Issue 5 (Jan. 2019)

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Founded in 1919

The FCHS Student Newspaper

Jan. 31, 2019

Cancer Awareness pg. 5

Art to Space Station pg. 9 Light pgs. 10-14

Uni�ied Sports Feature pg. 17

Shutdown Proves Damaging pg. 21

Volume 100 Issue 5

3400 Lambkin Way Fort Collins, CO 80525 Phone: (970) 488-8199 Fax: (970) 488-8008

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News

Jan. 31, 2019

Spilled Ink

YEARS 20

18

1960

Sprite is created by Coca Cola.

OF SPILLED INK This year we are celebrating the 100th year of Spilled Ink by looking back at some interesting clips from past editions of the paper and comparing them to today’s culture and events.

With older fashion styles resurfacing again and becoming popular, it is clear some fashion trends from the past continue to impact trends today. The article “Boy Do We Ever Like Fashions!” mentions styles that were big for the time, such as sweaters, hoods, blouses and crop tops.

The crop top is still a major fashion worn by many today. It was a fashion staple in 1960, and it has returned and become popular again.

The article also outlines some fashion trends that no longer have mainstream popularity but are still “in” so to speak. For example, the use of fur in clothing.

While there still are fur coats and furlined coats in the fashion industry today, they aren’t as popular as they were when the article was published, due somewhat to changes in attitude towards animal rights.

Other in�luences on fashion remain the same. An example of such would be the effect celebrities have on fashion. The article talks about the impact Jackie Kennedy and Eleanor Roosevelt had on the styles and trends of the day. Now, fashion trends aren’t usually started by politicians. Instead, pop culture icons who While fashion has create new style trends changed since the ’60s, with their choice in fashion. the ideas behind fashion

As we pass Martin Luther King Jr. Day and head into Black History Month, an article from a 1960 Spilled Ink edition recalls and reminds us of the civil rights struggles that continue today.

Although it has been 50 years since the March on Washington, gaps still remain between African Americans and white people. Poverty, unemployment, voting rights, violence, and inequalities are still issues in today’s world.

The article summarizes a speech

by Dick Gregory, a comedian and author,

1961

John F. Kennedy is elected president.

1962

Pull tabs on cans are introduced.

1963

The first episode of “Doctor Who” is broadcast in the U.K.

1964

Ford Motors introduces the Mustang.

and trends that make it unique continue on.

who expressed his views on civil rights at Colorado State University. Gregory spoke about the attitudes of white Americans, how long it took for white people—“Whities”— to understand what was happening to African Americans.

He also talked about how the country “went insane” when another civil rights activist Stokely Carmichael said “Black Power.”

Gregory elaborates on the response that America had to that; for instance, the National Ri�le Association was encouraging white people to go out and buy guns to control the African Americans.

Today, the �ight for equality continues.

While the Black Lives

1965

32,000 people make the 54 mile “freedom march” in Alabama.

1961

Matter movement is working to stop police brutality against African Americans, at FCHS, the African American Student Association (AASS) has been campaigning to end the use of the n-word.

Last year, AASS asked students to sign a banner, pledging to not say the word and to understand the meaning behind it, and this year they are continuing those efforts.

While progress for civil rights has been made, many still are working for a more equal world.

1967

INSIDE THE INK

Hidden Side of Teachers News pg. 3

Artist Pro�ile A&E pg. 6

Corrections: Spilled Ink has no corrections to report.

Lights, Camera, Action In Depth pg. 14

Fitness Plan Sports pgs. 16, 18

Censorship Perspectives pg. 20

1966

The original “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” cartoon airs.

1967

Rolling Stone Magazine is founded.

1968

The musical “Hairspray” opens on Broadway.

1969

The show “Sesame Street” premieres in the United States.

News

Spilled Ink

Jan. 31, 2019

3

Travel, return to Fort Collins de�ine teacher Sadie Buggle

Boosters to host trivia night on Feb. 13 in LTC Roland Tomsic

Managing Editor

On Feb. 13, Boosters will host their �ifthannual trivia night at 6 p.m. in the LTC. As this event is the club’s contribution to Spread the Love week, a donation box will be open to anyone willing to donate to FCHS families struggling with cancer.

“It’s just a fun evening to come, get a chance to spend time with your friends, win all sorts of good prizes, and then also help out a really worthy cause,” Boosters sponsor Rebecca Garrett said.

Games will range in subject from Math to FCHS History, and winners will receive prizes.

Schedule to change for 2019-2020 school year Alex Ellmer

Staff Writer

For the 2019-2020 school year the start time for FCHS has been shifted to 9 a.m. Buses will still arrive 20 minutes before the start of the day at 8:40.

“This schedule change will impact how families and teachers organize their lives and how sports or extracurricular activities work throughout the day,” Assistant Principal Jennifer Roth said.

All time aspects of the school day will change, including bus schedules, class periods, extracurriculars, elementary and middle school start times.

ELO will be eliminated from the new schedule because there will no longer be designated late-start days, but teachers will likely be required to arrive approximately an hour before school begins so students have time to meet with them and get help with classwork.

Front Range Community College buses will still transport students at 8 a.m.

Updated Dress Code to begin next school year Hannah Blagg

Staff Writer

In an effort to modernize the dress code, Student Advisory Board (SAB) worked with representatives from Human Resources, administration, and the faculty to revise the language in the student handbook.

“The main goal was making something that is easier to understand and that can be enforced and is easier to follow,” senior Erika Jones, SAB member, said. “Now, people can follow the dress code and be appropriate too.”

Major changes include more detailed language regarding gangrelated apparel, beach and swimwear.

In addition, previous wording related to sunglasses, bandanas, spaghetti straps and camisoles has been removed.

The updated dress code will go into effect at the beginning of the next school year.

News Editor

Instead of a set classroom, he has a cart that holds his laptop and projector, among other things, which he pushes from his of�ice to both classes he teaches–Asian humanities and economics. But though he may not have a set room in the building or a name placard hanging in front of a door, he has found a home in FCHS. Scott VanTatenhove, now a social studies teacher as well as social studies adviser for all of Poudre School District, grew up in Fort Collins and graduated from FCHS, where an excellent humanities class inspired him to pursue the �ield.

When choosing a college, he was ready to get away from the town in which he’d spent his life.

He attended St. Olaf College in Minnesota, mainly because of their exceptional international studies program that allowed him to travel to various parts of the Middle East.

“I wanted to go to a place where I was different in race, religion and language, and that was one of the places I could do that and still study geography and history and the things that were in my major at the time,” VanTatenhove said. “It was important to me to learn about other cultures. It’s so important to truly learn about other people and their beliefs; you can put their lives and their choices in context so that you can have better communication.”

After a brief return to Fort Collins, he soon realized he had not had enough time away and took off again, this time to New York. There, VanTatenhove discovered his unwavering love for live music, which he incorporated into his life in Fort Collins.

“In New York, I fell in love with seeing live music on a small scale,”

Social studies teacher Scott Van Tatenhove poses with his cart, which he takes from classroom to classroom. Photo by Kelly Warden

he said. “When I came back, I started teaching a class at Rocky called the History of Rock and Roll. Because of that, I was asked to join the Fort Collins Musician’s Association that runs an event called FocoMX. I love getting to put on a music festival that thousands of people get to enjoy.”

Discovering new live musicians in Fort Collins generated a new affection for the city, but VanTatenhove truly grasped how special the city was when he ran for mayor in 2005 and 2007. The �irst time he ran, it was an educational experiment to bring about direct democracy, but the second time he was taken more seriously, as he attended debates and answered questions. VanTatenhove spent a total of $9 on the campaign, but was rewarded with knowledge of the change one can actually achieve.

“Running for mayor of Fort Collins taught me that city politics are actually quite simple and getting involved is rewarding,” he said. “Contrary to popular belief, you can make

changes in your world–it is possible.”

Traveling to cities across the world allowed VanTatenhove to return with a different worldview, and to �ind new things to be passionate about in Fort Collins.

“I love everything about this city, and my love became even stronger after traveling and putting everything in perspective,” he said.

“Through my experiences, I learned about the city’s government, the businesses, the schooling, and the opportunities we have here. And every day I �ind another reason to be lucky to live here and to raise my kids here.”

of

War cannon in City Park possesses history Molly Lubbers

Editor-in-Chief

A war cannon sits, overlooking a �ield of green.

But this is no battle�ield.

Instead, swing-sets and slides surround it. This is City Park, where generations of children have clambered over the cannon as well as the other playground equipment.

Upon the tires lie marks of the past—but rather than wear and tear from use in a �ight, it is the children’s carved initials, dating back decades, that cover them.

It was never intended to be a playground. Instead, it began as a memorial to honor World War I veterans, with a plaque saying, “Nothing signi�ies peace more than a silenced gun.”

The �irst WWI casualty from Fort Collins was George Beach; the post that donated the cannon is named after him. He died just over 50 years ago, on Jan. 20, 1918.

Beach is remembered for his intellect. Valedictorian of FCHS his graduating year, he had 20 more credits than required and an average of 93 percent in the 25 subjects he took. After high school, he went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he studied engineering; his �irst job was a project in South America,

but when the U.S. entered war, he joined the aviation service.

