The Rampage 2270 Highway 133 Carbondale , CO 81623
Whatʼs Inside: Buddy Program pg. 2
Homecoming Recap pg. 4-5
October 2015
Volume 9
Issue 1
Fall Frenzy: Rams rake up the wins Conrado Dolores
These players show what it means to be a Ram, in and out of the game. The Rampage has chosen to recognize them for their team spirit and dedication to their school. Stories written by Hayden Bernot and Caitlin O’Gorman.
This lineman is a large asset and contributor to the Roaring Fork football team. They are already off to a great start, and Conrado is a key leader on and off the field, making smart choices in school and helping fellow players get through practices. “I feel like we are actually communicating as a team,” Dolores said. “Especially when we work on our individual groups and positions, we are actually doing great work and [communication]. That’s the big difference [between] us and other teams.” This year’s team is speculated to advance further into the playoffs as the season continues. “As a team right now, I feel we have already accomplished good things, but Coach Kelley is always pushing us to do better and making sure we aren’t slacking off,” Dolores remarked with a smile. When Dolores was asked about how far he thinks his team will go, he commented, “I think we actually have a shot at winning league and going deep into the playoffs.” This year’s Varsity team is loaded with many other key contributors, but Conrado Dolores has been an important role model in the classroom and under the lights.
Ashley Hall The Lady Ram’s volleyball season is getting up and running, and the girls are excited and hopeful about this year’s potential. This is Ashley’s second year on the varsity team, but the first time as a captain. With five seniors on the team, Ashley wants to make this season the best she can for the girls playing for their last year. “I am excited to keep everyone’s hopes up throughout the season, because we love our crowd,” Hall said. This year the girls have had good chemistry that will help them throughout the season and push them to do their best. “We work hard to make sure we don’t get down on each other,” she said. A new coach, Dennis Sunderland, was added to the program this year. “Dennis has really encouraged us to be the best we can be and not to settle for anything else,” said Hall. Hall also stressed the importance of keeping everyone injury free and making sure that they work on their mental and physical toughness. The Lady Rams are optimistic that their hard work and strong charisma will pay off this season.
New coaches pg. 7
10 things NOT to do on Halloween
pg. 8
Gustavo Olivas With the start of an exciting soccer season, Gustavo Olivas takes on the role as a captain of the Varsity soccer team. The returning Varsity coach, Nick Forbes, and new Junior Varsity coach, Jackie Vosler, are working hard to keep the boys focused and in great shape. As a captain, Gustavo is looking forward to leading the team and keeping them focused throughout the whole season. “The team has learned from last years season and [we’re] working on improving this year,” Olivas says. Gustavo has been working extremely hard to perfect his skills through training and conditioning. “I have improved my game since last season, which will help the whole team,” Olivas said. Serving as a role model for both JV and Varsity players is a big responsibility but Olivas is ready to take on the challenge and leave his legacy. The team is starting off strong, with a record of 4-2-1, and there are high hopes for an extended playoff season.
Feature
2 Rampage October 2015
The Buddy Program is Back! -Eryn Doherty While everyone is settling into a new school year, Big Buddies from RFHS are being paired with Little Buddies from Crystal River Elementary School through the Buddy Program. The Buddy Program first started over forty years ago when their ‘community based program’ paired 2 adults in Aspen with little buddies. The purpose of this program is to empower youth through mentoring experiences in order to achieve their full potential. Brooke Bockelman, the LEAD programs manager of the Buddy Program
says, “Typically, what we are looking to do is support students in achieving whatever their full potential is.” Bockelman adds that it’s an opportunity for kids to develop life skills. However, those life skills will look different with every student that joins the program. After a high school student is matched with an elementary student, the developing process begins. One day a week, the mentors go to CRES to “bond” with their mentees for forty-five minutes. The first part of the session includes
a group activity that involves everyone in the Buddy Program. “We play games outside or just board games and talk about their day and their lives,” says senior Beth Fawley. She says it’s about building a relationship and making connections. Bockelman says that some students may need this relationship to help them open up and express their emotions. For a little buddy to be admitted to the program, a teacher or counselor has to refer them to the program. However, some students self refer if they
want a big buddy. Bockelman says, “We believe every student can benefit from having a mentor.” She adds that having someone else’s support or guidance can help anyone.
