the lake

9300 W 104th Avenue // Westminster, CO // 80021 // USA // Planet Earth // Milky Way

November 22 2013

Volume 25 // Issue 2

excitEmentoverflows asslhs WELCOMESNOBEL LAUREATE

FACEBOOK.COM/STANDLEYLAKENEWSPAPER

TheLake

@THELAKENEWSMAG

@THELAKENEWSMAG INSTRUCTED EXCLUSIVELY

BY POLICE OFFICERS!

Driver’s education

is a big step in every teen’s (and parent’s) life. We

get your student off to a safe start.

What makes 911 Driving School unique? All of our instructors are police officers, and as

trained driving experts, we have a vested interest in making your teen a great driver.

Experience, Knowledge and Trust are what police officers bring to 911 Driving School and as a

result, our students have fewer warnings, suspensions, tickets and accidents.

911 Driving School offers a variety of options and packages to fit your needs:

30 hour classroom training and test for Instruction Permit

Behind-the-wheel drive training Colorado State certified written and

driving road tests

Our Winter Schedule: Class hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Class #13-24: Thanksgiving Break Class: Mon 11/25 (#1), Tues 11/26 (#2), Wed 11/27 (#3) & Sat 11/30 (#4)

Class #13-25: December Weekend Class: Sat 12/7 (#1), Sun 12/8 (#2), Sat 12/14 (#3) & Sun 12/15 (#4)

Class #13-24: Christmas Break Class: Thurs 12/26 (#1), Fri 12/27 (#2), Sat 12/28 (#3) & Sun 12/29 (#4)

Call, stop by or go online today!

9100 W. 100th Avenue B-4 Westminster, CO 80021

303-425-0911 www.911drivingschool.com

Driver’s education is a big step in

every teen’s (and parent’s) life. We get your student off to a safe start.

What makes 911 Driving School unique? All of our instructors are police officers, and as trained driving experts, we have a vested interest in making your teen a great driver. Experience, Knowledge and Trust are what

police officers bring to 911 Driving School and as a result, our students have fewer warning,

suspensions, tickets and accidents.

911 Driving School offers a variety of options and packages to fit your needs:

• 30 hour classroom training and test for In-struction Permit

• Behind-the-wheel drive training• Colorado State certified written and driving

road tests

Our Winter Schedule:Class hours are from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm

Class #13-24: Thanksgiving Break Class:Mon 11/25 (#1), Tues 11/26 (#2), Wed 11/27 (#) & Sat 11/30 (#4)

Class #13-25: December Weekend Class:Sat 12/7 (#1), Sun 12/8 (#2), Sat 12/14 (#3) & Sun 12/15 (#4)

Class #13-24: Christmas Break Class:Thurs 12/26 (#1), Fri 12/27 (#2), Sat 12/28 (#3) & Sun 12/29 (#4)

Call, stop by or go online today!9100 W. 100th Avenue B-4

Westminster, CO 80021303-425-0911

www.911drivingschool.com

INSTRUCTED EXCLUSIVELY BY POLICE OFFICERS!

The whiskey tango hotel

4 // the goods

8 // 30-second sports update

10 // Happy holidays

thelong stuff

12// Everyone’s Heroes

16// Mother knows best

20// Like mother, like daughter

24// miracleS on 104th street

What began with 12 students at SLHS has turned into an internationally recognized project for peace.

Football players will have tons of fans, but none are more important than their moms.

From Bosnian war refugees to a part of the Standley Lake community, our custodians have a story to tell.

In a negative society, we always seem to forget the everyday miracles of Standley Lake.

Need the lowdown on all the new books? We’ve got it here! Need to know how to live a kick-butt life? We’ve got that here, too!

Your quick fix on the sports of the Swamp.

Happy Holidays from The Lake!

Oh hey, how’s it goin’?

Table of contents

November 22 2013 // 3

WTHWondering what’s up with “The Whiskey Tango Hotel”? These words come from

the phonetic alphabet, which is used by the military to communicate with its

people and avoid confusion. You’re our people. And this is what the heck is going

on at Standley Lake.

