thing and exercise, even though I did not bike one time.” said Emmy Croasdale (12).
“I enjoyed the freedom and I enjoyed the tradition a lot. Everyone was there for the same reason, which was to have fun,” said Sophia Garrity Jacobs “I think it was just a nice way to connect with people our age and be free.” Kids went
see-- you would see them at a cruiser.”
Summer of 2022 came, and many noticed fewer people showing up.
“This year they were fun, but everyone set such high expectations for it because of last summer, and then this summer they saw it wasn’t as fun,” said Marcus Zoldack (12), but that wasn’t the only problem.
The cruisers had gone from a fun social event to a frightening and disorganized mess, according to some students.
“I disliked how scary they got and how much litter they left around town,” said, Garrity-Jacobs.
“I disliked how disorganized they were and also the destruction of property that would happen because for a while they were super fun, but then people started blowing things up,” said Croasdale. “The fireworks got it shut down.”
“Kids setting off fireworks. That was the root of all the problems,” said Zoldack.
In previous years, the summer cruisers never got this out of control, according to many students.
“Previous summer’s cruisers, there was a good energy of everyone being carefree and just coming for fun,” said Jacobs.
said Jacobs.
“I think it was just a matter of kids not really realizing that they could actually be shut down,” said O’Brien, “Because the cruisers are not really run through a specific person, it’s kind of weirdly anonymous, there is not a lot of accountability so I think people thought they could just do whatever they wanted.”
When it comes to litter, fireworks, and destruction, how could students change the cruisers so the tradition can continue?
“I think we should have trash pick-up stations, at specific spots throughout the cruiser so people always have a place to put their trash that’s not just the street,” said Jacobs.
“Honestly it’s as simple as I think kids just not lighting off fireworks. I don’t really know if there’s a way to enforce that but I think that maybe after this summer since there were consequences, hopefully, people would not do it next summer,” said O’Brien.
as far as to have Thursdays off in their work schedule. “I took Thursdays off on work. My schedule was Thursdays: cruiser. That’s what I’d think about on Thursday,” said, Croasdale.
They were a place to see people you know and meet people you don’t. “I enjoyed seeing everyone I knew,” said Tory O’Brien (12). “It was fun cause it was people you wouldn’t really typically
So how did the cruisers so drastically change? It boils down to the destruction. “I noticed that this summer was a little bit crazier. There were a lot more people coming this year than last summer,”
Over the summer a fun social activity turned into chaos leaving many Fairview students disappointed. story by holly auerbach design by eliana knode
“The cruisers had gone from a fun social event to a frightening and disorganized mess.”
From “High School Musical” to “Euphoria,” it’s safe to say that there’s an unreasonable amount of stereotypes and stigma surrounding the high school experience. There are so many aspects that play into different forms of media, ranging from drugs and sex to the unrealistic expectation to find the love of your life in high school. With an overwhelming amount of prejudices surrounding the truth about high school, real high school students are constantly underwhelmed by the seemingly mundane reality of their high school
years.
“When they portray [high school] on TV, they’re just trying to do it for shock value or sex appeal or something like that,” said Rachel Brennan (12).
But in real life, almost everything shown on screens is different.
“High school is different for almost everyone,” said Indigo Jones (12). “There are so many different interesting stories that can be told through a high school setting.”
So, what about Regina George? Where does Troy Bolton fit in?
In reality, “everyone in high school is pretty concerned about themselves”, said Julia Zemmelman (11). “People are envious of who they wanna be,” and high schoolers couldn’t care less about moving out of Regina George’s way in the crowded hallways or fangirling over Troy Bolton’s cute hair. “I feel like there’s different social aspects and ideas of popularity [in high school movies], where like, really that’s not the case,” Zemmelman said.
When the first season of Euphoria was released, a new portrayal of high school was added to the stereotypes: drug abuse, mental health, sex, and abusive relationships. It’s hard to get a real look into how these things truly play into the daily high school experience.
Still, Sven Vezmar (9) said that “some of it was very much true… some people in [Euphoria] are really depressed, and that aspect of high school is definitely true.” It can be argued whether or not Euphoria’s
depiction of high school is slightly more realistic, but either way, “in [the] movies, they only show people who are happy, but [Euphoria is] much more diverse.”