The Fort Collins Courier called it “natural” that he chose to volunteer, describing him as honest and respected by the community.

He was in the �irst graduating class sent overseas, and he had just passed the tests to become a military pilot before he died. His death was an important symbol to the community. Although not much survives of his memory beyond a few newspaper articles reporting his death, it evidently had a large impact on Fort Collins.

Not only did they order their �lags half mast for the rest of the month, but hundreds attended his funeral. Many felt his young mind was lost too early, as Beach was just 24 years old when he died. He was also referred to as a “son” of Fort Collins in one headline—it was clear he was the �irst tragedy of the war

taken personally by the community.

Ultimately, his death brought the war closer to home. In his last letter, sent along with the telegram informing of his passing, he writes that, “A good harvest these days can parallel a very good-sized military victory in importance.” Residents felt their war efforts were recognized, and wanted to continue them, especially after feeling the effects.

14 years later, the cannon was donated to the city to memorialize him and others. At that time, it likely was still was heavily associated with George Beach and those lost in WWI. As time passed, new connotations formed— in the 1950s, the playground equipment was built around it.

During the 1980s and 1990s, there were protests against keeping it at City Park. Both times, community members argued it was a symbol of war. Although the City Council voted to move the cannon in 1986, resistance from veterans stopped it. In 1996, many worried about how safe it was for kids to play on it. But while it was temporarily taken out to replace the concrete under it with rubber, the last decision was to keep it. Today, the cannon still stands, with forgotten stories of George Beach and past controversy only remembered by some.

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News

Jan. 31, 2019

Spilled Ink

App promotes student involvement

Deniss Atondo Avalos

Justin Stephens

Junior

Q: What are your favorite kind of events to attend?

A: My favorite kind of events to attend are events that occur every day for a speci�ic event such as Homecoming week and Spread the Love week. It’s a lot of fun getting to attend those events that are going on and changing every day. I get to meet a lot of people that attend those events and seeing the overall turn out of the events we plan is awesome.

Q: Do you think that this app is a good idea?

A: I think this app is a great idea because it’s a good way to get the student body involved and partake in the different events that are going on.

It also provides a sense of unity and helps each Lambkin support another Lambkin with whatever they may need. This is something that I hope everyone will be part of and enjoy.

Q: How does the point system work?

A: Essentially every event we offer you can get credit for, which includes band, choir, and orchestra concerts, sports, spring tailgates, and showcases. Many prizes are offered, from gift cards to Prom tickets. You can get more points for going to an orchestra concert over a sports game, or watching a girls’ sport instead of a boys’, because the idea is incentivize people to go to lower-attendance events.

Q: What are your hopes for the app?

A: My hope is it encourages kids to participate. When I coached here 16 years ago, it was common to see a lot of students, and now for many events student participation has died down. We want to �ind out if having this app will get kids more involved.

Basketball

Football

Soccer Coach

Baseball

Soccer

Hannah Clark

Senior

Q: What events do you normally go to?

A: I normally attend sports events, and I go to almost every single one of them. This year I’ve tried to be more involved in other things besides sports.

I was a part of the Diversity Conference this year, and I even presented in it.

Q: Why do you like attending events?

I like attending events because of the community that you can �ind at them. It’s like a big family because we all go to the same school and I think it’s something fun to do. I think it’s important for other students to attend events, too, because you can meet new people.

Q: Why do you like the app?

A: It gives you something to achieve; it helps you create a goal if you want to earn more points while also pushing you to go to new and different events.

Concerts

How to use the LambFan app:

Activities Director

Q: What is your favorite part of the Lambfan app?

A: My favorite part about the app is that it is another tool for communication. It’s hard to communicate with high school kids about events, and this is another way to get the word out to students about what’s going on. All of the media will be on the same stream to see all activity news. I’m excited about the potential of another communication avenue.

Q: Why do you think that it’s important for students to attend events outside of school?

Events are a great way to meet people. Part of high school is being involved and trying new things.

We have a lot of activities here and students don’t always remember every class that they took, but they remember fun times that they shared with other students.

Hockey

Tennis

Theater

Emily Dunn

Volleyball

Halloween Carnival

Trivia Night

Additional Features Social Media

Download the SuperFan app for free for iPhone or Android.

Search for “Fort Collins High School.”

Collect points for attending events that can be used to win prizes.

See FCHS’s social media accounts and recent posts on social media all in one place.

Events Stay up to date with events going on at FCHS.

News Stay up to date with all the latest school-related headlines.

Profile See your statistics and achievements, customize your settings and more.

Jan. 31, 2019 News Student works to raise cancer awareness in community Spilled Ink

Kelly Warden

Guest Writer

Her eyes are bright, lively and gleaming. They endlessly take the world in, welcoming anything that comes into her view. Her smile is wide and her melodic voice flits through the air like a butterfly drifting from flower to flower. Such jubilant features make it difficult to believe the struggle senior Rylee Vogel and her family have been through.

Vogel is the eldest in a family with six children, the youngest of whom, being only two, has been diagnosed with cancer.

Still their family works together and stays afloat w i t h t h e i r positivity and the h e l p they provide each other as well as the help they are given.

Despite the hardships Vogel’s family must work through, they retain their hope and wish to share that with others in need.

This year, Vogel is teaming with and receiving support from the FCHS community to raise both cancer awareness and funds to support her family and the family of Campus Security Officer Mark Larkin in

battling cancer close to home.

As president of Interact, Vogel worked with Boosters Club and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) to host the Cancer Awareness Symposium on Jan. 29, bringing a variety of speakers to present to the community on cancer-related issues.

In addition, fundraising efforts headed by Student Council through Spread the Love Week (STLW), Feb. 11-15, will help the Vogels and the Larkins pay costs related to treatment.

“My family was selected to receive the huge gift of Spread the Love Week. It’s been a

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“It’s inspiring to me to see how strong a two-yearold can be. I’ve had to learn how to look at life through a more positive viewpoint. It’s been one of those things where I have to focus on k e e p i n g a positive m i n d s e t ,” she said.

T h e perspective Vogel has gained guides her and her

family as they support her little brother in his fight with cancer.

“Continuing to go through every day with the idea that he could get better or he could get worse, but no matter what it is we have to treasure the time that we have with him and that goes for life in general,” Vogel explained.

“It’s very important to go through every moment in life really believing that this could be the last moment or this could not be the last moment, regardless it’s important to continue living life to its fullest.”

“It’s inspiring to me to see how strong a two-year-old can be. I’ve had to learn how to look at life through a more positive viewpoint.”

—senior Rylee Vogel huge blessing already and an honor,” Vogel said. “Having a sick younger brother is a lot.

It mostly falls on my parents.

They have to take him to blood draws and checkups almost daily. It’s sort of something that has become a part of your everyday life.”

The experience has taught Vogel lessons related to the central idea of STLW: living life with love and joy.

How to Support Rylee, Family Each year, FCHS hosts Spread the Love Week to benefit Lambkins in the community who need assistance. This year, the beneficiaries are Jayce Vogel and Mike Larkin, two community members who are battling cancer.

New This Year:

In order to help, you can donate to the causes during Spread the Love Week. You can also attend events being hosted during the week to support the community and raise awareness.

Spread the Love Week Schedule Monday, Feb. 11

Tuesday, Feb. 12

Wednesday, Feb. 13

Pink Day

Skype Interview

Ski vs. Surf

Assembly

Coin Stall

Ping Pong Tournament at 6 p.m.

Varsity Basketball vs.

Loveland at 7 p.m.

Unified Basketball Game at 6 p.m Booster’s Trivia Night

Thursday, Feb. 14 Vine/ Meme Day Valentine’s Day

Friday, Feb. 15 STLW T-Shirts Spread the Love Week Carnival from 6-9 p.m.

The juniors in Student Council have planned a carnival that will take place on Feb. 15. This event will replace the Spread the Love Week dance. Different clubs from all over school will each have their own carnival game. Tickets for the games will be sold, and prizes will be given out to those who win carnival games. All proceeds from the STLW Carnival will go to this year’s beneficiaries, Mike Larkin and Jayce Vogel.

Photo and information gathered by Sadie Buggle. Graphic by Jack Hunter

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A&E

Jan. 31, 2019

Costume designer for musical adds unique twist to creations Rebekah De Priest Perspectives Editor

Deadline to sign up for Mr. FCHS Feb. 20 Seraphina Discoe

Staff Writer Senior boys interested in competing in Mr. FCHS need to sign up before Feb. 20.

“They should consider signing up because Mr. FCHS is just a fun event that we do every year and kind of is a ‘last hurrah’ for their high school career,” junior Riley Maklosky, Student Council representative, said.

Those who enter will compete in a pageant-type show on March 29 for a chance to win Prom tickets, among other prizes.

Sign-up forms will be available through the school website or via QR codes on posters in the halls. There is no charge to enter the pageant.

All State choir to perform Feb. 2 at Buell Theatre in Denver Hannah Blagg

Staff Writer

Colorado All State Choir is hosting their annual Concert Feb. 2 from 4-6 p.m. at the Buell Theatre at the Denver Center of Performing Arts Complex.

