The Lake - Senior Edition 2018

the lake senior edition

D@mn str8 Standley Lake High School | 9300 W 100th Avenue | Westminster, CO 80021 | USA | Planet Earth | Milky Way Volume 29 | Senior Edition May 2018

TO ALL OF YOU: The last year has been wild, to say the least. Not just for me as The Lake’s Editor-in-Chief, but for the entirety of the senior class. From the last first day to the last homecoming to the last Prom to the last last day, the year has been full of lasts.

Last. Four letters. One syllable.

It indicates a sort of finality to it, a point of no return.

But in reality, our lives are rarely so straightforward. Yes, our high school careers are over, but the future lies ahead.

And whether we view it with trepidation, excitement, or a combination of both, we’re all moving full speed towards the uncertainty of life as adults.

We’re all different. Each and every one of us here has a different story. We’ve all come from different places, converging for four years here at Standley Lake. We’ve had our mutual laughs, our mutual pain, and everything in between. But now, we diverge, heading in infinitesimally different directions -- whether that’s college, our careers, or something else entirely -- towards new firsts and new lasts.

The concept of last touches all of us, even here at The Lake.

One last issue for me to create. One last story for me to write. One last stressful deadline night. One last day as Editor-in-Chief. And one last Letter from the Editor.

Thank you for letting me experience all of your stories, from the first issue to the last.

It’s been real, Class of 2018.

For the last time,

K. Han A.K.A. Kevin han, THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

2 May 2018| Senior Edition

To the class of 2018, “You must take responsibility for your own learning or be prepared for imminent self-destruction.”

If you happened to have been one of the lucky students in my classes over the past few years, you will know this is the motto which is plastered across the back wall of my room, and I stand by it and promote it in my classroom and in my everyday life.

Responsibility. Taking responsibility for your actions and decisions and choices is one of the most important lessons I hope you have learned over your four years here at our beloved Standley Lake.

Whether you made the choice to skip class to hang out with friends and sleep in, or you made the choice to go to all your classes everyday and do nothing (or do something), own that choice and take the consequences of that choice with grace and dignity. Learn from all the choices you make and know that you are all fallible because you are all human.

We all suffer; we all learn; and we all love.

You get to choose our own lives and what you will do with them. However, taking responsibility for those choices will be the key to learning and growing academically, personally, and professionally. Taking responsibility for your choices will be the difference between being proactive or reactive in the buffeting winds of daily life.

Do you get it? Good.

Now, on to the more light-hearted… a shout out to all my lovable AP peeps from junior year. You guys are awesome, and I will miss you very much. May you all meet your own bar for personal success. I like to think we enjoyed each other’s company and learned from each other as well (I know I did).

To all seniors, past and present, some brief words of advice… keep your finances reigned in, your vices in check (moderation, people… moderation), and your friends and family in your thoughts. May you always remember to give yourselves a break and not judge yourselves or others too harshly. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not to be lived in the doldrums of self-judgement and doubt. And lastly, may you all travel the world and see the sights that are there to be seen. Open your mind to the possibilities that you all can achieve with a bit of hard work and responsibility.

LATER DUDES,

Ms. Jill ESPOSITO CLASS TEACHER OF THE CLASS OF 2018 3

4 May 2018 | Senior Edition

THE REAL SENIOR GIFT GATORS GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY Every year, the senior class gives out a Senior Gift. It’s a sort of contribution back to the school, whether it be a mural or updating drinking fountains or floor tiles.

However, this giving back doesn’t stop there. Many students have taken the reins into their own hands, giving back to not just the SLHS community but also communities near and far.

These projects materialize in the Senior Capstone project and the CAS Project in the IB Program.

The Senior Capstone project, supervised by members of the English department, is defined as a project that encourages students to engage with the local community through choice of internship, service, or other creative endeavors. Students strive to learn by doing tasks that have real consequences and then reflecting on those experiences. Students become involved in activities that will make a significant difference to their lives and also to the lives of others, as well as challenging themselves to extend existing skills or learn new ones.

In a similar vein, the IB Program’s CAS Project asks students to create and undergo a project that fulfills two of the three aspects of CAS -creativity, action, and service. According to the IB Organization, the project should involve purposeful activities with significant outcomes,

personal challenge, thoughtful consideration, and reflection on outcomes and personal learning. CAS strives to allow students to enhance their personal and interpersonal development by learning through experience.

While these Capstone and CAS projects started as assignments, for some, it has truly evolved into something truly special.

It’s inevitable that these smaller projects will fade with time. No gift, no matter the scale, will last forever. However, in the short term, these Senior Gifts affect members of the community, near and far.

Whether it’s a primary school in Mexico or the elderly here in Colorado, these projects have made a change in the status quo. Maybe it’s just making something more convenient here at school or just allowing strangers to open up and relax for a bit, but someone’s day was made better, brighter.

And while the school sees definite improvements from the annual Senior Gift, the smaller, more intimate, service projects shouldn’t be ignored. While the Senior Gift defines a class, these personal projects define students.

And sometimes, that’s enough. | Kevin Han

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MUSIC IN THE MOMENTS For Savannah Martin ‘18, music defined her Senior Capstone project.

“I play my guitar and sing at longterm care facilities for people with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia,” Martin said.

The experience itself was entirely new to Martin, but she has found that there’s much more to her project than she first thought.

“There is so much to be learned from the older generations and so much to be gained by building a relationship with them,” Martin said, “There’s something so sweet and pure about working with the older generation that’s rare in today’s world. The building of intergenerational relationships benefits everyone and increases open-mindedness.”