Despite all this, there are mixed opinions on whether or not the media’s portrayal of high school should be changed.
“Social media and movies, they just make fun spins off of it, so I don’t think it needs to be too realistic,” said Stella Laird (11). There’s not much that desperately needs to change, but “I feel like there needs to be just more diversity,” said Zemmelman.
The final takeaway?
“[The] way that you express yourself through your clothes or physically how you look is any way as acceptable the way that you are socially, the way that you prioritize your work, or anything…there’s no one way that you have to go about high school to be successful, or to be valued in other people’s eyes,” said Brennan.
“You just gotta experience it,” said Jones.
The truth behind what really goes on in high school
“I just feel like there needs to be more diversity,”
story and design by sophia zhangCarson McCardle (12) plays hackeysack with his friends in the cafeteria. photo by sophia zhang
“b-tch, you beter be joking.”
- Euphoria
“She doesn’t even go here!”
- Mean Girls “ugh! as if!”
- CluelessKelly Yang (10), Annalise Myatt (10), and Ishika Ganny (10) study a research paper for science seminar.
In the history of the NFL only 362 people have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. This summer, the first player from Fairview High School joined them. His name? Don Bosco Anthony “Tony” Boselli Jr. Tony Boselli was born on April 17, 1972 in Modesto, California. His accomplishments now include being a member of the Professional Football Hall of Fame. He went to college at the University of Southern California and eventually became the greatest player ever for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Despite everything that he has done in his life, it may have been his time playing football at Fairview High School and his head coach, Sam Pagano, that were the most influential.
As a kid, Boselli has said that he was “showered with love” by everyone around him. Boselli pointed to this affection playing an integral role in becoming one of the greatest players of all time: “Without the influence of family during my early years, my life of football isn’t happening,” said Boselli. Boselli’s football career began at the age of six when he began playing Little American Football. As he grew up in Colorado his big dream was to play for his home team, the Denver Broncos. What’s more is that the eventual 6’ 7”, 322 lb athlete wanted to be their quarterback (the average
after him. If anything is proof of success, a fast food restaurant adding the “Boselli Burger” to their menu to commemorate Boselli is definitely it.
The Fairview Football team poses for their annual photo in 1987, the year they won the State Championship.
Tony Boselli (left) and his teammates huddle around Coach Sam Pagano during a timeout.
The effect of changing FHS’s student-run website to a district managed platform story and design by elliott pease and addison washburn
for transferring the website’s information on to the new website over the Summer of 2022.
or the first time in 11 years, the Fairview website has shifted domains and is being remade on a new domain name. This has been a shock to the Fairview community, especially the current web team who maintained the previous website.
“This website has been in continuous development since, you know, 2010, 2011,” said Michael Brennan (12), a co-leader of the Web Team. “Over that time we’ve built up a huge set of features that are very specific to the needs of Fairview, the needs of the students, the needs of the teachers.”
The Web Team believes they have a wealth of information, knowledge and experience they can provide to any effort to transition or transform the FHS website to BVSD standards-- but they haven’t had any active say in the new changes to the website.
“We tried to meet with some of the people here at Fairview who are responsible for the website, and they just flat out kicked us out of the room-[they] told us it was adults only, which I think is a little weird considering that we’re the ones that developed the website,” said Brennan.
John Osbourne, a teacher at Fairview, was the individual responsible
“So January of 2020 was when they rolled out what is called Finalsite. All the schools embraced it, because they didn’t have a choice, and Fairview was the last holdout,” said Osbourne. “Last year, the district basically said, ‘you can’t be a holdout anymore’ and ‘you do it or we’ll do it for you’.”
“The biggest reason for it [changing the websites] was something called the Office of Civil Rights,” said Randy Barber, Chief of Communications for BVSD. “They’re the ones that oversee making sure that school districts abide by the civil rights laws. And one of those things is about accessibility of websites. My understanding is that there was one person that was going after school districts and filing these, what we call OCR complaints, and making a big deal about the accessibility of those websites.”
The change of websites, combined with the non-essential role of students in the new website’s development may spell doom for the Web Team, an
extracurricular that has existed since 2004.
“There isn’t really a guarantee that the web team will continue past this year,” said Austin Campbell (12), another co-leader of the web team.