This year, FCHS will send 21 choir students to participate in the festival leading up to the concert. They will work with other students and teachers around the state to prepare performances pieces.

In addition, groups receive critique and instruction from acclaimed choral directors.

“It gives you an opportunity beyond,” senior Gillian Lasher said. “It’s a bigger scale.

It’s one more step to have that opportunity to be with like-minded people who love creating beautiful music. You’re so surprised when you go there how invested everyone is.”

For information about tickets to the event, visit aschoir.com.

Band Chamber Festival to begin Feb. 12 Rebekah De Priest

Spilled Ink

Perspectives Editor

The �irst half of the Band Chamber Festival will be held on Tuesday, Feb. 12, from 3-4:30 p.m. in the FCHS Music Hall.

Students in the Small Instrumental Ensembles class should meet in the band room (RH-2). It is at this time students will perform their festival literature for an adjudicator, who will critique their work.

The Small Instrumental Ensembles class will continue to develop their literature until Tuesday, March 12, when the second half of the festival open to the public will be held from 3-4 p.m. in the band room.

“Most of the pieces are short and fun, so the audience should enjoy the concert,” Band Director David Miles said. “But it is also fun to listen to a performance and then listen to a professional adjudicator give feedback to the group.”

As the Musical Theater production of “The Little Mermaid” draws near, the many students involved in the large-scale show scurry about to prepare lighting, props, stage directions, and more. Junior Britney Juarez is deeply invested in her project at hand, furiously working to complete her most challenging work yet. The unfinished Ursula costume is coming together slowly as Juarez directs her attention back and forth between the costume and the pages of her journal, focused on getting her piece prepared for the big show.

Juarez has been involved in costume design since her freshman year, when she tried out for the production of “Mary Poppins.” After realizing the stage didn’t suit her interests, Juarez decided to work behind the scenes in the costume department. With an interest in fashion willing her forward, costume design came to be something Juarez really enjoyed, as it gave her a chance to get to know other students.

“A lot of the people I didn’t know along the way, and it was really fun. It was kind of slow at first, but when I really got into it, it was great,” Juarez said.

As Juarez continued costume design, she began

to use planning to help her create the best costumes possible. She has a journal she fills with notes, sketches, and inspiration from other designs she has found.

When she does begin to put the final product together, Juarez ensures she adds her own twist to her work.

“I try to stay true and find a balance—like the movie representation of Ariel and the Broadway,” Juarez said.

With the great amount of planning and effort she puts into her designs, Juarez wants the audience to understand what goes into the costumes on stage.

“It’s not dressing people. It’s making sure that everything looks good together in the scene and making sure that the actors are comfortable and that they feel good, because it’s bad to send out an actor in something that they feel ugly in,” she explained.

Juarez loves costuming for musical theater, and she is looking beyond the FCHS stage for careers after high school. She hopes to find a job that would allow her to continue developing her interest in costume design.

“It’s like a pipe dream,” she said, “but I think it would be cool to costume something that would go on Broadway or an original show that’s never really been costumed before.”

Art journals offer relaxation, creativity Roland Tomsic

Managing Editor

Many people become stressed or frustrated during a long week of work or school. It’s always good to clear your mind by occupying it with something.

For this issue’s staff review we decided to keep a daily art journal for �ive days to help remedy these stresses of everyday life. The purpose behind these journals was to let what’s in your head to �low out of a pen, pencil, brush, or whatever medium one chooses.

The only rules were to write about your inspiration behind a piece.

We started on Tuesday, Jan. 13, and ended on Sunday, Jan. 19.

During the �irst few days, we found it slightly frustrating coming up with ideas for what to make.

Many staff members went into it needing a prompt or idea to start.

As the frustration began to pass a realization sprung on many of us: you don’t need anything to initially drive your art—just make it.

Some people started with shapes or three-dimensional objects. Sports Editor Italia Caro

Art journals of staff members Jack Hunter (top left,) Molly Lubbers (bottom left,) and Kelly Warden (right) lie open. Photo by Molly Lubbers

Staff Review

decided she would practice making cubes and shading them.

After only a few days her line work and shading got noticeably better.

Staff writer Alex Ellmer and I usually do our art in pen and we continued this trend in these journals. I found that using water color paint with my pen added some surrealism and contrast to my pieces. The product became something I really like and will continue to use in the future.

Ellmer continued his black and white style and based his work on

his love for nature and mountain biking. He plans to continue as well.

We all developed our inspiration from different aspects of our lives from the outlooks of authors or characters to our own personal struggles. This removed the set “art class” guidelines and allowed us to make art that is meaningful to us and what we are dealing with rather than having us all draw the same thing. Many of our staff found art journaling relaxing and a great way to wind down at the end of a long day, or when we were stressed, but it is also a commitment and sometimes hard to integrate into daily life.

A&E

Spilled Ink

Jan. 31, 2018

7

Begin Here

Do They...

In a future ruled by AI, humanity is on the brink of extinction, until one day a lucky Lambkin tumbles into a new discovery.

Sage Astrakhan wakes up to a deafening screech like nails on chalkboard with a metallic hint. Their eyes bolt open, folds of a scarlet blanket draping over their face. The scratching comes nearer, and their blood pushes their heart into their throat as the crimson cells rush through their veins, building the anticipation.

Throw off the covers They immediately tear away the blanket over their head, throwing it to the side. The cloth might serve to hinder their mobility if they need a quick escape.

Stay Hidden They still their breathing and slightly nod their head, creating a peep hole to see through. Any sudden movement might alert the intruder.

They lunge past the shrieking monster, shoes slapping against the creaking planks as they run for the light of day. Muddied hands grip the rough cement, fire flooding Sage’s palms as they hoist their body over the wall, muscles rippling with the strain. As their legs swing across, weightless, Sage feels a lightness in their head and they realize the screeching has disappeared. They look over their shoulder, and the machine is stoic, motionless. The red cloth is draped over its head, the dim light coming through a stale gray. All at once the tension leaves Sage’s body, their bloodshot eyes losing the purple bags beneath them. Still they can hear metal on dirt, a dull clank resounding through the rundown city. A deep breath, both a release of fear and a preparation for what’s to come, escapes Sage’s lips.

The sound from before was an alarm, bringing more of them in, like a magpie. They look around them and spot a fireplace poker made of cast iron.

Reach back inside and grab the rod

Choose Your Own Adventure

Pick up the fire poker

A s the blanket shifts, Sage gazes upon worn mahogany bricks encased in blooming wisteria, creeping over the edge of the walls and reaching for the light of dawn that peeks through the holes in the dilapidated building. In the corner is a rusted pole, probably an old curtain rod, seemingly made of aluminum. Then there’s green sweeping over the rotted floors, the weathered bricks, gleaming off the bar and into Sage’s eyes. They blink. Once, twice, three times, and they’re met with a view of metal. Wires loom from alloy joints, a light steam spilling from capsules that pulse in and out of what appear to be legs, feline in demeanor. Sage’s eyes follow the veins of wire to palpitating plates upon the machine’s chest, to a single slit through which an emerald light glows. Gears whir, vapor cascading from the green slit on the machine’s head as its neck shifts, its gaze locking with Sage’s.

Scramble out of the blanket and run to the window

Reach for the aluminum bar five feet away

Interested in more of the story? Go to the Spilled Ink Facebook page to finish choosing your own adventure!

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Jan. 31, 2019

A&E X Hail

by Puzzle

MUSIC OF THE MONTH

New Release

Fletcher Shears explored a sound rooted in synth-heavy hip-hop in his solo project “Puzzle.” I was obsessed with his work around 2017, but as he started to falter in Jack Hunter developing his sound further Head Graphic Artist with each new album, I lost interest. It was my hope this latest album, “X Hail,” would Playlist break that losing streak.

Unfortunately, it’s Over1234think - Puzzle apparent from the �irst track this isn’t the case. Most of Moments of Flow - Marquis Hill the instrumentation has been Labyrinthian Pomp - of Montreal heard before. A swelling brasslike synth, found in much of Score From Augusta - Beulah his recent work, is featured on nearly every song. The Domesticated Dog - Mount Eerie new directions Shears tried Graveyard - Jeffrey Lewis to take his sound fall short, too: though the drum rhythms Master Of My Craft - Parquet Courts are more layered and intricate, they surprisingly sound Over and Over and Over - Jack White poorly mixed on some cuts.

Black Paint - Death Grips In fact, this album would do next to nothing for me if it weren’t Daughters Spelled Wrong - Daughters for Shears’ knack for writing catchy lyrics. He manages to American River - Destroy Boys dispel so many bewilderingly Volvo to a Kiss - Teenage Cool Kids sticky and compelling hooks and phrases; “Loose Cannon” and Sad Songs - AJJ “Over1234think” were two of my I Bet on Losing Dogs - Mitski favorite tracks for this reason.

Though it’s not a complete Cherry Blossoms - Abernathy failure, “X Hail” recycles once-unique ideas, stale in context of Shears’ work. It’s heartbreaking to see a musician formerly on the cutting edge of To access the playlist digitally, open the Spotify app mainstream experimental music on your phone, and click the “Search” button on the stuck in a musical rut, but I’m bottom of the screen. Then, click the camera icon in not yet ready to stop hoping the upper right of the screen, for a comeback on his part. and point your camera at the Spotify code to the left.

