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TABLEOFCONTENTS FULL TIME
How one student works to support his family.
PA G E 4
MANDARIN AND GOLDFISH
The story of one freshman’s trips to China and his journey of learning Mandarin.
PA G E 6
DON’T GO BREAKIN’ MY HARP Vivian Tang shares her journey as a harpist.
PA G E 7
MEET DOT KELLNER
The story behind her smile.
PA G E 8
TRANSITION TO TRANS
Blake Priebe shares views on what it’s like to be trans.
PA G E 1 0
SUPPORTING THE FUTURE
Gabriella Martinez brings her passion for teaching to Fairview.
PA G E 1 1
COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL
Parker Jewell explains his love of turtles.
PA G E 1 2
SPOT THE DIFFERENCE
Can you spot the ten differences in the rowdy senior section?
PA G E 1 3
SOLDIER BOY
Oz Markman-Raffeld’s choice to follow in his father’s footsteps.
PA G E 1 4
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STORIES.
Five hundred and sixty freshmen. Five hundred and fifty three sophomores. Five hundred and sixty nine juniors. Five hundred and forty six seniors. One hundred forty seven staff members. In a school of two thousand three hundred
Five hundred and sixty freshmen.and seventy-five people, it’s easy to reduce Five hundred and fifty three sophomores. the faces you pass by in the halls to only that: Five hundred and sixty nine juniors. faces. But what we forget to consider is that Five hundred and forty six seniors. just as our lives are full of exploration, sorOne hundred forty seven staff members.
row, joy, bizarre experiences and extraordiIn a school of two thousand three hundred nary things, so are the lives of the other two and seventy-five people, it’s easythousand to reduce three hundred and seventy-four. the faces you pass by in the halls to only that: second installment of the People In this faces. But what we forget to consider is that Issue, we sought to remove the veil and exjust as our lives are full of exploration, sorsome untold stories of students and row, joy, bizarre experiences and pose extraordinary things, so are the lives of thestaff. other Out two of the two thousand, we present just a few of the innovators, the dreamers, thousand three hundred and seventy-four. In this third installment of the annual Peothe persistent and the bold. Here are your ple Issue, we sought to remove the veil and stories. expose some untold stories of students and staff. Out of the two thousand, we present Molly Box and Noah Finer just a few of the innovators, the dreamers, the persistent and the bold. HereCo-Editors-in-Chief are your stories. -Molly Box and Noah Finer Royal Banner Co-Editors-In-Cheif
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PHOTO BY NOAH FINER
FULL TIME
How one student works to support his family BY EMMA O’LEARY
By 7:00 a.m., Brian Moreno is out the door and on his way to school. He won’t return until 10:00 p.m. By 3:20 p.m., he is bursting through the school doors into the sunlight, on his way to Taco Bell. He works there 50 hours per week, every week, to support his family.
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“Right now I’ll be the first generation to graduate high school.” Brian started working at a young age. His first job was working five days per week for a construction company in Wyoming one summer. He was 13 years old. One of his proudest accomplishments is making it this far in high school. “My parents didn’t make it to high school. They dropped out in middle school and elementary school, so right now I’m still continuing my education,” Brian said. “Right now I’ll be the first generation to graduate high school.” Brian said that working full time makes it hard to focus on school. “When I get out of school I go straight to work, and I don’t have time to do [schoolwork],” he said. Brian was on the football team before getting injured. He once hopedss to play football in his future. “My vision’s kind of changed,” Brian said. “Now I just want to be successful in life, like [having] my own job, not [having] to worry about having my kids work ... at an early age as well.” Brian has worked as a night janitor, landscaper, construction worker and now as a Taco Bell employee. “It’s not hard. I’m actually more proud of [my work] because I get to help out my family and sisters.”
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He looks up to his mom, who single-handedly raised him and his siblings. He is motivated by his family.
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“I’m actually more proud of [my work] because I get to help out my family and sisters.”
“The smile my mama gets when I help her out,” Brian said. “When my sisters, on their birthdays or Christmas, when I get them gifts, that keeps me motivated.”
6 Jobs 4 Years Moreno Construction Dushanbe Tea House Acustream Office Janitor Landscaping Taco Bell
Junior Brian Moreno speaks about his work expe P H OTO BY K AT E M A RT I N
experience.