“Typically, what we are looking to do is support students in achieving whatever their full potential is.”
Lorenzo Andrade with his buddy during the Buddy Program.
Senior Spotlight: Getting to know the four presidents -Katie Weimer Senior class president is a big responsibility. This year, the job is being shared among four different students. Seniors Emily Mata, Jasmin Tellez, Daisy Contreras and Nedison Platero have stepped up to lead their class through their last year of high school. Last year when student council elections rolled around, Platero and Contreras ran against Tellez and Mata for president. When the votes were counted, the election results were so close that the four ultimately decided to share the position to better reflect the ideas and wishes of the entire senior class. Each of these students have had unique experiences throughout high school and they each bring their own strengths and opinions to the table. As the year continues to move forward, with events like Senior Ditch Day and Graduation, RFHS will get to see what this team of four can do.
Senior Emily Mata
Q: What has been the best memory of high school this far? A: My favorite high school memory so far is going to New York with Model UN last year. Q: What advice would you give to a freshman? A: Don’t try to be like everyone else. Find what your passions and interests are and pursue them! Then support everyone else who is working towards their dreams and goals. Q: What made you want to run for class president? A: I wanted to make our last year together an awesome experience! It would be so great if we could all look back at senior year as the best part of high school. Q: What are your goals this year as a class president? A: My goals as class president are to make everyone in our class feels like an important part of the school, and to help all of the events (graduation, senior ditch day, etc) go smoothly! Q: Does it make it easier or harder to have three other co-presidents? A: Having three co-presidents is great because we represent a wide variety of opinions within the grade. It also takes of some of the pressure off of each of us individually to know that there are three other people who are working hard to make all the seniors happy.
Senior Daisy Contreras Q: What has been your best memory of high school this far? A: The best memory would have to be giving my Senior speech this year. Q: What advice would you give to a freshman? A: The advice I would give to freshmen is to stay focused. Stay focused on your goals. Do what makes you happy. But more than anything believe in yourself. Q: What made you want to run for class president? A: My journey made me want to run for class president. Seeing how far I’ve come made me want to take it a step further. Q: What are your goals this year as a class president? A: My goal as class president is to make it a memorable experience. I want the class of 2016 to look back at senior year and not regret anything. My academic goal is to pass all my classes and graduate, of course. Q: Does it make it easier or harder to have three other co-presidents? A: I think it makes it easier to have three other co-presidents because we all have great ideas. Plus, we work together to make things happen.
The four class presidents pose together in a selfie.
Feature
3 Rampage October 2015
Crew Cruises in to Roaring Fork High School -Zoe Hanlon When Roaring Fork High School students arrived for their first day of class, one major change stood out. Instead of a weekly advisory, students now attend a thirty-minute CREW period between their first and second hour classes. This change does not only apply to Roaring Fork High School. CREW has been implemented in many schools throughout the Roaring Fork School District with the the intent of building character and providing support to students. What is CREW? CREW is a time dedicated to focusing on character development (including habits of a scholar, social-emotional learning and goal setting) and providing academic and social support . It took over a year of planning and research before it was launched district-wide this year. Teachers spent several days in training at the beginning of the school year to learn how to lead their own CREW. “The idea of CREW is that students have a crew, a team, to which they belong,” said Rob Stein, the assistant superintendent of the Roaring Fork School District. “The goal is that students get through CREW a lot more academic support… academic advising and.. support in character development,” Stein added. From a teacher’s perspective, “The whole point of [CREW] is so that kids have at least one adult that they’re talking with consistently,” said Carmen McCracken, an English teacher and Junior CREW leader at RFHS. Each CREW contains a group of about fifteen carefully selected and balanced students of the same grade level. The hope is that each teacher will continue to have the same group of students until they graduate. “The reason that we went grade level is because we wanted to be deliver some grade level specific content,” said Principle Drew Adams. He has a CREW of Freshmen this year and plans to
Senior Jasmin Tellez
A Crew works together to complete a scavenger hunt on the first day of school.
provide help and support as his students learn to navigate the new environment of high school. Many teachers find value in this new system. Laura French is the CREW leader for a group of Seniors this year. “The nice thing [about CREW] is that you actually go about building a relationship and so you know a little bit about each other,” she said. Students attend CREW for half an hour four times a week and participate in a variety of activities including team building, emotional check-ins and silent reading.