Spilled Ink Modern Flows, Vol. 2

by Marquis Hill New Release

January is a slow time for content. I found myself in a bit of a musical desert: with no new material out by artists in genres I’m knowledgeable enough to critique, I needed to step out of my comfort zone as a listener—and Marquis Hill’s new album “Modern Flows, Vol. 2” is the avenue I chose.

It’s a jazz album, and although I’m not a regular jazz music listener, I was delighted to �ind it not only accessible, but immediately engrossing. Hill blends a wide variety of sounds rooted in African-American culture— including soul, rap, and R&B— into something modern: fresh and exciting, but tastefully inspired.

The production is sleek and silky, but not over-the-top, just enough to bring out the best of each instrument, allowing them to retain gorgeous clarity even in musically-dense passages. Hill’s dramatic and soulful trumpet playing mingles with the saxophone in a compelling way, both in terms of melody and how the two sit in the mix. Their brass is backed by bright vibraphone, steady, intimate bass, and what could be the most intricate, expressive, and tight drumming I’ve ever heard.

Also featured on this album are several guest vocalists. The lyrics, whether rapped or soulfully sung, are expertly constructed and worth hearing, with an often socially-conscious focus.

It’s magical to hear expert musicians fully realized. Whether or not you’re a jazz fan, this album is worth your time.

Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer? by of Montreal Throwback

After a simple but enjoyable �irst release, Of Montreal and its rotating cast of members spent the better part of two decades expanding their style to incorporate everything from artpop, psychedelia, electronica, and glam rock, leaving a slew of albums in their wake. Though this variety of sounds means favorite albums vary among listeners, 2007’s “Hissing Fauna, Are You The Destroyer?” stands as the band’s magnum opus.

This album is a work of art one descends into, though it begins grounded in reality: Kevin Barnes poetically details his struggles with mood disorders and a failing marriage, backed by catchy synthpop-infused-indie rock. However, at the halfway point, the mood shifts as Barnes “transforms” into his glam-rock-inspired alter ego.

The newfound neon and grime infused into his attitude is tangible. During this section of the record, I often feel like a voyeur, watching as this character struts through late-night clubs and slinks into trashy motel bedrooms. With the two storylines combined, Hissing Fauna becomes a rich and kaleidoscopic story of romantic failure, mental instability, and cocksure con�idence, equal parts dark and sugary.

I used to listen through this album on a near daily basis, and though I don’t spend much time with it these days, it still feels as dirty, glittery, sickly sweet, and immensely catchy today as it did when I �irst found it.

Spilled Ink

A&E

Jan. 31, 2018

9

Art Among the Stars Patch design by senior to travel to International Space Station Molly Lubbers

Editor-in-Chief

10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1. Blast-off! As the rocket shoots into the air, an astronaut on board looks down at her mission patch. The purple and gold glints in the light, and she reads “Fort Collins” before glancing back up.

Later this year, that scene may become reality. Senior Natasha Wisniewski designed a patch that will be sent to the International Space Station (ISS.) Her drawing was evaluated by alumna and astronaut Dorothy MetcalfLindenburger as part of an art contest in conjunction with the Go for Launch program.

Next month, students will create space experiments that compete to be launched to the ISS, and Wisniewski’s design will adorn the suits of the astronauts on that �light.

To Wisniewski, the idea her art will be going into space is meaningful.

“I think it’s really cool and my greatgrandpa—he worked for NASA all throughout the ’70s and ’80s and he worked on the vessel that landed on the moon,” Wisniewski said.

“So, I called him up when I won, and it was really awesome to tell him my contribution to the space exploration and the love for that. It really meant a lot and I thought it was really a cool start to my art career.”

Wisniewski didn’t win the contest by luck; an AP art student and member of National Art Honor Society, she spends two to three hours on art every day. She started when she was just a child and found a passion for it right away.

“I was ambidextrous, so I would be painting with one hand and then drawing with the other one, and go back and forth,” Wisniewski said.

“I did so many things with art as a kid, ever since I was in kindergarten. I won a national art contest when I was in 4th grade, which was for saving the Chimpanzees, and I did murals for my elementary school in Arizona.”

After winning a Silver Key Award from Scholastic in 8th grade, Wisniewski became even more invested.

“Just seeing how I could accomplish things and how I could actually get recognition, I thought, maybe this is something I can do,” Wisniewski said.

Currently, she is spending most of her time on her AP Art Portfolio, which is scored by judges for college credit. One piece of that portfolio is a concentration, which requires multiple works that emphasize a topic or concern; Wisniewski has chosen international homelessness as her focus.

“For my portfolio, I’ve been getting a lot of my inspiration from different art from different regions,” Wisniewski said. “My next piece is going to be Japanese block printing and I think I want to touch on international homelessness in certain capitals around the world, and also the art style surrounding that.”

Wisniewski was partially motivated by personal experience.

“My dad is homeless; he’s been homeless for about �ive years, on and off, and right now he’s currently staying at the mission.

So, I’ve been really involved in the homeless community, especially in Fort Collins, just hanging out with him,” she explained. “My concentration is surrounding international homelessness. It’s not necessarily to feel bad for them, but to kind of bring to light the actuality of homelessness, how they’re not all drunks or druggies, and a lot of them have had unfortunate things happen to them, or mental illness. I just want to bring light to an issue that a lot of people ignore.”

In general, Wisniewski likes her art to have a message, and often creates political art.

That extends into what she hopes to do in the future, since she wants to use art to aid others.

“I want to go into social work, speci�ically kind of dig into art therapy and help people, kids, whoever explore themselves and their past through art,” Wisniewski said. “Ideally, I’d really like to make an organization where I and a couple other people could go to a place where there’s an environmental or political crisis and go there and have art therapy for the people who are experiencing that.”

No matter what happens with her career, Wisniewski plans to incorporate art into her life.

“I don’t really believe in God, but God gives you this talent, and so many people just don’t use it,” she said. “I was like, I have this talent that not a lot of people have, so I just want to use that and drain it out of my body as much as I can.”

Photos by Molly Lubbers. Graphic and art by Natasha Wisniewski

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In-Depth

Jan. 31, 2019

Spilled Ink

Electricity Use at FCHS

Editor’s Note Molly Lubbers

Average Monthly Cost of Electricity Last Year:

Total Amount of Electricity Used Last Year

$12,838.33*

$1,797,155 kWh

Switch to LED The lights in our parking lots have recently been changed to LED lighting; administration estimates that it will save 76,209 kWh/ year or $5,469/year.

Where Our Electricity Comes From: The City of Fort Collins distributes it from power generated by Platte River Power Authority.

The majority of electricity use is by lighting and heating/ cooling systems.

Information gathered by Molly Lubbers. Source: Energy Manager of PSD Trudy Trimbath

Editor-in-Chief

As we enter the new year, the prospect of the future is softened with a glow of possibility. Many start off January with �ireworks and sparklers, the skies lighting up with celebration as hearts �lash with warmth too. A new year means a fresh start, as we are �illed with a light, airy feeling; each year, we think about remaking ourselves or growing with the choices the next year will bring. With so many aspects of light surrounding the new year, we decided “light” would be this month’s In-Depth word.

Page 10 focuses on the electricity we use to illuminate the school. Many students don’t know just how much energy we use per year or the monthly cost of running all our technology; the information on this page includes that and more.

Meanwhile, page 11 takes a look at another type of light associated with technology: blue light. This infographic explores the effects of blue light on our sleep and provides solutions to get better sleep. Many students fall asleep with their electronic devices near their bed or even in it, and this shows the impact.

The centerfold spread focuses on how leaders light the way for others through their actions. As we examine one leader in the school and her accomplishments, we also look to the the ABC’s of leadership; students can re�lect on this and think about becoming the next beacons of guidance in upcoming years.

On page 14, we meet Preston Ojeda, a junior who records his own videos and uploads them to his YouTube channel. He is his whole production team: lights, camera, and action all stemming from him. We end with his story of trying to make people laugh and smile through his creations.

How much do you think FCHS spends on electricity each month?

Megan Stroik Freshman

“200,000.”

Corrine Dressler Sophomore

“$15,000.”

Evan Jones Junior

“$80,000.”

Kellan Voggesser Senior

“$20,000.”

In-Depth

Spilled Ink

Jan. 31, 2019

11

How Light from Phones Affects Sleep Circadian Rhythm Our circadian rhythm makes us feel awake when it is light out and sleepy when it is dark out. This occurs with an increase and decrease of melatonin (a hormone) levels. Electronic devices emit blue light that reduces melatonin production, delaying sleep.

Visual Stimulation

Brightness Levels Lowering the brightness on devices can reduce the suppression of melatonin. This may lead to better sleep. Some other techniques to help you get more sleep at night can be turning your phone onto night mode or using apps that change the screen brightness.

Solutions

Light from an electronic screen joins with visual stimulation to make your mind alert.

Even a last-minute email can keep you awake and tense during relaxation time before bed.