Such a historic extracurricular has undeniable impacts not only on the school, but on its members themselves.
“This club was special to me because we were able to change something that would actually have an effect on the people on Fairview,” said Pranav Kadekodi (12), another co-leader of the Web Team. “It’s disheartening to see it go away, but I’m at least glad that I’ve had the chance to do something special.”
On August 4, 2022, Fairview’s new principal, Dr. Chopin, sent out her back-to-school email sharing with the Fairview community the news of the sexual assault trial of a former Fairview student, as well as information on a former Fairview student who pled guilty to three juvenile sexual assault charges.
“I will strive to share tough information with our community,” Chopin wrote, “Before you hear it in the rumor mill or media.”
“I think that in the past, there has not been action on the part of the administration,” said Anabelle Katz (12), referring to Chopin’s transparency. Chopin explains the reasoning behind her openness, saying “I addressed the situation directly and in an upfront way to acknowledge and respect the impact of the situation on our community.”
Chopin talks about the importance of transparency and honesty in her leadership position. “School culture is impacted positively when students trust adults in the building, including leadership,” she said. “Trust improves communication and collaboration between students and leadership.”
Although Chopin values honesty she also said that there is “a balance between openness and respecting an individual’s constitutional rights and civil liberties.”
Due to the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), school officials legally cannot share information if the issue involves student privacy, personnel issues, or law enforcement.
Some students, like Annabelle Katz, also value Chopin’s honesty.
“Transparency leads to students who feel safer and more informed,” said Katz (12).
However, Fairview students still have hopes for more change.
In regards to previous administrations, Julia Hunt (12), a member of the hiring committee for this years like the
language they used-- avoiding the term of sexual assault-- grouping it in with bullying and other bad behavior when I think this a really unique issue.”
Katz added her thoughts on the importance of taking accountability.
“With taking accountability, the past administration was like, ‘this is an issue but were not going to name what it is and it’s not our fault,’” she said.
“You are the administration. You are responsible for what happens in this school.”
Chopin has an open door for students who want to talk. If you need to contact Dr. Chopin about a non-urgent issue, you can attend listening sessions first and third Tuesday block mornings 8:35-9:20 a.m. She emphasizes the importance of reporting issues, stating that “it takes everyone working together to keep our community safe.”
Chopin frequently refers to Fairview’s 4 pillars: arts, academics, athletics, and-- recently added-advocacy. She is grateful for student advocacy as it allowed more diversity in fairview, and she is impressed by the advocacy of fairview student that led to change.
To highlight these four pillars, Chopin created the @fairview_bvsd instagram.
“I am working hard to share the excellence I experience daily here at Fairview,” she said.
Road. Hike on the main Chautaqua Trail towards the west, following along until it ends at a junction with the Bluebell-Baird and Flatirons Loop trails. Take the Flatirons loop trail as switchbacks up a slope. Eventually you’ll see a junction that says “1st/2nd Flatiron Descent Route”. Take a right at this junction, and begin hiking upwards. This is the steepest segment of the route, gaining 1,000 feet in less than a mile. At the top, the terrain opens up offering stunning views of the Third Flatiron, the Indian Peaks, and Boulder.
Rating: Medium
Distance: 6 miles
Begin at the Shanahan Ridge Trailhead, located off Lehigh Street. Follow the North Fork Shanahan Trail, passing by the Hardscrabble Connector, to it’s intersection with the Mesa/Shanahan-Mesa Trails. Walk straight ahead and follow the Shanahan-Mesa Trail past The Slab, a massive flatiron rock formation. Eventually you’ll reach the Fern Canyon Trail, which quickly and rapidly ascends up Bear Peak’s
slopes. Continue on this path for the remainder of your hike, reaching the top of Fern Canyon about halfway up the route. Take in the fantastic views, and then continue up Bear Peak’s Northern Ridge, reaching the summit after 3 miles of steep hiking. A small scramble is required to summit the peak, which offers spectacular views of the surrounding area.