Q: What has been your best memory of high school this far? A: My best memories are when I was doing school activities outside of school. Like Model UN, Homecoming week etc. I created memories and friendships. Q: What advice would you give to a freshman? A: I think the most important thing a freshman should know is that highschool is a place to find who you are as a person so enjoy every moment and don’t stress too much; it’s only the beginning. Q: What made you want to run for class president? A: I really like the idea of taking on an important role. As President you have to be responsible and willing to help out. That’s what I wanted to be. Q: What are your goals this year as a class president? A: As president, I want to get to know my classmates better. It helps when you know people because you know what they want and you know how to help them. Q: Does it make it easier or harder to have three other co-presidents? A: In a way it’s a lot easier, we can divide our work. But I think that it can also be difficult at times because we are different people with different ideas. Q: What are your plans after high school? A: Right after high school I want to continue studying. I want to study international business and international affairs. I think this career path is a great way to travel and discover the world.
CREW has been an interesting experience for returning Roaring Fork High School students. It is more structured than advisory and there is no homework time like Study Center (the advisory/ homework support program used last year). “I think I prefered Study Center over CREW because with Study Center you had more time and you could go to certain teachers and ask for help,” said junior Ailyn Arevalo. Many students feel similarly. “I feel like CREW’s just a waste of time,” added sophomore Irving Anchondo. “In Study Center they actually let us do work; in CREW we have to do team building,” Anchondo said. However, CREW is not meant to be homework time. CREW is meant to be a support system with a focus on building character. CREW won’t work without student and staff buyin. If everyone takes CREW seriously and puts in effort to make it work, the whole district will see results. The goal of every CREW leader is to make sure all the students in their CREW graduate. However, this will not happen if students don’t give CREW a chance. “In my CREW we [have gotten] to know each other a lot, so that means I can feel more free to ask for help,” said sophomore Kyra Smith. “I think that the teamwork... is a great way of getting to know your classmates,” she added. Emily Mata, a senior at RFHS, feels like CREW has the potential to really help her this year. “I think CREW is definitely an improvement. It’s not perfect but is better than the things we’ve done in the past,” she says. As the year progresses it will become more evident whether or not CREW will be effective in helping the students of RFHS be successful. The objective of a school is always to do what is best for it’s students, and CREW will hopefully be another way of achieving this goal.
Senior Nedesin Platero
Q:What has been your best memory of high school this far? A: I would have to say the soccer game against Aspen when we tied and went into overtime. It was really intense and we knew that we could win that game, but we had to push harder because we were physically drained. Q: What advice would you give to a freshman? A: It would have to be to stay focused and take advantage of freshmen year academically because it is the easiest year so it is essential to get the best grades you can get to get your GPA as high as you can. [Also], to get involved to make memories because high school goes beyond just being in the classroom it’s those memories outside of the classroom that are really gonna count in the end. Q: What made you want to run for class president? A: I saw some things within the school that I didn’t like along with many of my peers in our class and decided I could do something about it and make our voices heard. I also saw myself as a leader with the potential take on that role. Q: What are your goals this year as a class president? A: To make all of the senior voices be heard and do all I can do to make Senior year the best for everyone in our class.