Hidden Lights All electronics we use emit some sort of sleep-disrupting light. Even when you switch off electronics, they can still cause disruptions via the light emitted from chargers and adapters, which may be bright enough to disturb sleep. Notifications can also light up your screen at night, hindering sleep.

Charge your phones away from your bed, thus eliminating any possible sleep disruption from the blue light. You can also turn off notifications before bed and use an alarm clock that doesn’t emit any blue light.

Graphic by Jack Hunter. Information gathered by Alex Ellmer and Molly Lubbers. Source: sleepybliss.com

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Jan. 31, 2019

In-Depth

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DECA club members pose for a picture during their meeting on Jan. 23. DECA is a markering and business club. Photo by Seraphina Discoe

Q&A with DECA President Emily Winn Q: How was your time spent as a DECA leader?

A: DECA is a marketing and business organization at Fort Collins High School and we have about 80 members, and as a leader what we do is try to set up students for success in competition and for success about learning about business in the classroom and the real world. So much of my time is spent organizing the DECA website or communicating with the other DECA member of the leadership team. We have 12 people on the leadership team; each person has a specific role in what they do. Another large thing that takes up my time is organizing meetings like the one you just saw, we have two monthly meetings for the general club and one monthly meeting for the leadership board. And I’m also in the DECA leadership class, so you have to take either a semesterlong or year-long business class before you qualify for the club.

Q: What is something you’ve accomplished while in DECA, and something that you hope to complete before you graduate at the end of the year?

A: When I was a sophomore, I got first in state in my event which was Principles of Hospitality and Tourism, went to DECA nationals and took a fifth-place national finish. And I also went back to nationals last year, won second place at state. This year I organized the LambFam Fall Five, with fellow DECA student Maddie Walker and that was a big success; we’re hoping that carries forward into the future. We are going back to state at the end of February to present that project, hopefully place and go to nationals for the third time.

Q: What do you believe the message is that DECA should be sending to students inside and outside the club?

A: I think DECA can be perceived as very intimidating—you do have to dress up in suits and go to competitions and things like that—but it really is a community of very supportive people that are passionate about business and want to learn more about it in the real world. We work with many local businesses for our projects or we go to elementary schools and teach them entrepreneurship so it’s just a really great way to proceed, a passion you didn’t even know you had.

When I joined DECA I had no idea what I wanted to do but now I am thinking about majoring in business in college. It’s just a really great way to dive deep into something that you can do in a classroom setting.

Q: What is your favorite part about being in this club?

A: I love being in DECA role-plays; I think it’s so much fun. I compete in hotellodging management, so they’ll give me a situation. Maybe I’m a manager of a five-star hotel and I need to convince high schools to hold their proms in our newlybuilt ballrooms; I have 10 minutes to come up with a marketing plan, use business terminology and implement that in front of a judge, which is super fun and super exciting.

Q: Why did you decide to join DECA? A: It was honestly the public speaking aspect of DECA. I heard about how much fun it was to go into a real-world situation and just speak.

I really wanted to become quicker on my feet, because I knew that was something that was really important. I was also thinking about joining debate my sophomore year and I thought DECA was a lesser time commitment.

It ended up being that way since debate practices two or three times a week and has competitions every weekend, whereas DECA is more spread out. I really didn’t know anyone heading in, so it wasn’t really friends or anything like that; it just seemed like a good opportunity for me and seemed like an established program that I could really get involved.

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In-Depth Jan. 31, 2019 13 The ABC’s of Leadership

Accessible when people need them Brave in their actions and choices Collaborative with their team Decisive during difficult times Enthusiastic about their tasks Flexible to change Gracious toward others’ work Hungry for success Innovative when they think Just and fair to everyone Kind and compassionate Likable and charismatic Motivational to others Neat and organized Open to hearing feedback Persistent until the end Quizzical and curious Realistic when setting goals Strategic in their planning Trusting in their team Unique and authentic Virtuous and moral Willing to do the hard work Xenial and hospitable Youthful in their adaptation Zen even under pressure

H T the

W

A

Y

Photos and information gathered by Seraphina Discoe and Molly Lubbers. Source: peopledevelopmentmagazine.com. Graphics by Jack Hunter

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Jan. 31, 2019

In-Depth

Spilled Ink

Lights, Camera, Action

Junior exhibits creativity, humor through Youtube channel content Italia Caro

Sports Editor

Junior Preston Ojeda can be found �ilming anywhere he can; he’s sitting in his car, walking around, in his room, just talking to the camera about whatever crosses his mind. The relaxed and open personality Ojeda has makes him a natural in front the camera.

Though Ojeda’s vlogs can be now found on his YouTube channel “Preston Ojeda,” his videos started when he was helping a friend through her depression.

“My friend had really bad depression, so I started making these videos that made her laugh, like hysterically bad – like it was so funny to her.

And so, I kept doing, and it seemed to manage to brighten her day up, so I kept doing it,” Ojeda said.

Originally, the video that ended up making his friend laugh was not even intended to be posted on YouTube. Later, Ojeda created a YouTube channel and started posting whenever a video was �inished.

O j e d a’ s videos are unscripted c o n t e n t , resulting in most videos having a in-action feel. Sometimes he is talking to the camera about everyday things, such as tangled headphones and going to the wrong address. Other times the camera is travelling with him to different places.

“It’s just �ilm in the moment. I think that’s what gives it all authenticity, because it’s not like ‘oh I have to say this because this is funny.’ It’s more like, ‘oh, I’m just going to be funny,’” Ojeda said.

The original intent of making a friend laugh translated into the inspiration and

focus of his channel and the videos he posts.

“I guess I really do it for people who just need another smile in their day, or they need a laugh when they’re down,” Ojeda said.

The videos intended to created laughter were not Ojeda’s �irst attempt. He had a YouTube channel in his freshman year, which wasn’t that popular. He rejoined YouTube just this year.

“It was just bad and no one’s doing it at the beginning – freshman year, that’s why I was getting made fun of it was just terrible,” Ojeda explained.

To stop his videos from becoming “terrible,” Ojeda edits his videos carefully, watching them all the way through before posting them.

Part of Ojeda’s inspiration to create quality content are the YouTube creators the Dolan Twins, who factored into his decision to start YouTube.

“They make funny videos and they have super high energy and they’re always out there,” he said. “Their stuff it a little more scripted but I think it’s funny.”

In a world full of internet personalities, Ojeda still encounters some negativity with his vlogging. Many people don’t see Ojeda’s vlogging as a “real” career; instead they see it as “childish.”

“Recently, I got [backlash] for it because I was just different, no one else was doing it, it’s something that kids do, but it was more meaning behind it than just making a video,” Ojeda explained.

None of the judgment has stopped Ojeda and his purpose behind the videos remains the same.

“A huge message I want to send to people is about just send it, you know. I’m not saying, ‘Send it, dude.’ But, like, own it, do it, and don’t be afraid of what anybody else says,” Ojeda said. “Be you and be proud of who you are.”

“Own it, do it, and don’t be afraid of what anybody else says. Be you and be proud of who you are.”

—junior Preston Ojeda

Junior Preston Ojeda often starts off his videos by welcoming his viewers, which he does here.

Ojeda does both videos with a theme, like “REACTING TO MY OLD YOUTUBE VIDEO (CRINGE WARNING),” and vlogging videos, as pictured above.

In his vlogs, he talks to the camera while �ilming his daily life.

Ojeda also will edit his videos to include pictures beside him, adding to his humor.

Preston Ojeda By the Numbers

Average of

269.33 views/video About 1 video/week 542 views on his highest

Another effect he uses is writing text over moments in his videos, as he does above.

watched video

170 Subscribers

Spilled Ink

Sports

Jan. 31, 2019

WHERE WE STAND Varsity Swimming & Diving (Girls) Ranked: 3 Wins-Losses: 0-2

15

Ranking

13

Boys Basketball

Varsity Ice Hockey Ranked: 2 Wins-Losses-Ties: 4-2-2 Varsity Basketball (Girls) Ranked: 9 Wins-Losses: 1-3

Points for: 196 Points against: 241

Overall Win Percentage: .200

Varsity Wrestling Ranked: 6 Wins-Losses: N/A

Next Game: Feb. 1 at Fort Collins High School

Q&A with junior Mette Haak

Graphic by Jack Brecheisen and Jack Hunter

Q: What is swimming like being a foreign exchange student?

A: I went to a sports school in Germany, so I had 10 practices a week and our school was more focused on sport and that was not really good. I guess it’s important to stay educated and be present in school to have better opportunities for your life and I feel that my coach here is more focused on school and if she tells us to do something, it’s to stay focused on school and school is number one.

We only have, like, 5 practices a week.

Q: What’s it like swimming with your team?

A: It’s super, super fun. I think we have really good connection and I see us as a really good team and we cheer each other on. It kind of helps to have all the girls with you and you’re actually not even competing against them like we did in Germany. You’re swimming for your school, not just swimming for yourself and that’s really fun.

Q: How has your life shifted since being here?

A: I’m pretty happy around here. I had a really rough year last year because I push myself so hard every time and with 10 practices a week, you don’t have any time for yourself. You’re just in the water, swimming, swimming, swimming. I don’t know—my parents told me do whatever you want to do, just have fun. I have time for my friends and have time to do different stuff and experience new things.