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MANDARIN AND GOLDFISH
The story of a freshman’s trips to China and his journey of learning Mandarin BY ELLA WAWRZYNEK Walton Bullard has been to China so many times that he can’t give an exact count. “Between seven and ten times,” he said. “Because I don’t know how many times I went before I could remember.” His mother is Chinese and was raised by aunts and uncles who still live in China. “My mom is Chinese, so we usually visit [China] every other summer, sometimes every summer,” Walton said. “My mom likes to take us down there because both me and my brother are learning Mandarin. It lets us talk to all the people that we know, all our family.” Walton has been been learning Mandarin since he was young, and used to come to Fairview on Sundays for a class in Chinese. “I got to the level where I could have taken the IB test, but then I decided to stop
because I thought it would be better for me to have a person-to-person experience with people who are more fluent in Mandarin than I am,” said Walton. The last time he visited China he didn’t just visit his relatives; he went to a two week long camp, where he traveled around China with other kids from the US.
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“[I] got to meet new people from all around the country, which was nice.”
Walton.“[I] got to meet new people from all around the country, which was nice.” But his favorite experience in China was a visit to his great aunt when he was younger. “We would go to these places where they had these massive goldfish ponds, and we would get to feed them there,” said Walton. “We’d buy turtles or fish for us to keep as pets.” And Walton hopes that he’ll be able to keep visiting China. “I do have multiple good memories there and all that sort, so I’d like to keep going back.”
“We just went around ... and visited places like Beijing, and the northern area,” said Freshman Walton Bullard talks about his trips to China
PHOTO BY ARI SOTO
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DON’T GO BREAKIN’ MY HARP Vivian Tang shares her journey as a harpist BY EMI AMBORY Senior Vivian Tang prepares to play the harp. PHOTO BY CEDRIC ZELLER
She sighed in exhaustion as she laid her hands on her harp to silence the strings. Vivian Tang had just concluded a 30-minute repertoire for the 2017 American Harp Society’s competition against five other teen harpists in her division. Later that day she would discover she had won first place. “It felt impossible, especially since I had only started playing two years before,” Vivian said. At the end of her freshman year, Vivian abandoned the piano, which she had been playing for ten years, and started the harp. Not only was this switch a decision that could prove to be fruitless, but it was to an instrument that is notoriously expensive and difficult. “My parents were actually pretty against it; obviously starting something freshman year is a risk because you don’t really know where it’s going to go,” Vivian said. But Vivian found a bliss in playing in the harp that she hadn’t found elsewhere. This new love gave her the dedication required to practice and persevere as she learned her new instrument. For the past two and a half years, Vivian has practiced two to four hours a day, pushing herself to improve as much as she can. “It’s one of those things where you kind of
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“It’s one of those things where you kind of forget about everything else.” forget about everything else,” said Vivian. However, her paradise is not without its difficult times. “At the end of the day you don’t always see improvement,” Vivian said. “When you’re having a hard time, remember why you’re playing in the first place. Whenever you’re feeling lost, just think of that.” Vivian certainly has points that are hard to master and move past. But instead of feeling defeated, she channels her love for the harp and persists. “I’ve been lucky enough to find the harp,” Vivian said. “I just can’t imagine what it would be like to live without it at this point.”
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MEET DOT The story behind her smile
BY C H LO E CO P E A N D ANYA AIDUN You might know Dot Kellner as the cheerful face that greets everyone who walks through the front doors, or as the staff member who dresses up for every spirit day, but she is much more than that. A self-labeled “military brat” who grew up in Colorado Springs, Dot decided to stay close to home and attend Colorado College. During her junior year, she was able to study abroad in London for a semester, a trip that she described as “one of the best experiences of my life.” However, one of the most important parts of Dot’s life growing up, which shaped her into the woman that she is today, is dance.
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“I used to be a dancer. Long, long, long ago.” “I used to be a dancer,” she said. “Long, long, long ago. Ballet was my thing, and then I got into modern and all that.”
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Ballet helped to teach Dot discipline and responsibility at a young age. “Especially early on, ballet is all about discipline,” she said. “It’s about a regimented schedule, it’s about finding the body … it’s about knowing who you are, and feeling comfortable and acting out roles.”
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“Especially early on, ballet is all about discipline.”