Rating: Difficult
Distance: 20 miles
This is the ultimate Boulder route, crossing 6 mountain peaks. Begin by the South Mesa Trailhead, located off of Highway 170, and hike up the Mesa Trail to it’s intersection with the Shadow Canyon Trail. Climb up Shadow Canyon, reaching the saddle between South Boulder Peak and Bear Peak. Quickly ascend South Boulder Peak, and then descend and hike over to Bear Peak. From the summit of Bear, descend the West Ridge trail, following it down the backside of the mountain in Bear Canyon. Eventually the trail will intersect the GreenBear Trail, which you will follow up Green Mountain’s side. Take a right on the Green
Mountain West Ridge Trail, following said trail to the top of Green Mountain. From this summit, hike down the E.M. Greenman trail to it’s intersection with the Ranger Trail. Take this trail over to Realization Point on Flagstaff, which then allows you to connect with the Ute Trail. The summit of Flagstaff Mountain is a large rock, located in a field on the mountain’s relatively flat top. From this outcropping, take the Flagstaff trail down the mountain’s front, taking a left at Panorama Point onto the viewpoint trail. This route will take you down to Eben G. Fine Park, the lowest point along your journey. Cross underneath Canyon Boulevard, and head into the People’s Crossing. Climb up the Anenome Trail, reaching the summit of Anenome Hill. Head down the North Side of the People’s Crossing after summiting, reaching the Centennial Trailhead. Follow the Mt. Sanitas South Ridge Trail up to the top of the mountain, and you’re done. Take in the views, and then head down and chill by Pearl Street (uber or bike required to get back to other trailhead).
Enjoy the fall weather while it lasts!
Everybody loves hearing live music. Luckily for us, Denver is a popular venue for many artists when it comes to concerts and tours. With venues such as Mission Ballroom, Ogden Theater, The Fillmore, Ball Arena, Coors Field and everybody’s favorite, Red Rocks.
There are so many cool opportunities for people- students or not -to see their favorite artists live.“Spending money on tickets is worth it… I think the memories and experience of going to a concert is so much more in the long run” said FHS Senior, Connor Sexton.
The Weeknd, an exremely famous pop and R&B artist, came to Empower
Field at Mile High Stadium on August 18th, 2022. August 18th was also the first day of school, but that didn’t stop Fairview students from going to enjoy the music, and the “out-of-this-world
visuals and props” at the show (Holden Krizek, FHS Junior).
This summer, The Lumineers came to Coors field in Denver CO to perform their Brightside World Tour on July 22, 2022. On September 28th, 2022, the band Gorillaz came to the Ball Arena to perform. The last time they toured in the U.S was in 2018 for their The Now Now Tour.
Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem came to the Ball Arena for their Big Steppers tour on August 23rd, 2022. Fairview Junior, Roman Blood, said that “Kendrick Lamar and Baby Keem are (his) favorite musical artists so it was a really fun experience to see them in person”.
Måneskin -- November 14 -- Fillmore
Yung Gravy -- November 29 -- Fillmore
Carrie Underwood -- November 15 -Ball Arena
Colorado Symphony Orchestra -November 26 -- Boettcher Concert Hall
Between students and teachers the definition of a mental health day changes. To every person, a mental health day means something different. Maybe it’s a day to sleep in and reset your brain. Maybe it’s a day to catch up on homework. It could be anything, but essentially, it is the act of skipping/ missing school for reasons related to your mental health. It’s a day taken to simply decompress.
Mr. Peter Szameitat, a science teacher at Fairview said “I’d say a mental health day is taking time for myself away from my job, from my school, from my work, because I’m feeling like my workload or something about my regular day to day routine is weighing too heavily on me. That if I keep going the same way that I’ve been I’m gonna lose the capacity to do the best that I can do.”
High school is a world of its own. Students are thrown into new situations, new challenges arise, and most students face learning “the balancing act.” Between learning to drive, getting a job, playing competitive sports, joining extracurriculars, keeping up with academics, and all things friend-related, the stress of being a high schooler is usually addressed to full capacity.
An estimated amount of 31.9% of people ages 13-18 across the USA have some shape of anxiety disorder, according to Georgetown University. Within the last couple of years, anxiety and depression rates have risen in the USA.
“We’ve always been a fairly busy office of providing support for students, but I think in the last 3 years absolutely, there [has been an] increase in anxiety. The issue certainly feels bigger than it’s been in the past,” said counselor Ashley Houston.
“I mean just in general it’s important to be aware of your own stress levels and how you’re responding to things,” said Szameitat. “It’s a skill that we need to learn and work with.”