Preparing to dive into the water, junior Mette Haak focuses before swimming during practice on Jan. 30. Photo by Italia Caro

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Jan. 31, 2019

Sports

Spilled Ink

How to Make a Fitness Plan Step 1: Assess your fitness level Although you may have some idea of how fit you are, it is still good to find your fitness level to provide a sense of where you should start and how to mark your progress.

To assess your aerobic and muscular fitness, flexibility and body composition, consider doing the following: - Record your pulse before and after walking 1 mile - Record how long it takes to walk 1 mile or 400 meters, or to run 1.5 miles - See how many sit-ups, standard pushups or modified pushups you can do at a time - Measure your waist circumference (just above your hipbones) - Measure your body mass index

Step 2: Build your fitness plan As you start to design your fitness plan, keep these things in mind: -Consider your fitness goals. Clear goals help gauge your progress and keep you motivated -Create a balanced routine. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity or a combination of both. To manage this, try to get about 30 minutes of aerobic exercise per day.

-Start low and progress slowly. Don’t overtax yourself.

- Build activity into your daily routine. For example, go on a walk.

- Plan to include different activities - Allow time for recovery - Put it on paper

Step 3: Get started Now you’re ready to begin. As you start, use these tips to help you: - Start slowly and build up gradually. Don’t go out and try to do everything in the first go. Make sure you have time to warm up and cool down.

- Break it up if you have to. Take breaks between exercises. Short sessions are still beneficial.

- Be creative. Include various activities such as biking, not just workouts.

- Listen to your body: if you feel pain, dizziness, nausea or shortness of breath, take a break. Don’t push yourself too hard.

- Be flexible. Allow yourself a day or two off to recuperate.

Step 4: Monitor progress -Retake your personal fitness assessment six weeks after you start your program, then again every few months.

-You may need to increase exercise time to keep improving. Or you could be exercising the right amount to meet your goals.

-If you lose motivation, set new goals or try a new activity. Exercising in a class or with a friend can help.

-Starting an exercise program is an important decision. However, it doesn’t have to be overwhelming. If you plan carefully, and pace yourself, you can establish a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.

Q & A with P.E. teacher Conrad Crist about Fitness Plans Q: How do you typically set up a workout plan?

A: Well, it depends on the group. For my female athletic weights class—which is a mix of athletes—for them I want total body strength, not just power so that they are supporting their young bodies as they grow. So, we are not overwhelming them; we are just making the body balanced and strong.

On the track side of things, their weight program has a little more power in it, but still fullbody balanced because I think that young athletes are still growing and still maturing and they are probably not flexible because they probably have grown and their muscles are stretched out. And you have to be cautious of how much weight and how much power you expect of them.

Q: Who do you think should implement a daily workout plan into their life?

A: If you go talk to your family doctor as a 38-year-old man, they still suggest still exercising, still stretching, still all of that because it helps. It helps with your joints, it helps with your posture, it helps with everything.

It also helps mentally too. I think it is good for everybody.

Information gathered by Italia Caro and Roland Tomsic

Spilled Ink

Sports

Jan. 31, 2019

17

SPORTING A SMILE Unified sports encourages teamwork, fun

to pay a fee and get a physical.

“Students of all ages and Staff Writer grades can help with Unified As the bell rings, students athletics. All you need to have is a with big smiles fill the gym willingness to help,” Maguire said to watch, play, and help with On the field, the goal is to the Unified athletics program. get Unified student athletes as “When the kids show up to the much playing time as possible. class, they seem genuinely happy and “The number of players all depend have smiles, this is really the only on the sport,” Maguire explained. “In place they get to express themselves football we have around 5 kids playing and really show their personalities,” on each team, so ten on the field at a junior Koral Atkinson said. time. It’s nice to keep the teams small Atkinson is one of the growing so everyone gets a chance to play.” number of students involved in Teams play against every high Unified athletics as a Unified Pal. school in Fort Collins and Loveland.

The mission of Unified is inclusion “We used to play teams in Denver, and getting as many peers, friends, but they got too competitive for the parents, and staff involved as students and it wasn’t fun anymore,” possible. Unified athletics connects Maguire said. “The teams lost the Pals with special needs students message of the game which isn’t to create a positive environment who can score the most points; inside the world of high school it’s to get the kids involved and sports. FCHS currently offers a for the success of the students.” unified PE class in addition to team The Unified teams play multiple sports options including soccer, games a year around Fort Collins football, basketball and cheerleading. and have many kids including varsity “Bridging that gap between special athletes come out to the games. needs kids and regular education “For the football games we have kids through sports has helped bring around 50-60 people show up, the students together,” integrated sometimes we get the band to show services teacher John Maguire said. up and the cheerleaders are always About a third of the participants in there encouraging the teams,” Unified sports are special needs and Maguire said. “Depending on who the others are peers. The Pals who the basketball team is playing, we help with Unified athletics connect could have anywhere from a hundred to their special-needs classmates people to a few hundred people.” through coaching, encouraging, and The goal of the games and helpers aiding them with physical tasks. is to show pride in the school and According to Atkinson, serving activity, but it’s also to show that as a Unified Pal is rewarding. the peer isn’t the star and the focus “I feel like people get an image is on the special needs students. of how the special needs kids are, “The games bring a special sort and you never really know until of achievement to the students, you meet them and then it just whether it’s scoring a touchdown or broadens your mind,” she said. just running the ball, the students are “They make me really happy when always proud of themselves,” Maguire I walk in the doors of the gym.” said. “Last year at one of the football Those interested in becoming games we had a smoke machine for Pals can talk to a counselor to the players which was really awesome register for available classes. Unified to see the smiles on their faces.” athletics is treated as a varsity The next Unified basketball sport in regulation with CHSAA, game to go see is at Loveland so students who do help will need High on Feb. 7 at 6 p.m.

Alex Ellmer

Unified students and Pals exercise during a Unified athletics class on Jan. 16. FCHS now offers a variety of Unified classes and sports. Photos by Alex Ellmer

Spilled Ink Sports 18 Jan. 31, 2019 Exercises You Can Try in Your Fitness Plan Editor’s note: On page 16, there is a step-by-step guide to help design a fitness plan. On this page are some example exercises to help design a fitness plan.

Lower Leg Exercise Stand flat-footed and raise up to your toes. Lower back down onto your heels and raise back up again. Repeat this as many times as you would like.

You can add weight if you desire.

Back Exercise Set up in a straight arm plank with dumbbells supporting your weight, and your back flat. Draw your arm holding the dumbbell up to your chest and lower back to the plank position. Repeat on other side and alternate to complete repetitions.

Stretch Stand with legs shoulder-width apart and bend to the right bringing your left arm over your body reaching right.

Bend your body the other direction reaching with your right arm this time.

Core Exercise Begin lying flat on your back. Raise both legs in the air, forming a 90-degree angle with your body. Raise your arms until the tips of your fingers touch your toes. Lie back down to re-form the 90-degree angle, and repeat the desired number of times.

Upper Leg Exercise Start with your feet a little wider than your shoulders and your arms out straight in front of you. Bend at the knees and squat down until your legs are bent a little less than 90 degrees. Stand back up to straight and repeat.

Arm Exercise Hold a dumbbell in each hand.

While you are in a seated position rest your forearms on your thighs raise the weight up bending at the elbow. Alternate arms and repeat.

Information gathered by Roland Tomsic. Photos by Molly Lubbers

Spilled Ink

Perspectives

Jan. 31, 2019

19

BUTTING HEADS Helps students connect more with technology Allows class time for deeper questions and activities Might help to increase graduation rate

Technology is not always reliable Students can become confused or unmotivated while learning essential concepts Students could easily cheat or plagiarize

Blended learning promotes Blended learning creates more complex comprehension issues, nulli�ies effectiveness

Alex Ellmer Staff Writer

Blended learning has greatly impacted many schools throughout the U.S., including Village Green Virtual Charter High School in Rhode Island.

Since adopting blended learning, the school has had a 97 percent graduation rate and a 100 percent college acceptance rate, compared to the FCHS graduation rate of 75.9 percent.

Because of the increased graduation rate of blended learning and the bene�its of using technology, we should introduce more teachers to the advantages of blended learning and how we could use it in every class.

According to the District of Columbia Public Schools, blended learning is an instructional approach to integrate digital content with traditional learning for students. This learning style can help open class time for more questions about the previous work.

“Blended learning helps students learn how to use the technology at their disposal and helps open up more time in class to use it for questions the students may be struggling with,” social studies teacher Bradley Bass said.

Blended learning works well for

me because it creates more time to connect with the teacher during our class time. Education through blended learning helps students focus more on a topic they can work on while alone.

“Blended is a two birds one stone type of thing, I want students to learn the basics in a simple straight forward way that they can do themselves, so we can focus on more complex stuff in class,” Bass said.

Blended learning maximizes class time for more answers and questions students may be confused about on the homework from the night before.

Some teachers incorporate other ways of teaching units that don’t include the use of technology.

The less we use technology, then the less we know about it.

Blended learning matters because it can incorporate different learning experiences. Using digital aspects within classes is important because the technology isn’t going away anytime soon, so we should know how to use it for our own bene�it.

