ISSUE NO 4 | JANUARY 2020
here's to
20 20
//2
January 21, 2020
Inside this issue . . . Letter from the editors
This issue, we wanted to ring in the New Year with the theme of new beginnings. We have incorporated this into stories, graphics, and even the cover. Butterflies represent new beginnings, which is the perfect way to welcome 2020. Additionally, ThunderRidge’s Seminar/IB theme for the month is open-mindedness, and we think that is the perfect way for starting a new decade. Being open-minded is important in fostering a positive influence in our community, and it’s an easy shift in thinking that we can all participate in. We hope that you immerse yourself into a new year, new you, and enjoy all of the beautiful pieces in this issue! Caitlin, Sophia, and Jordan
STAFF Editors in Chief Caitlin Estes Jordan Lear Sophia Romano Art Director Maddy Stadler Adviser Nikki Sameshima
ContenTs Photographers McKenna Frakes Xander Lees Sierra Martinez Caitlin Marty Ally Stadler Writers Lillian Moats Michael Reyes Jack Ryan Mallory Travis Jasmine Vaughan
Broadcasters Carter Brockbank Kaleo Comer Will Douglass Alex Downs Ryken Kucinski Emma Rygh Carson Shea Steven Taylor
3) 2019 Recap and School Groove 4) Voter Registratiopn 5) Climate Change 6) Effects of New Year’s Resolutions 7) Popular New Year’s Resolutions 8) Basketball Photos
Cover and table of contents photos by Caitlin Estes
January 21, 2020
//3
2019 Recap Jordan Lear and Jack Ryan
Jordan Lear
The graphic above represents major events that happened in 2019. The bigger bubbles represent the more significant occurrences, and the smaller bubbles represent the less significant ones.
Find your school groove The feeling of going back to school after break is the worst. For me, it is extremely hard making the transition from waking up at 11 a.m. every day to waking up at 6 in the morning. I would like for my morning routine to go like this: I wake up at 6, get in the shower, do a hair routine, which consists of brushing, drying, and applying gel. However, I am usually get up around 6:50 a.m., and then I’ll only have time to get in the shower. It’s always a struggle to get in my car and go to school, because the
thought of not being able to relax and do whatever I want without administration or teachers telling me to, is difficult. When I get to school, I meet up with my friends and start the day, which almost always drags on. And after the school day is over, I will usually go to work for about four hours or so, and then I’ll study or complete my homework, which normally takes me about two hours. Finally, I go to bed at about 11 or 12 p.m. This is a pretty poor school routine, according to www.theodysseyonline.com, in
an article by Payton Mendez, titled Five Ways to Get Back in the School Groove. One way, the article suggests is to buy new clothes. Whether it be a scarf, a sweater, jeans, or some cool new sneakers, there is something to be said for “look good, feel good.” A new addition to your closet will give you a reason to smile. Another way is to buy a new calendar when the wave of responsibilities and assignments come your way. Having an agenda in which you can note down all the things that you need to get done makes life much easier.
Additionally, writing down all your upcoming assignments when the syllabus comes out will make the rest of the semester less overwhelming. As we all dread the return of school after break, there are plenty of things to look forward to and ultimately everybody is here to support you and help you succeed in school. Deborah Day, author of Be Happy Now, give this advice to live by: “Encourage, lift and strengthen one another. For the positive energy spread to one will be felt by us all. For we are connected, one and all.”