The acting and role-playing that she experienced through dance introduced Dot to theatre, another important aspect of her life throughout high school and college. “From [dance] I got into acting, [and I] did a little bit of Speech and Debate,” she said. In her senior year of high school, Dot placed sixth in Poetry at the national Speech and Debate competition. Now, she helps out with the Fairview Speech and Debate team. Unfortunately, dance is no longer a part of Dot’s life. Between her job and three kids, the only dancing that she gets in is “around the kitchen [and] in the car.” “I do miss it,” she said. “This job has me sitting a lot, and so I think that I could really benefit from being more active and more dance.” However, there is still one option to combine work and dance. “Maybe I’ll join Mrs. Vlachos in her zumba class one day,” she laughed.
DOT’S LIFE 1970
Dot Kellner is born in Colorado Springs
1975
Takes her first dance class
1988
Places sixth in national Speech and Debate tournament Graduates high school
1990
Spends a semester in London
2016
Dot Kellner smiles at a student.
Begins to work at Fairview
PHOTO BY NOAH FINER
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TRANSITION TO TRANS
Blake Priebe shares her views on what it’s like to be trans BY IAN VASQUEZ
There are some people who feel different. Not in anyway that we can see, but in their heads and hearts they know that they’re not completely right. One student in particular struggles with that issue--like feeling like one thing yet being another. “You just don’t feel right. You just feel different,” said sophomore Blake Priebe. Blake prefers to be called by female pronouns despite being a biological male. She’s transgender. “First you have to go through the whole social thing with your friends, your family
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“You just don’t feel right. You just feel different.”
… which usually takes a while,” said Blake. “Just getting everyone to understand and accept who you are. Then there’s the hormones, which are a big step. A point-of-noreturn step.” Blake has been faced with these choices for a while. “[I’ve known for] a good three or four years. But I first came out last year,” she said. Now, having come out as transgender, Blake finds herself anxious about all of the violence against trans people that frequent the world today. However, everyone that Blake has come out to has been supportive of her choice, and she has a loving community of close friends who welcome and embrace her for who she is. “They’re all very nice, very accepting,” said Blake. Like her friends, most of Blake’s peers accept her transgender status. However, there are a few exceptions. Blake said that there are people who “don’t respect anybody, so they kind of single out anyone they can.” Through her transition, Blake has stayed
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true to herself and supported other LGBTQ community members. For anyone who is transgender and still having trouble coming out, Blake has this advice: “Don’t let anybody rush you, because if you’re not ready to come out, don’t let anybody tell you [that] you need to. Just take your time, go at your own pace, however slow that may be.”
Sophomore Blake Priebe speaks on her experience PHOTO BY NOAH FINER
SUPPORTING THE FUTURE Gabriella Martinez brings her passion for teaching to Fairview B Y K I R A PA T T O N A N D M O L LY B O X Whether it be looking over essays, grading homework or helping students who are the first in their family to receive their diplomas, part time social studies teacher Gabriella Martinez continues to pursue her passion: to challenge and guide her students through their high school careers. Throughout her time in school, Martinez’s teachers inspired her to become an educator. In seventh grade, she enjoyed car rides to school with a teacher, during which they bonded over their shared love of music. In high school, Martinez’s track coach pushed her to be her absolute best, both on and off the track. “If I can be like [my coach] when I grow up, that’s what I want to do,” Martinez said. She eventually realized that one day she would become a teacher.
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“Seeing them get their acceptance letter ... that, to me, is one of the most beautiful moments.” While Martinez was studying at the University of Colorado, she worked with Boulder High School’s Adelante! program. Martinez was able to help students during this job, originally a volunteer position, who were the first in their family to graduate from high school and attend college. Martinez devoted herself to her students, all of whom continue to inspire her today. “Seeing them get their acceptance letter … that, to me, is one of the most beautiful moments,” said Martinez. Similar to what Martinez had experienced as a student, she still stays in touch with her past students. “Keeping that relationship going after they’ve graduated is very important to me. I love that a lot,” said Martinez. Martinez’s work with students has just begun, having recently finished school at CU
Boulder. She continues to help change students’ lives for the better through her dedication and passion. “I know what it means to work hard and do what you love.”