For blended learning to work, students should realize they oversee their education. We should all be accountable for the education we receive. Blended learning can help bring students closer to their education and help them take initiative. Introducing work through different digital aspects helps present new ways to view the content. We should use blended learning to introduce teachers and students to different styles of experiencing technology through school.

Molly Lubbers Editor-in-Chief Whether blended learning is just idle buzz from educators or actually more effective than traditional learning has yet to be fully researched.

While blended learning does hold some advantages, programs are often instituted improperly, making them ineffective.

Intrinsically, reliance on technology creates issues. Websites go down and some students don’t have access to WiFi, rendering them unable to complete work.

Another problem is learning new concepts for the �irst time without an instructor’s help. This can be damaging if it is a fundamental concept other ideas build on. With no teacher in the room to answer clarifying questions, students can become confused.

Then, if they are expected to explore those ideas deeper in class, they can feel like they don’t have a base of knowledge from which to continue.

Not only this, but when confronted with a confusing new idea without

the help they need from a teacher, students can be discouraged. Since the online aspect relies on selfdiscipline, this nulli�ies the purpose of this method. Disheartened students may stop and not �inish the work they needed to do prior to class.

In addition, many students don’t do homework. Although that is damaging in a traditional classroom setting, at least the homework is supplementary rather than fundamental material.

Students still can learn basic concepts in a traditional class, even if they don’t apply them outside of class. Meanwhile, students won’t learn rudimentary material in a blended class if they don’t do outside work, and in-class work depends on enough people doing their outside work so they can collaborate.

Finally, blended learning presents accountability issues. Students may consume their learning passively because there isn’t a teacher to monitor their work at home. Or, they may feel tempted by distractions while learning important ideas, setting them up to fail later. Even more seriously, plagiarism and cheating may seem easier to students since they can look up anything before answering a question or adding to a discussion.

Essentially, blended learning may be bene�icial, but it carries many issues that bring into question how much better this method is compared to traditional learning.

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Jan. 31, 2019

Perspectives

The Key to Censorship Social media companies should apply censorship policies ethically

Jack Hunter Head Graphic Artist

Over the past few years, conversations regarding social media censorship have resurfaced intermittently as various companies have made questionable decisions regarding the distribution of content on their platforms.

YouTube has been criticized for hiding and demonetizing videos by LGBT users (citing them as adult content). Twitter has a bad reputation for suspending users unjustly, and recently, Tumblr’s botched plan to ban NSFW (not safe for work) content from their site resulted in the incorrect erasure of many non-explicit posts and blogs. In addition, unchecked farright extremist activity is surprisingly prevalent on all three services. Every reoccurring slipup leaves many asking: how far should social media sites go when it comes to censorship?

To understand why these sites censor what they do, one needs to understand their terms of service. Rules vary between platforms, but commonly banned subjects include the following: abuse (harassment or intimidation), hateful conduct (as Twitter puts it, “on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious af�iliation, age, disability, or serious disease”), and the glori�ication of violence, suicide, or self-harm.

It’s important to keep in mind that at their core, these websites weren’t built to function as bastions of community and free speech; they’re there to make money. These companies and their investors seek maximum engagement from their user bases, so they can advertise to (and collect and sell data from) as many people as possible. Their rules are speci�ically engineered to create an environment where any given person can interact with massive amounts of content from millions of other users, while simultaneously ensuring content that would deter them from using said platform stays hidden.

When it comes to platforms not only widely used by adults, but also kids and teens, banning sexual, violent, and hateful content makes sense: the companies get to maximize the money they make, and users get an environment that’s pleasant to participate in. However, inadequacies have arisen in

the way companies enforce these rules.

In efforts to cut down on the amount of sexual content that deters people from using their sites (and deters app distribution services from offering it on their web stores), several platforms including YouTube and Tumblr have introduced measures to strip NSFW content on their sites: YouTube with a “restricted mode” that hides potentially inappropriate videos, and Tumblr with an outright ban on sexual content altogether. Though it’s been established that the companies have every right to do this (even if it frustrates some users), both platforms’ algorithms have unintentionally �lagged, restricted, and demonetized nonsexual content from LGBT creators or about topics relevant to the LGBT community.

Last year YouTuber Chase Ross, in an interview with The Verge, said that his “Trans 101” video series was completely demonetized, despite not containing any sexual content. Other LGBT Youtubers have had similar experiences, seeing their videos that include terms like “lesbian,” “gay,” and “trans” in the titles immediately demonetized upon upload. It’s frustrating to see companies with rules designed to protect these minority groups turn around and actively hurt them with sloppy moderation, in the interest of making a bigger pro�it.

Furthermore, while these vulnerable communities have been unjustly censored, the presence of far-right politics and hate groups goes unchecked on the same platforms—again, in the interest of pro�it. Twitter is especially notorious for this. In an article for TechCrunch, Josh Constine writes: “It’s common to see people posting the screenshots of the messages they get back from Twitter saying that sexist, racist, homophobic, and violent remarks don’t violate its policies. Only when they get enough retweets and media attention do those accounts seem to disappear.” Though these people and the groups they represent are in violation of the terms of almost every social media service because of routine harassment and hate speech, many go unpunished: as very active users of their respective services, they generate good ad revenue. Companies deny it, but the continued presence of these hate groups is proof enough.

It all comes down to this: though social media companies should censor content they don’t want on their site, we as social media users need to hold companies accountable for their lapses in business integrity. Be loud when censorship is applied in damaging ways, support minority groups on all platforms, and make it known that hate is unwelcome in the online spaces we call home.

Spilled Ink Censorship Fast Facts Censorship impacts 1.72 billon people every day.

23.5% come across censorship when on the internet.

Defamation is the top reason a website is blocked or removed.

80% of the world doesn’t have completely uncensored internet access.

Censorship worries 60% of North Americans.

Of the 30 mostvisited countries, 8 have censored internet.

There were 321 removal requests filed in 2012 in the United States.

45% of internet users live in a country where satirical cartoons, writing, and videos are censored.

61% of users live where criticism of the government, ruling family, or military is subject to censorship.

In 2015, 38% of internet users lived in places where messaging or social media apps were blocked.

Information gathered by Rebekah De Priest; sources: brandongaille.com, go-globe.hk. Graphics by Jack Hunter

Spilled Ink

Perspectives

Pay the People

Jan. 31, 2019

Government shutdowns damage citizens through lack of pay, more

Sadie Buggle News Editor

You are a single parent who has worked for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) for the past 25 years, and you dedicate a large part of your life to the job, which has left you living paycheckto-paycheck after factoring in groceries, health and car insurance, mortgage, and electricity bills, in addition to childcare c o s t s .

By the 30th day of the government shutdown, a stack of bills sits piled on your kitchen table, unopened and unpaid. You must choose whether to pay the mortgage or buy food. High child care rates continue to stack up, as your children are too young to stay home alone but as you are considered an essential part of the government, you are required to continue working long hours for no pay.

Similar situations became a reality for thousands of Americans this month as the government shutdown continued past its fourth week, and unemployment rates dropped as many had to �ile for unemployment to gain bene�its to pay bills. 800,000 federal employees, many of them living paycheck to paycheck, were not paid for over a month. While some were not required to work, others were forced to work for no pay, because their job is vital to the functioning of society.

“There are different categories of government jobs. The jobs that are essential to everyday functions, like the TSA, are needed whether or not the government is paying them, and those people are expected to work for no pay,” Chris Tholl, government teacher, said.

Those employed by the government who had to work for no pay and/or take up a second job were not the only ones affected by the shutdown. Over�lowing garbage, litter, and damaged natural resources caused by unsupervised human activities due to the lack of park rangers harmed national parks.

Only 46 percent of Food and Drug Administration employees were working during the shutdown, none of them receiving payment, which made America’s produce, dairy, and readyto-eat foods potentially dangerous as much went by uninspected.

The government closure was also an economic hardship at the state level.

“The shutdown is a

burden on the states, because many furloughed employees are putting in for unemployment bene�its, and that comes out of state funds,” Tholl said. “States are expected to provide this money, and with so many people �iling for unemployment that amount can become large.”

Ann Stillwell-Click works in the Integrated Services department at FCHS, and her husband has worked for the USDA in the tech support sector for 23 years. Although they are �inancially stable, they witnessed the impacts of the shutdown.

government protection, and it created unnecessary health risks through the limited inspection of food, as well as altering the number of citizens currently unemployed. This shutdown, lasting over a month, was damaging to American society, and made no political or economic change in terms of the funding for the border wall. If Trump is to reapproach the issue of this funding, a government shutdown is not the way to get the intended results, and would further damage citizens across America.

To prevent the start of another government shutdown that would affect the lives of hundreds of thousands, it is essential to reach out to your state senators and representatives and tell them your opinion. The most direct way t o r e a c h t h e m is through calling t h e i r of�ices and convincing them that if they do not listen to the voice of the public and take a strong stance on the topic, they will not be re-elected.