//4
January 21, 2020
PEACEJAM registers teen voters Sophia Romano
Ally Stadler and Sierra Martinez
‘We believe that it is our civic duty to register high schoolers.' — Saee Rege The ability to vote is an important privilege citizens of the United States are granted. Many juniors and seniors are of age to vote in the upcoming election, but the obstacle of registration stands in their way. That’s where ThunderRidge High School’s PeaceJam comes in. “We believe that it is our civic duty to register high schoolers. Even more so, it is finally an opportunity for high schoolers to voice their opinion on what they believe needs to change by electing the best representatives of their ideals,” says ThunderRidge senior and member of the PeaceJam leadership team Saee Rege. Members of ThunderRidge PeaceJam believe that it is crucial that students start practicing responsibility through their rights as a citizen. Furthermore, members believe that taking these actions to encourage teens to vote will benefit our future, not only as a community, but as individuals. Statistics have shown that youth voting trends between 1972 and 2016 have dropped from 50 percent to 39 percent of teens voting in presidential elections. “We estimate that there are at least 100-200 kids that could be registered, and if we are able to get 85 per-
cent of eligible seniors registered, then the school will receive the Eliza Pickrell Routt Award for Voter Registration,” says ThunderRidge senior and PeaceJam Social Media Coordinator Alex Griffin. Throughout the weeks leading up to the 2019 Homecoming events, students in PeaceJam worked tirelessly to meet their goal of expanding the number of registered voters by registering PeaceJam members to become voter registration ambassadors. “In order for PeaceJam members to become student voting ambassadors, there’s an online training course that they must take, which can be found on the Colorado Secretary of State Website. From there, they can become ambassadors. They must be 16 or older to become an ambassador,” adds Griffin. PeaceJam’s student voting ambassadors set up shop at each of the Homecoming events, and tried to persuade students to register to vote. This proved to be a successful method for the PeaceJam ambassadors. “In a matter of five days, we were able to register 109 kids,” adds
Rege. T h e PeaceJam voting registration ambassadors are not stopping, as they plan on attending more school events in order to move closer towards achieving their goals. “We are currently planning a voter registration events primarily focused on the seniors. Our intention is to go around to senior seminars in order to get at least 85 percent of our senior class registered. We think that it would be a great honor for the school if we were able to earn the Eliza Pickrell Routt Award,” adds Rege. This award is given by the Colorado Secretary of State for outstanding voter registration efforts to a teacher
or administrator that enrolls eligible seniors to vote. Routt was inducted into the Colorado Women’s Hall of Fame for her efforts in the women’s suffrage movement, so this award would not only represent the actions taken by the students in the club, but it would also represent the ThunderRidge community as a whole. The steps taken by the PeaceJam student voting ambassadors, as well as the open mindedness they received from students, demonstrates ThunderRidge High School’s ability to come together and make a change that benefits the community.
//5
January 21, 2020
our fossil fuel addiction Caitlin Estes
Maddy Stadler
get rid of fossil fuels in power production, industry and transportation,” remarked Taalas. Many people are pushing for change, especially the younger generations, because they are the ones most affected my future changes. There have been a plethora of marches and protests for climate change with one of the most famous known as “Skolstrejk for Klimatet”, started by Swedish schoolgirl Greta Thunberg, who has since gained global attention for the growing climate crisis. She is currently on week 67 of her strike. Thunberg has also published As Denver-area residents can see, pollution often fills the Front Range sky with what’s known as a book, “No One Is Too the brown cloud, instead of the clear blue sky for which Colorado is known. Small To Make A Difference”, “Things are getting the result of human activity and given speeches at UnitOPINION Humans are contribut- worse. It’s more urgent than since the mid-20th century ed Nations Councils. One of her most powing to climate change- and ever to proceed with mitiga- and is proceeding at a rate that is a hard pill for many tion,” reported Petteri Taa- that is unprecedented over erful messages comes from las, Secretary General of the decades to millennia,” men- a speech she gave at the to swallow. Since the industrial rev- World Meteorological Or- tioned a report from NASA. United Nations Climate olution, we have been pump- ganization, in an interview The easiest solution to Summit. “I shouldn’t be up ing fossil fuels high into the with The New York Times. these problems is a reduc- here. I should be back in This past decade was the tion to a complete abolition school on the other side of sky, and it is finally catching up with us. The Amazon hottest recorded, and things of fossil fuels, however, there the ocean. Yet, you all come Rainforest Fire destroyed are only getting worse. Since has been a lot of pushback to us young people for hope. over two million acres of the 1980s, each decade has to that, regarding economic How dare you? You have land; the Alaskan glaciers been progressively warm- systems. Many economies stolen my dreams and my are melting one hundred er than the last. While the depend on fossil fuel funds, childhood with your empty times faster than the histor- Earth’s temperature has including Colorado’s. How- words. Yet, I am one of the ical average. Although these fluctuated for the past 650 ever, green alternatives are lucky ones. People are suffacts seem horrifying, there thousand years, the increas- estimated to provide ten fering.” Climate change affects are still many people who es in the past century have times the jobs, and switchdo not believe in climate most likely been from the ing to renewable sources everyone, whether we recchange, and even more that contribution of humans, ac- completely would drastically ognize it or not. To keep our do not believe that humans cording to the The National decrease the unemployment planet healthy, we must take have anything to do with it. Aeronautics and Space Ad- rate, not to mention boost action before it’s too late. In Climate change is killing ministration, or NASA. fossil fuel dependent econ- the words of Greta Thunberg, no one is too small to “The current warm- omies. our planet from the inside out. ing trend…[is said] to be “The only solution is to make a difference.