Social studies teacher Gabriella Maritnez in her classroom. PHOTO BY ELIANA VALENZUELA CABRIALES
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COMING OUT OF HIS SHELL Parker Jewell explains his love of turtles BY KINDRA RODEN Parker Jewell was born with a love of turtles. He and his family own nine turtles and hope to eventually have a turtle sanctuary. “We’re trying to move to a place with a little more property so we can get more turtles,” said Parker. “The long term goal is to be a place [where] people can bring in turtles that they no longer want to care for, and then we will care for them.”
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“The long term goal is to be a place [where] people can bring in turtles that they no longer want to care for, and then we will care for them.” Turtles are Parker’s favorite animals. If he could have any animal in the world as a pet, it would be an aldabra tortoise, the second largest tortoise in the world. “I have one really big [turtle] who thinks that he is better than everyone,” said Parker. “So he’ll come up behind you and run into the backs of your legs and knock you down
PHOTO BY JULIE JEWELL
… that just shows that they have different personalities.” Parker compares turtles to old men, but with a lot more personality. And if you’re wondering how to get turtles to follow you somewhere, the answer is red Crocs. “I have red Crocs that for whatever reason, my turtles think ... are food,” said Parker. “They all follow me when I’m wearing the
Parker Jewell with one of his turtles, Shanti, and two tortoises, Simba and Rafiki.
red Crocs … so I wear them a lot when I need to lead them places. It’s just super hilarious because they keep trying to eat my feet.” Parker’s passion for turtles started with his dad’s childhood obsession with the animals, which turned into a family love. “It was a weird obsession of my [dad’s] when he was a kid, and that grew,” said Parker.
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“I have one really big [turtle] who thinks that he is better than everyone.”
Parker’s dad was able to turn a childhood love into something that he passed on to his son. “I like turtles,” said Parker. “If you have any turtles you want to give to me, come talk to me.”
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SPOT THE DIFFERENCE BY NOAH FINER
Can you find the 10 differences in this rowdy senior section? See the answers at fhsroyalbanner.com
Seniors cheer for the football team during the Boulder vs. Fairview game. PHOTO BY CEDRIC ZELLER
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SOLDIER BOY Oz Markman-Raffeld’s choice to follow in his father’s footsteps.
STAFF
R O YA L B A N N E R 2 0 1 7 -1 8
EDITORS-IN-CHIEF
Noah Finer Molly Box
SECTION EDITORS
BY DARYA NAVID
Student News Emma O’Leary
In less than two years, the Israeli Army could be getting a new recruit. After high school, junior Oz Markman-Raffeld is considering enlisting. Oz began considering it as an option for his future after a summer camping trip with his father’s old unit and their children. “I saw how their sons and daughters were going into the military,” said Oz. “I felt like I wanted to become a part of that because they were doing something special, and I wanted to do something special.”
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“I learned about what life is like in other places, and it [made] me think about where I want to go and what I want to do.” Oz’s father served in the special unit of the Israeli Military. On the trip, his interest in the army increased. “I learned about what life is like in other places, and it [made] me think about where I want to go and what I want to do after high school” said Oz. “My options right now are college in the United States or Isreal, or the military in Isreal.”
“I felt like I wanted to become a part of that because they were doing something special, and I wanted to do something special.”
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Joining the military would mean more than serving a country to Oz; it means honoring his father and his legacy. Oz said, “[I want] to serve Israel and my family, and to follow in my dad’s footsteps because I really respect him and what he ... has done.”
Opinion & Politics Carter Hanson Entertainment Anya Aidun Sports David Hirschhorn Humor Carter Hanson
Social Media Emi Ambory
Photo Editor Cormac Dowling Webmaster Nate Bilbrey Copy Editor Chloe Cope
STA F F R E P O RT E RS
Henry Larson, Ella Wawrzynek, Ari Soto, Darya Navid, Bode Branstetter, Kate Martin, Kindra Roden, Ian Vasquez, Kira Patton, Eliana Valenzuela Cabriales, Kara Stepanik, Arshan Aidun, Vincent Kershner
BUSINESS
Adviser Sarah M. Zerwin
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ABOUT US
The Royal Banner is a 16-page news magazine. The Banner is written primarily for the over 2,400 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 its adviser. *Disclaimer: 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.
Junior Oz Markman-Raffeld stares at the camera. P H OTO BY K AT E M A RT I N
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