While the first thought of skipping school can be negative, taking a mental health day can be used as a resource as well.
“To me, a mental health day isn’t a complete day off, I think just staying home from school or sleeping in a little bit but still catching up on all your stuff, and getting well rested and getting ready to come back, later or the next day,” said Cecil Carroll (11).
Between the ups and downs of not only high school, but life as well, it’s important to take care of yourself.
Believe it or not, skipping school can be used as a resource when used responsibly, according to some students and teachers.
“I actually encourage kids to [take a mental health day] when they’re really stressed. I think that it helps [...].
Sometimes you just need a day to get organized or to take care of yourself,” said social studies teacher Jennifer Kraemer.
In a poll conducted by the Royal Banner, 60% of Fairview students who responded said they had skipped school for mental health reasons at least once.
“I have skipped one day before because of mental health reasons. Yeah, I just stayed home and caught up on all my homework, and it did really help. And even though it didn’t really feel great on the day, because I was just doing homework all day, it felt relieving afterward,” said Carroll.
The stigma surrounding mental health is an issue nationwide. It’s constantly thrown under the rug or thought of as an excuse. The advocacy and resources for students struggling with anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, or any mental illness have grown throughout the years, as its become more apparent that it’s an issue in need of addressing.
“It’s kind of taboo in some families to even suggest it. That somehow there’s a weakness associated with [mental health difficulties] and really, taking care of yourself makes it so that you can do a better job as time goes on,” said Szameitat.
As time has gone on, resources for mental health have improved. However,
“I really wish that stigma wasn’t there, Its an important issue to talk about.”
“That if I keep going the same way that I’ve been I’m gonna lose the capacity to do the best that I can do.”
siena scornavacco design by mia nicholson & siena scornavacco
there’s still work to be done.
“I really wish that stigma wasn’t there,” Houston said. “It’s an important issue to talk about.”
Organizations as local as Fairview’s Sources of Strength group, as nationwide as the Suicide Hotline, and everywhere in between, are dedicated to providing students with resources and the platform to help themselves
half a day off to catch up on homework, or it could be something more serious.
“There is a spectrum of why someone might use that. Sometimes it might just be a break or sometimes it’s something bigger,” said Houston.
Understanding those around you and that everyone’s needs might be different is a skill within itself.It can clue teachers, friends or counselors into the
the negatives. I think certainly you probably have to put some limits on it and make sure people aren’t avoiding the situation. You certainly don’t want to create that space where someone is just avoiding something hard,” said Houston.
Sometimes, when you’re already in over your head, it can feel like it’s impossible to get back to a place of neutrality. Taking a mental health day can be used as a resource, and something can benefit people in a variety of ways. It’s important that if you take one, for whatever reason that it may be, to be able to come back with a better mental state, less anxiety, or whatever you might need.
“I think that it’s important that people understand that asking for help and taking time to take care of yourself and the people around you is an amazing thing,” said Szameitat. It needs to be viewed as something positive.”
and others.
“I think that’s what it’s all about, the individual identifying what needs they have, where they’re at and then as a school, as an educational system, we can do a lot better job,” said Szameitat.
Taking a mental health day can be a resource within itself. The ability to take time to reset can be very beneficial. There are so many individual reasons that could contribute to anxiety and to the need/want to take a day off.
“It’s not just school that’s a stressor,” said Szameitat “There are lots of other things that can lead to needing a mental health day.
Not only can school or homework create the need to take a day off, but there is a variety of reasons why it could be necessary. With school, work, friends, sports, family and anything else happening, the amount of stress can increase. A mental health day could be
fact that maybe you really do need a break to decompress.
“Honestly, my opinion is that you should take those days, whether they’re official mental health days or not. You need some time to step away from what you’re doing so you can get in the right headspace. We shouldn’t be punishing people for doing that,” said Szameitat.
On the other hand, like any other resource, a mental health day can be used irresponsibly. The point of a day off is to reset so that in the future, you are able to continue putting your best work forward, as well as create a good environment for yourself mentally.
“It could become like a never-ending cycle if you take a day to do work but then you end up missing out on more work in that class,” said Vivian Cao (11).
Being responsible for things such as these is important so that you don’t find yourself in a spiral.