//6
January 21, 2020
Effects of 2020 resolutions Lilly Moats
Ally Stadler
2020
For many, a new year calls for big celebrations, as well as a time to reflect on the successes and mistakes of the past year. Often times, people make resolutions without knowing their true effects. Ninety percent of Americans make New Year's resolutions. However, only 8 percent of these people actually achieve their goals by year’s end, while the other 82 percent of Americans never accomplish their goals, according to the Forbes website. Every year, we participate in this tradition, but where did this practice of making resolutions for the new year originate from and does it really help us? It is believed that 4,000 years ago, the Babylonians celebrated the New Year and took part in New Year resolutions. One hundred and forty years later, the Romans began to celebrate the New Year. After Julius Caesar changed the calendar to the Gregorian style, they celebrated the holiday in January. The month of January is named after the god Janus, who represents reminiscing on the past. The Roman and Babylonian resolutions primarily revolved around the gods they worshiped. In later centuries, early Christians practiced the act of New Year’s Day and the resolutions that follow. They believed that it was a way to be forgiven of mistakes and to
start anew. In the past, New Year's Resolutions have revolved around religious beliefs, though nowadays, New Year's resolutions are more about improving oneself. The most common New Year's resolutions of 2019 were to exercise and get into shape. This is not surprising, due to the fact that many people want to improve their physical health and appearance. The second most common resolution was to eat healthier. Our eating habits have a big impact on our overall health and can determine longevity. Other popular resolutions included saving more money, getting more sleep, losing weight, and spending more time with family and friends. New Year’s Resolutions can have positive results on one’s health and well being. They can also help a person learn how to create and maintain goals. “A positive and realistic resolution will lead to better success,” says Gene Bersin from the Massachusetts General Hospital website. Once someone completes a goal, it creates a sense of confidence, therefore improving one’s self esteem. However, resolutions also can have negative effects. Many people create their goals and only see the results, not the steps to success. This creates inaccurate perceptions, and thus makes it hard for people to achieve their goals. If someone does not accomplish their goals one year, it could put them in the habit of not taking their goals seriously. “I never make resolutions,” says sophomore Kathy Thompson. “I believe that if you want to change your habits, you don’t need to wait for the new year.” Resolutions can also develop the habit of not persevering. Some resolutions are just too big and can make people feel stressed out and depressed.This may be because we feel guilty for not religiously following our resolution. Our resolution should not give us negative feelings, rather they are created to help not hurt. If they make you feel unhappy and stressed, then it isn’t a beneficial resolution. Alternatively, you may need to make accommodations to your goal so that you can continue making progress. When making a resolutions, we need to be aware of its effects on our daily lives. Start with a smaller goal, and if you accomplish that goal, make another small one. This will help you feel better about yourself and your successes in life. Psychiatrist Dr. Anne Lin, voiced her thoughts on the matter on the University of Utah Health website. “I think that people have to be patient. They have to try to make changes to their daily habits which can take a while.”
January 21, 2020
//7
Popular 2020 resolutions Malory Travis
McKenna Frakes
20 20
POPULAR NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONS 1.EAT HEALTHIER
2. EXERCISE
3. QUIT A BAD HABIT
4. GET MORE SLEEP
5. SPEND MORE TIME WITH FAMILY
6. SPEND LESS TIME ONLINE
7. TRAVEL MORE
9.HAVE A BETTER ATTITUDE
8. READ MORE 10. MAKE MEMORIES THIS YEAR!
The New Year’s Resolution is a tradition in most places. This is a time when people make promises to themselves in hopes of making this New Year better than their last.
//8
January 21, 2020
ThunderRidge basketball Michael Reyes
ThunderRidge Grizzlies vs. Overland Blazers Basketball Top: Sophomore varsity player Bennett Mather attempts to shoot a two-pointer during the final quarter of the basketball game against Overland High School. Overland High School was a major competitor, as they are ranked No. 1 in the state for basketball. In the end, Overland won 62 - 56. Left: Bennett Mather makes his way down the court, attempting to score an early lead for the team. Mather has 29 points for this season so far, and he averages a 31 percent for shooting.