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Rampage | October 2015
FOC
Fall 2015 home
By The Rampage Staff
Every year, Homecoming Week gives Roaring Fork High School students the chance to participate in lots of fun events, spend time with each other, and show their Ram pride. That being said, this year’s Homecoming stood out from years past. The spirit and excitement of students and staff throughout the week made this Homecoming especially memorable. An ongoing topic of conversation at RFHS is our school spirit – whether we have enough, how to have more, and why it’s important. School spirit is a choice. You can choose to be enthusiastic, you can choose to dress up on spirit days, and you can choose to attend school sponsored events and sports games. This year’s dress up days included Pajama Day, Colorado Day, What are Those Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Blue and Gold Friday. At all the events throughout the week, whether it was the Homecoming Football game, spirit week dress up days, the Truck Rally, or the Powderpuff Football and Volleyball games, the school spirit was almost tangible and played a big role in making Homecoming week so successful. We hope that we can keep this level of spirit throughout the year, and we’re excited about the culture that this level of spirit is creating. It’s a culture of supporting each other, a culture where enthusiasm is cool, and a culture where people are excited to come to school and see each other every day. Good job Rams!
CUS
coming re-cap
Rampage | October 2015
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6 Rampage October 2015
News
Chompy’s News Bites Outdoor Leadership class ventures into the wild On September 11th the Outdoor Leadership class at RFHS embarked on their first backpacking trip: a two-night stay at Mormon Lake. They learned how to use compasses, read maps and engaged in activities such as hiking, swimming and singing campfire songs.
Parking lot shop
In the last few weeks at Roaring Fork High School, there has been a recent increase in police and teacher presence in the student parking lot. This is because teachers are concerned that many of the new student drivers are driving too fast and are too confident in their abilities. Events that took place last year resulting in injuries or altercations with the police are also a factor in the recent escalation of police presence. Teachers say that the main reason for the eyes on the parking lot is safety.
RFHS Soccer dominating the season
The Rams soccer team is doing their school proud, with four wins under their belt against Aspen (2-1), Grand Valley (40) and Rifle (4-0) and Moffat (5-3). Their record is 4-2-1.
13 new trees planted at RFHS
On September 5th, several members of the school and community came together to plant 13 trees near the entrance of RFHS. The tree planting was put on by Teens For Trees, an organization set up by Senior Fiona Laird with the intent of creating an area where students could spend time outdoors. The trees will grow into shade trees and blossom in the spring.
On the volleyball front, the Roaring Fork Rams have been working hard to improve the program and come back with with the desire to be better than last year. The girls feel confident that their record (1-4) will improve through the course of the season. The team recently acquired a new Junior Varsity Coach, Dennis Sunderland and an assistant coach Julio Aguirre. Good luck with the rest of the season, girls!
Student-lead literary magazine
Ram Writers is a student-lead literary magazine that will be published regularly at RFHS. The magazine publishes poems, letters, essays, speeches, stories, songs and other literary works written by students. The magazine was started last year by graduated senior Ember Bell and is being continued this year with Julia Lee and Moises Camargo as the magazine’s editors.
Solar panels close to completion
Students flock to student council
RFHS’s 2015/2016 Student Council is in session. More than 77 students are members of student council this year and are using their impressive numbers to get quite a lot done. The Student Council was in charge of most of the events in Homecoming a few weeks ago and is planning many more events and activities for the rest of the year.
Rams Volleyball on the Rise
Ram’s Football focused on success
In their first game of the season the Ram’s gave their fans something to cheer about when they beat Meeker 16-14. The Rams carried their momentum on to beat Grand Valley 41-13 the next week. Their record is 3-2.
Last fall RFHS’s energy club, with the support of CLEER and Sunsense Solar, acquired and approved a power purchase agreement (a funding partnership) to build a solar array at RFHS. Despite some issues with funding over the summer, the construction of the panels is now in full swing and slated for completion by the end of October.
