seniorsalute
15 [05/10/12]
Musically motivated Understanding the power of music
In the picture, Lauren Hahn, poses with a tiger at the Cheyenne Mountain zoo. ‘12, even a junior zookeeper can do some of the most dangerous jobs. “They actually had a rifle pointed at him,”Hahn said. “If he woke up, we would have all been in big trouble.”
Lions, tigers, and bears : a day in the life of Lauren Hahn
[zachanderson]
Lauren Hahn, ‘12, works at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo during her summers. With a job so unique, working with animals such as tigers, giraffes, and snow leopards , she never knows what to expect When Lauren Hahn, ’12, answers the phone, she’s waiting with a smile. It’s easy to tell; you can hear it in her voice. Perhaps it’s the fact that graduation is mere weeks away, or that she is nearing the final round of her high school battle with senioritis--either way, from the way the words roll off her tongue, she’s glowing. But she seems to be this way with most things. Hahn is a lucky girl, or rather, a hard working one. She is a get-in-there-and-try-it kind of person, whether she’s working with six hundred pound tigers at her summer internship at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo or regaining her volleyball prowess after a season-ending sprain, her smile never faltering. Some may call it a good attitude; others call it pure drive. “I’m the most competitive person,” she says. “Even when I’m on the highway, it’s a chance to prove myself.” Such ambition is the reason why Hahn not only excelled in her volleyball career--starting from the freshman team and working her way up to an slot on the highly competitive Allstate club team as well as the varsity high school team--but also her dream career she will be pursuing next year at Colorado College. “I kinda always knew that I wanted to be a vet,” she says. “But after working in a zoo I realized that I didn’t want to work with little house animals. I wanted to work with big exotic, crazy animals.
“ ” I wasn’t too scared until I walked into the tiger’s alley in the back. Their eyes are so piercing... Lauren Hahn, ‘12
A zoo-vet. It’s a fitting job for someone who talks about the big cats and giraffes she works with, through a junior zookeeping program at the zoo, as if they are like her house pets. “My favorite cat is the male snow leopard, his name is Putan,” she says, grinning. “He was human-raised so he thinks he’s a human, and whenever the trainers come in, he gets really excited. And when big cats get really excited, they lose all the control in their body. He starts jumping around and flailing. The first few times, me and a couple of trainers would nearly pee ourselves laughing because its so funny.” Zookeeping wasn’t always this effortless though; Hahn explains that on her first day of the job, she was shocked at the amount of bravery it requires to work with exotic animals. “I wasn’t too scared until I walked in to the tigers alley in the back,” she says. “Their eyes are so piercing and the intensity in which they look at you scared me a little bit. But after that first
For the hundreds of different genres of music, there seem to be different personalities to match the listeners. To James Mcpherson ‘12, the sounds of Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and Glenn Miller seem to play in harmony with the unique individual that always admired them. “My favorite genre is Jazz,” Mcpherson said. “I love the variety, the wide range of different styles and tempos of Billie Holiday and John Coltrane.” Since the beginning of middle school, Mcpherson has participated in jazz band as a baritone saxophone player. This is his eighth year of playing. “Peggy Vax, my teacher, was the wife of a professional jazz big band leader, so naturally, I began to become a fan of that style,” he said. “I quickly began to branch out into loving small group and bebop style, though.” Despite moving from California in 2009, Mcpherson has maintained a respect for jazz that remains unfazed. “It isn’t necessarily more complex than most genres, however, it requires a lot of creativity and musical knowledge. I’ve met some good friends that recognize this as well.” he said. Next year Mcpherson will attend (Metro), and plans to major in business with a minor in music. He looks forward to playing in the future with even more people that share that passion. “I guess music can apply to everything you do and all aspects of life.” he said. “I like how it can tie people together and bring them closer.”
day, I wasn’t that scared of them anymore.” But, as lovable as a family dog or cat, Hahn has developed a unique relationship with the animals she encounters on her job. “It’s a different perspective. When you visit a zoo you don’t get to see their personalities. But working behind the scenes and working with the animals you actually get to see their separate characters. Working in a zoo, you see what is so great about these animals and why they need protection in the wild.” Her love of animals plus her seemingly endless ambition and joy predict she will be doing great things for the creatures that she’s learned so much about over the past year. Before she’s done telling her story, she sends a picture via text with the caption: “This is George.” George happens to be a 800lb grown tiger who is peacefully sleeping on top of an examination table. What we don’t see in the picture, is that George is actually being held at gunpoint, in case he wakes up from the drugs he’s currently under. Hahn then explains that she was responsible for giving George his anesthesia -- the most crucial job in the entire room. It’s breath-taking, it’s daring, and this summer she’s doing it all over again. That same smile radiates over the phone line as she says, “I’m so excited.”
[danielleburrage]
Quickquotes
RCHS seniors share their favorites, their focuses, and their final goodbyes
Britney Wunderlich, ‘12, said she had met her colleglate match once she’d arrived at CU “Once I visited the college, I fell in love with it. I love what it has to offer, I love the programs, and I love how it is oriented towards the outdoors,” Wunderlich said. Rachel Branson‘12, hopes to do something fun and daring with her friends before she heads off to school “One of the things we want to do is steal a bunch of street signs and cones and put them in random places,” said Branson. Nichelle Tesone, ‘12, recalls her favorite senior year experiences. “I was able to dedicate a lot of my time into yearbook and litmag that ended up being really successful. I made a lot of good friends, and I hope that what I learned will help me in my future. “ When it finally hit Lexy Kadey, ‘12, that this was her last week of high school, she said the feeling was “bitter sweet.” “I’ve always been excited to leave school,” Kady said. “But this morning I was starting to get sad because it doesn’t hit you until the last week. I’m so excited festivities because its really the last time to be together as a class.”