“The jobs that are essential to everyday functions, like the TSA, are needed whether or not the government is paying them, and those people are expected to work for no pay.” —government teacher Chris Tholl

“We don’t live paycheck-topaycheck and he should be fully compensated after the shutdown ends, according to what’s happened in the past. However, he has seen his coworkers be affected by the shutdown.

A contract worker he is friends with wasn’t going to get paid for working during the shutdown, so she �iled for unemployment on Christmas Eve. I just worry for those with a big family that depend on each paycheck, because the impact from this shutdown will be tremendous,” Stillwell-Click said.

Though President Trump agreed to put an end temporarily to the shutdown as of January 25, he has threatened to shut the government down again after February 15 if Congress doesn’t pass legislation funding his border wall.

But another shutdown is not the answer. This government closing harmed many American citizens and their families and national parks that rely on

21

Shutdown Effects Both local and state farm service centers weren’t open to farmers signing up for programs under the Farm Bill.

Some National Parks closed, while others provided only limited services to visitors.

More than 30 million smallbusiness owners were unable to receive federally assisted loans and technical assistance.

Home buyers were put on standby and couldn’t refinance mortgages.

Victims of crime were not able to get money from the federal government.

The Food and Drug Administration delayed inspections deemed nonessential.

The rates of loans from the Federal Housing Administration and payments to public housing agencies were slowed.

380,000 federal employees did not work during the shutdown, and 420,000 worked without pay.

Federal contractors will not receive backpay (as of press time).

Information gathered by Rebekah De Priest; sources: usatoday.com, denverpost.com, cbsnews.com, time.com.

Graphic by Jack Hunter

22

Jan. 31, 2019

Perspectives

Tip 1

Be careful of sites that don’t show any clear fact-checking or editing processes.

Tip 3

Pay attention to the author(s), who is writing what, and look for a byline.

HOW TO SPOT FAKE NEWS

Spilled Ink

Tip 2

URLs like .io, .co, or .com may not always be reliable.

Tip 4

Check for an “about me” source, since it tells you about the author.

Tip 5

Get your news from a variety of sources, rather than the first thing to show up on your social media feed.

Fake News:

Untrue or made up stories that appear as news and are spread through media, often as a joke or to manipulate political viewpoints.

Information gathered by Molly Lubbers and Rebekah De Priest; sources: nbcnews.com, cambridge.org. Graphics by Jack Hunter and Spilled Ink Archive

Students, staff should follow security protocol Last year, there were 97 incidents involving a gun in schools, according to the Center for Defense and Homeland Security—that’s the largest number of occurrences recorded. The incidents have been increasing over recent years, but the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School pushed a movement forward and people into action. Students organized, asking for gun control and calling for safer schools.

In light of this, our administration has created new protocols to make sure our school is secure place.

At the beginning of this year, a camera system was implemented at the front entrance; more recently, the system was also installed at the music-hall parking lot doors. In addition, the administration has asked students to not let anyone in through other doors in order to stop dangerous people from entering the school.

When students let one another in through doors not secured by these camera systems, the utility and reliability of the system fails.

Even if the vast majority of kids follow protocol

STAFF ED

and are faithfully buzzed in by employees in the front office, all it takes is one student being let in a side door to nullify its effectiveness.

If every member of the student body decides to not let other students in, danger will decrease.

By letting the staff handle the responsibility of granting people entrance, it will ultimately keep us, our friends, and the staff of FCHS safer. Though it might be awkward to avert your eyes from someone standing at the door waiting to be let in, it’s a crucial rule to follow, and one introduced for our protection.

But this sentiment extends to teachers and staff as well. Sometimes, the staff stationed near the doors not equipped with the security system are not paying attention to those entering and exiting the building. Their job is to be alert and prevent dangerous situations, and

that responsibility should be a priority. As our first defense against intruders, it is a serious matter when they aren’t focused on that task.

Similarly, teachers should also make sure they are following protocol, and not letting students in. And when they host events after school, it is important that they are the ones stationed at the door or letting students in, since the doors are not monitored by security staff after school.

It’s understandable to be frustrated when these measures inconvenience you, or even if you think they’re ineffective altogether; after all, it seems impossible to ensure every student in the building complies with the rules. However, regardless of whether you think our security protocols need revision, what makes the most sense right now is to follow the current plan and make sure it is implemented as smoothly as possible. It does not make sense to disregard our current regulations in the name of finding a better solution in the future.

School aims to be a safe environment where children can learn—let’s keep it that way.

Perspectives Plastic By the Numbers Spilled Ink

Every year, roughly

8,000,000 tons of plastic is thrown in the ocean.

Plastic-based products make up

60-90% of marine litter.

Plastic has been consumed by of sea turtles.

over 50%

1 garbage truck of plastic is dumped

into the oceans every minute.

By 2020, it is estimated that

10

times there will be more plastic in our oceans.

Letters to the Editor

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Realize that you have an opinion about something and want to address it in Spilled Ink. Write about your topic in 300 words or fewer.

Sign it with your full name and grade.

Send it to acolwell@psdschools.org.

Read Spilled Ink monthly and watch for it to appear in any upcoming issues!

Jan. 31, 2019

23

Editor’s Note Molly Lubbers

Editor-in-Chief

Earlier this month, The Ocean Cleanup gained attention after the system broke apart. Created to collect debris from the Great Paci�ic Garbage patch, a swirling mass of plastic and other rubbish deposited in the ocean, it forms a false coastline to concentrate trash in one area for removal.

Since it’s convenient—cheap yet durable— plastic gluts our lives. Cell phones, furniture, �looring, containers, bottles, straws, toothbrushes, toys—the list of plastic products is overwhelming. With our daily interactions so pervaded by plastic, it’s hard to escape it.

But currently, marine life are being killed by the plastic dumped in the ocean; they can get stuck in it, rendering them immobile, or it can build up in their stomachs, making them believe they’re full when they’re not. This may also impact humans who eat �ish, as toxic compounds from plastic are absorbed into the �ish we eat; studies haven’t shown harm yet, but it’s possible our exposure to it isn’t safe.

To combat this problem, reduce the amount of plastic you use by refusing single-use plastics. Reuse a nd recycle plastic products.

Call or write letters to government of�icials, asking them to ban single-use plastics in Fort Clyde Collins or Colorado.

Cares As consumers and constituents, we should all work to minimize plastic pollution.

Information gathered by Rebekah De Priest; sources: earthday.org, globalcitizen.org

3400 Lambkin Way, Ft. Collins, CO 80525

Editors

Molly Lubbers...Editor in Chief Sadie Buggle...News Editor Kelly Warden...A&E Editor Miles Rodriguez...In-Depth Editor Italia Caro...Sports Editor Rebekah De Priest...Perspectives Editor Roland Tomsic...Managing Editor

2018-2019

(970) 488-8199

Staff Writers

Hannah Blagg Seraphina Discoe Alex Ellmer Anna Hunter Jenny Nguyen Mackenna Rowe

Photographers Kristina Howard

Graphic Artists

Jack Hunter...Head Graphic Artist Jack Brecheisen

Adviser

Anne Colwell

Editorial Policy

Spilled Ink is published nine times yearly by the newspaper staff of Fort Collins High School, 3400 Lambkin Way, Fort Collins, Colo. 80525, (970) 488-8199. Member of the Colorado High School Press Association, American Scholastic Press Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. Recipient of the Quill and Scroll, George H. Gallup Award in 1996 and 1997, and awarded First Place with Special Merit in 2001 by the National Scholastic Press Association. Columns are the opinions of writers only. Unsigned editorials re�lect the majority opinion of the Spilled Ink staff. Nothing in Spilled Ink should be considered the opinion of Fort Collins High School or Poudre School District (PSD). Schoolsponsored publications written by students are encouraged to freely and creatively express their views subject to the limitations of PSD Board Policies and state law (PR--la0431, Colorado Revised Statutes 22-1-120) Spilled Ink reserves the right to edit letters to the editor and to deny publication to any letter. Letters may be published on Spilled Ink’s website. Letters must be signed, and are limited to 300 words.

24

Jan. 31, 2019

The Backside

Spilled Ink

What is something that lights up your life?

Eric Crystal Senior

“Cross-country, because of the team camaraderie and how much fun it is.”

Diego Aragon Junior

“Baseball, because of the teammates and you learn things about life and yourself from the sport.

Carolyn Carpenter Sophomore

“My cousin; she’s kind of my best friend and she actually lives in Germany, but I love calling her and talking to her.”

Emmy Anderson Senior

“Softball, because it’s a good outlet and you can meet a lot of new friends.”

Madeline Jara Junior

“My friends and family. I like spending time with my friends and just goo�ing around and playing games. Sometimes my friend will come over and we’ll play the Xbox for hours.”

Jacob Verstraeten Freshman

“Anybody who’s just not a jerk to anybody else because it makes everything better in every way, shape and form.

Everyone is just all around happier.”

Winston Archibeque Sophomore

“Probably sports. I just look forward to them and it’s a fun way to get my energy out. I enjoy it a lot.”

Lucy Glenn Freshman

“Net�lix. It’s pretty fun; there’s a bunch of different shows. You can stay on there for, like, 6 hours. It’s just a fun way to spend your time.”

Spilled Ink is a seven-year All-Colorado, Hall-of-Fame Newspaper 2010-2011

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