Sports
7 Rampage October 2015
New coaches bring hope to Roaring Fork Athletics - Lyndsay Hansen
The new school year has brought in new staff and new faces; it has also brought in new athletic coaches. This year at Roaring Fork High School, the athletic programs have seen some changes with new coaches for all fall sports including boy’s soccer, volleyball and football. Soccer Last year, the Roaring Fork High School Boy’s Soccer Team ended with a 14-3 overall record. This year, the team is hoping to do the same thing and “maybe even win league,” senior Joseph Flores stated. To help make this happen, returning head coach Nick Forbes is getting some assistance from Roaring Fork High School teacher, Jackie Volser, who is coaching the JV team. When asked what the new coaching experience has been like, Flores stated, “Having these two as my coaches is one of the best things that could ever happen to me. These two coaches make soccer fun to play and so far have really helped me develop my skills and bring the best of me out onto the field.” The whole team has been working hard to adjust to the changes and is getting better everyday. Volleyball Coming to Roaring Fork High School from Rifle High School, new assistant volleyball coach,
Rams Soccer October 10th Vail mountain @ RFHS October 13 RFHS @ Rifle Ocotber 15 Moffat @ RFHS October 17 RFHS @ Grand Valley October 20 RFHS @ Coal Ridge October 22 RFHS @ CRMS
Dennis Sunderland, is pleased to be coaching the girl’s varsity volleyball team. Just like the soccer team, the volleyball girls are discovering that adjusting to a new coaching staff is challenging. However, the volleyball girls are delighted to have
that Sunderland has stepped up to help them.
Football Last year, the Roaring Fork Football Team struggled to get in the groove. Former head coach Tori Jensen was let go from Roaring Fork last year, and this year nine new coaches have been brought in to take over. New head coach, Jeff Kelley, has a solid team of coaches to helping him out. Coaches Greg Holley, Mike Bernot, Robert Kennedy, Nathan Soucie, Cordes Symmes, Jared Ettelson, Cory, and Dave Cardiff have already made a difference in the team. There were lots of changes made this year to the Football team, and it could have easily gone downhill. Fortunately, that was not the case. Senior captain Max Slack said, “It was super hard to see Jensen go, and going into senior year with a new coach could bring up a lot of unknowns. We had Kelley as a coach in 7th and 8th grade, Dennis Sunderland, the new girls volleyball coach, has so having him back is working out well for us been working with his players to improve their game. because of the base he had previously set. The team has a very different feeling this year, but the results are really showing. We have a lot of work Sunderland as their coach. to do, and a long way to go, but we are excited to Senior captain Madilyn Kuhl says, “I’ve had Dennis before as a coach, so for me it was very ex- have Coach Kelley leading the way.” citing to have him back. He brings great ideas to the table and we are already benefitting from his With all the positive energy from coaches and knowledge and skills... I am super happy we got athletes, all the Roaring Fork High School fall him and look forward to the rest of the season.” sports teams are looking to make a good turn Most of the girls on the team could hardly agree around and are doing their school proud. more with what Kuhl has to say and are grateful
Rams Football October 9 Battle Mountain @ RFHS October 16 RFHS @ Basalt October 23 Coal Ridge @ RFHS October 30 RFHS @ Moffat November 7 Play Offs
Rams Volleyball October 15 RFHS @ Basalt October 17 Olathe @ RFHS October 20 RFHS @ Grand Valley October 24 RFHS @ Aspen
Rams football charges to the top
- Steele Featherstone
The Roaring Fork Football season is off to a successful start, with new head coach Jeff Kelley in the lead. With three wins in their pocket against Meeker, Grand Valley and Aspen and two close games agains Olathe and Gunnison, the Ram’s season is looking very promising. Their first win was September 4th against the Meeker Cowboys who were third in
state for Class IA last season. The Rams made an epic comeback in the third quarter after being down fourteen points, and rallied together to score two touchdowns and a field goal. They won the game 16-14. We decided to get some inside information on the football team from Tyler Spence, captain and quarterback for the rams. Spence explained that
he has high hopes for the football team this season, and believes that with determination and hard work the Rams will be able to win league and hopefully progress even further. Speaking about the new coach Spence said, “Kelly has really shed some new light on this team, and in a very good way...with his new plays and deep knowledge of football, [Kelley] is the coach that
the Rams have been looking for to have a great season.” This year’s team members have the necessary experience and knowledge to be able to march through the upcoming games and are hoping that this season will be one to remember for years to come. Come out to support the Rams this season at their next home game October 9 vs. Battle Mountain at 7 p.m.