“I think the positives outweigh
Suicide and Crisis Hotline - Dial 988
Boulder County Mental Health Hotline - https://namibouldercounty. org/resources/boulder-county-mentalhealth-resources/
SAMHASAS National Hotlinehttps://www.samhsa.gov/find-help/ national-helpline
Mental Health, Boulder Countyhttps://www.mentalhealthcolorado.org/ help/
Counseling and Pyschiatric Serviceshttps://www.colorado.edu/counseling/
“I think that it’s important that people understand that asking for help and taking time to take care of yourself and the people around you is an amazing thing,”
Elianna Jewett
Hocus Pocus: Because it’s about these adventurous high schoolers who believe in these town legends about witches. They turn out to be right and accidently wake them up. And its up to these high schoolers to save the children from being eaten by the witches. It’s really funny and there’s a cute side love story. Plus the black cat is a fan favorite.
Ethan Berg
Or...No Favorite At All: The reason I don’t watch spooky movies is definitely not because I get scared. I had nightmares about the AMC Walking Dead haunted house and The Sixth Sense until like 6th grade.
Samuel Schwalbach
Shutter Island: I like it because it really messes with your head and you have to pay attention to the film to understand the ending.
Addison Washburn
Psycho: Psycho is, from a technical standpoint, the perfect horror film. Anthony Perkins does such an amazing job portraying Norman Bates, and Alfred Hitchcock directs this to perfection. I make it a tradition to marathon Hitchcock films every Halloween season. He’s probably one of my favorite directors.
ShaeAnne Miner
Fantastic Mr. Fox: The animation is one of my favorites. I love Wes Anderson’s symmetrical shots and bright color pallets because they make all of his films more interesting to watch. I also love this film because the overall theme of this movie reminds me of fall which is one of my favorite seasons. I think that Wes Anderson did a great job following the original Fantastic Mr. Fox book and it’s cool to see his interpretation of it in a film. This movie just has such a cute story and it’s one of my favorite comfort films.
Out of everyone in Fairview publications the overall favorite seasonal movie is The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown directed by Bill Melendez in 1966. “It reminds me of childhood and makes me nostalgic for better times,” Annika Aumentado, junior. “It’s just a super nice movie and I watch it with my family every year so it has good memories attached,” Nik Sahami, senior. “It has everything. It has comedy, suffering, pain, triumph. A true classic,” Wesley Schlatcher, sophmore.
Sophia Zhang
The Others: The whole movie takes place in a gloomy castle where it’s always foggy and rainy, and it adds to the spooky vibe in the movie but also relates to the fall season, and it’s almost a comforting movie despite the fact that its spooky.
John Kowalski
The Nightmare Before Christmas: It’s a classic holiday film/halloween film. The stop-motion is fascinating, and the sets are immaculate and beautiful. I love this film.
Eliana is a senior, and this is her third year with The Royal Banner. She is proud to be an Editor-in-Chief, and also to encourage student activism within the Fairview and larger Boulder community. Eliana loves spending time with her friends and her three amazing dogs.
Lily is a senior, and this is their third year with The Royal Banner. They’re excited to explore the Banner’s possibilities this year and to foster a spirit of excitement and curiosity within the paper. Lily enjoys writing and hiking in our beautiful city.
This issue's cover was photographed by Michael Nedd. The photograph was taken during the second mountain biking race in Eagle. Taken at the bottom of a hill while Dylan Haynes was doing a jump this photo was taken at just the right moment.
Business Business Manager:
Claire-Maria Broaddus
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Website Feature
“Be the change you wish to see in the world”: New English teacher hopes to inspire students at Fairview
The Royal Banner is a 20-page news magazine. The Banner is written primarily for the over 2000 students attending Fairview High School and is distributed free of charge to all members of the school community. Accurate reporting of fact is the goal of the staff. Commentaries, opinion columns and letters to the editor are the expressed opinion of the author and not of the Royal Banner and its Editorial Board or adviser.
Under Colorado law, no expression made by students in the exercise of free speech or freedom of the press shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy. No school district, employee, legal guardian or official of such a district shall be held liable in any criminal action for any expression made or published by a student. The Royal Banner sells advertisements for publicity and to pay for printing costs. We reserve the right to refuse to run any advertisement deemed inappropriate to the Fairview community.