While the assignment only requires ten hours of service, Martin has gone above and beyond.

“I’ve been working on this all se-

mester during most Sundays and Thursdays,” Martin said, “And I plan on continuing after the project is over.”

However, Martin confesses that there’s been some unique adjustments she’s had to make for her project.

“I had to learn an entirely new playlist!” Martin said, “I started learning songs from the ‘40s and the ‘60s in order to relate to the residents in a more in-depth way.”

But ultimately, for Martin, this assignment has truly become something special indeed. She believes that in reality, she’s the one who has benefited the most from her experience.

“I’ve been blessed to volunteer for these people,” Martin said, “They have such big hearts and it’s amazing to help out as they transition into the twilight years of their lives.”

REDUCE, REUSE, RECYCLE Emma Smith ‘18 and Nathaniel Kregar ‘18 teamed up to install recycling bins here on school grounds.

try to limit the amount of trash I create,” Kregar said, “It’s easy to cut out extra trash by doing simple things.”

Ultimately, Smith and Kregar hope that their project can be continued and expanded upon.

“I’ve always been really passionate about the environment and horrified by how the school’s trash never seems to end up in the trash can,” Smith said.

And for Smith, while she can’t singlehandedly reduce the amount of waste here at school, she believes that providing options is a good first step.

“My biggest hope for this project is that it keeps going,” Kregar said, “The possibility that this project has to make a difference is huge, so the necessity for this project to keep going is so important.”

“I feel like there’s not much being done for the environment in general,” Kregar said, “The fact that, as a school, we create so much trash, a lot of which can be recycled, made me feel like it was necessary to do something.”

Kregar finds that this project is an extrapolation of his own thoughts into action.

“I’ve always been environmentally conscious. I’ve done a lot of clean ups around the area and just

6 May 2018 | Senior Edition

“I can’t fix students’ habits but I can do my best to find a way to provide the most options for a sustainable and environmentally friendly school environment,” Smith said.

Smith and Kregar both credit adults, though, as significantly helpful to them during this process.

“Money was an issue,” Smith said, “But all the teachers, Mr. Swanson, and administration have been extremely helpful despite the massive project that this is.”

“Ideally, people actually use the bins to recycle and the school becomes more environmentally friendly,” Smith said.

Smith and Kregar, now with their long-term project’s vital first step completed, hope to commit teachers and clubs to their cause, so they can continue this environmental shift on campus into the future.

A KINDRED SPIRIT For Giuliana Tucker ‘18, her Capstone Project at the Children’s Hospital had a deeper, more personal connection.

Though the project only lasted a short period of time, Tucker hopes her assistance to youth in the hospital continues on in the future.

“I have an autoimmune disease...and when I was in the hospital I felt like I needed somebody who knew what I was going through,” Tucker said.

“I gave some of the kids my number in case they ever needed somebody to talk to or needed some advice about coping,” Tucker said, “I really hope that I helped them with how they were feeling and with getting through what they’re going through.”

This issue that Tucker herself dealt with left a profound impact on her.

“There [are] so many people with illnesses and they don’t have people they can relate to or that they can talk about it to,” Tucker said, “I wanted to be that person for other people.”

Tucker thus decided to draw from her own experiences for her Senior Capstone.

“I helped organize activities for the other children and teens that were at the hospital. We got all the kids out of their rooms and I talked with them to see how they were doing to see if they needed anything,” Tucker said.

Tucker also wants future students to continue her project.

“The kids in the hospital love it, and so do teens. Kids in hospitals love when people come and visit, and care,” Tucker said.

In the end, while Tucker underwent this project, she found that her assistance did not go unreciprocated. “[Volunteering] helped me and my illness,” Tucker said, “Not only did they learn from me, I learned from them.”

AN INTERNATIONAL APPROACH Seth Conner ‘18 knew from the very start that his CAS project had to be internationally-oriented.

“I [saved] up the entire summer beforehand to self-fund the trip,” Conner said, “[That was] the longest part, saving up the money to pay for everything.”

Late last fall, Conner left for two weeks to Merida, Mexico -- the capital of the state of Yucatan -- in order to teach English to youth.

“I ran the English program for a public primary school in Merida,” Conner said, “I created lesson plans, taught classes, wrote and graded quizzes, played games, and chose students of the week for grades one through six.”

For Conner, the global-oriented nature of IB led

to his decision to undergo his project.

“I wanted to take my CAS project abroad to interact with other cultures in a unique way,” Conner said, “I was hoping to gain a new perspective on a culture that is increasingly shown in a negative light in the U.S.”

students learned more than just English from him. They learned many intangibles.

Furthermore, Conner has personal ties to Mexico and to the Spanish language, providing further motivation for him.

Conner ultimately thinks that it’s important for students to contribute back to society. He states that the CAS project provided a “perfect opportunity” for this.

“I’ve studied the Spanish language since middle school and have always wanted to become fluent,” Conner said, “I also have a lot of friends whose families come from Mexico so it seemed like the perfect culture to get involved with.”

And while Conner definitely gleaned a lot from his experiences in Merida, he believes that his

“I realized that [my students] were learning just as much about [American] culture,” Conner said.

“If [future students] get really engaged [with] their CAS projects, it definitely has the ability to prepare them to get involved in the community in the future,” Conner said, “It looks great on college and scholarship resumes and will always make you stand out from the crowd.”

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IT’s TIME TO GRADUATE