Entertainment 10 things NOT to do on Halloween By: Kloe Lee
Halloween is a time of year for people to dress as others, for adults to let loose, and for kids to go door-to-door, only to get cavities from the obscene amounts of candy. People tend to make bad decisions on Hallows’ Eve night and more times than not, people look back on the night and feel embarrassed or regretful about what they have done. To help you with this Halloween season, here is a list of things to keep in mind for the spooky October night: •
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Gems of the Valley
Remember, lingerie is not a costume. Halloween can be a very cold night and lingerie or an overall lack of clothes in general will not keep you warm at all. You should be scaring people with your frightening costume, not your parents with your lack of clothes.
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Do not wear something you cannot get into a car with. Or through a door with. Or stand next to someone with. Big bulky costumes are just hard to deal with, and in the end, they’re not worth it.
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Stranger danger is a real thing. I repeat, stranger danger is a real thing. Don’t take candy or other products from ominous people.
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Even if you can’t remember what happened on Halloween, other people will. What happens on Halloween does not always stay on Halloween.
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Remember to remove your makeup before you go to bed so you’re not stuck to your pillow when you wake up in the morning. Also, if you don’t remove your makeup, you run the risk of terrifying yourself when you look in the mirror the next day.
By: Kristen Page Hayes Creek Falls If you’re in need of a scenic drive to clear your mind, Hayes Creek Falls is a great escape. Hayes Creek is a series of waterfalls that flow into the Crystal River. During the fall especially, the drive to Hayes Creek is majestic. Above the last waterfall is a series of pools naturally carved out by the water.
Do not go trick-or-treating with your parents. Just don’t do it - it will end badly, your parents will most likely humiliate you somehow, and you will probably never want to be near your parents ever again.
How to get there: Drive on highway 133 past Redstone, and on your right will be a sign that states where the falls are. To the left is a little pull-out area where you can park your car so you can see the majestic falls.
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What to do: Take pictures of the waterfalls! Also, if you’re up for a little adventure, you can cautiously hike up the left side of the falls to the mini pools. To cool yourself off, or to test your bravery, try jumping into the water. But beware, it’s very cold!
Expect to be judged if you go trick-or-treating while in high school. You are in high school, and trick-or-treating is no longer “socially acceptable” at your age… but no one is stopping you, so if you really, really want to go, go for it. (But referring to rule number one, do not go with your parents).
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Don’t ditch people on Halloween. Would you want to be ditched by your friends? Yeah, I didn’t think so.
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Bobbing for apples is gross and unsanitary. Just don’t do it.
Word to the wise: It gets slippery! Watch out for loose dirt, unstable rocks, and of course, the water! Be aware of your surroundings, and watch for falling rocks when people are hiking above you. When you are hiking above the falls try not to kick any rocks loose; there could be people below you.
Guess Who? Every month we will be sharing a baby picture from a student or staff mamber at RFHS. Can you guess who this is? Send your anwers to the Rampage at rframpage@gmail.com
Please do not be stupid or reckless on Halloween. Be responsible and take care of yourself and your friends. Make sure you don’t get yourself into a serious problem, and if you do, make sure you have someone you can call that can come and get you. Things can go really, really badly really, really quickly, so you need to be prepared. With these in mind, have a very happy Halloween!
8 Rampage October, 2015
Rampage Staff Editors in Chief Grace Brown Fiona Laird Managing Editor Finn Featherstone Editorial Staff Elyssa Derby Eryn Doherty James Long Carley Moravek Maeve O’Donnell Pax Caitlin O’Gorman Kristin Page Edgar Reyna Zavala Jake Rusby Beymar Silva Tavia Teitler Katherine Weimer Journalists Hayden Bernot Steele Featherstone Zoe Hanlon Lyndsay Hansen Kloe Lee Fernando Martinez Jensen Platero Policy Statement: Published 8 times a year, the student newspaper of Roaring Fork High School is a public forum, with its students editorial board making all decisions concerning its content. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.