Welcome to the Whiskey Tango Hotel

The Lake: Do you think the school board changes will be drastic or minimal?

Williams: I think there will definitely be changes, but I wouldn’t use the word drastic. But there will definitely be positive changes to Jeffco Schools.

The Lake: How do you think the teachers will be affected by the changes?

Williams: Teachers will be given resources to help better educate the students.

The Lake: When will these changes go into effect?

Williams: I’m not sure, but once I’m sworn in, we will get to work on agendas, and get the changes put in as soon as possible.

The Lake: How will parents be impacted?

Williams: Parents will be impacted by getting their voice and values to be respected. It will take hard work, and teachers need their voices to be heard, as well. We need to know what they need to help improve the growth in the children.

4 // November 22 2013

Robust Robotics

Q&A with Julie Williams

If you happen to be at school late at night and see the light on in the tech ed room, chances are it’s one of our school’s top teams practicing for Regionals.

Technical Education teacher, Shane Stalter and six bright students are working hard to represent the Gators on Dec. 6 and 7 at the Regional Robot-ics Competition in Fort Smith, Arkansas.

Robotic competitions are intense and unpredictable. “I like the adrenalin rush at the competition, especially when things go wrong,” Andrew LoSasso ‘15 said. Each team is given 3 minutes to complete as many tasks as possible.

“They come in for practice 3 times a week, and I count on them to make this a commi-ment,” Mr. Stalter said. “Many of them are gamers, they don’t play sports. This is their sport.”

At competitions, these students perform in front of crowds, on a basketball court, with a band, just like an athletic event.

The students have created a two-man operated robot named the Swamp Thing. It’s designed to pick up things and move around quickly.

Late afternoon practices will continue to take place until early December when our Gator Ro-botics Team heads down south to chomp the competition.

Photo from Julie Williams for Jeffco Schools of the Evergreen Parade on June 15 2013

Jefferson County School Board will soon welcome a Standley Lake mom onto the school board. Julie Williams gave The Lake an exclusive interview about the upcoming changes to the board.

Members of the Robotics Team from left to right: Greg Nuebauer, Ryley White, Alex Barandess, Andew LoSasso, Jeff Wright, Mr. Shane Stalter. Not pictured: Bridgette Ruby

// alie settje

// stephanie mcdaniel

Robotics Team places third in Colorado

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w

10 ways to live a kick butt life

Wondering what’s up with “The Whiskey Tango Hotel”? These words come from

the phonetic alphabet, which is used by the military to communicate with its

people and avoid confusion. You’re our people. And this is what the heck is going

on at Standley Lake.

1. Use fine china for your PB&J sandwich, but be sure to have a cherry flavored Capri Sun in your mom’s crystal to wash it down.

2. Stop complaining about bad situations—just grab ‘em by the reins and ride that horsey!

3. Don’t care about being judged because 9 times out of 10, the person judging you is 10 times crazier than you.

4. Even if you don’t know the lyrics to a song, make sure you still own it with your freestyle!

5. Dance. Dance a lot.

6. Look in the mirror every morning and tell yourself, “I’m freaking awesome.”

7. The South Beach Diet doesn’t work and neither does the North Beach Diet, so stop dieting. No matter how much they tell you you’ll lose weight.

8. Know that it’s okay to make mistakes. Everybody does, so deal with it.

9. Surround yourself with other kick-butt people.

10. When you love yourself, the right people will be attracted to you and show up in your life.

November 22 2013 // 5

#GatorCode

I go commando sometimes. -Jacy Potter ‘14

I wore sweatpants the second day of school. -Alicia Meyer ‘15

I wear mandals and people call me G-Money. -Grant Gladstone ‘15

I have to listen to “My Milkshake Brings All The Boys To The Yard” when I shower. -Sabrina Nunez ‘14

I wear short shorts on the weekend. -Mrs. B

When people talk text lingo. - Mr. McAvoy

I’m deathly afraid to sleep with my closet door open. -Ms. Hayashi

#DontJudgeMe

#DontJudgeMe

#DontJudgeMe

#DontJudgeMe

#DontJudgeMe

#ICant

#IsThatWeird?

// jordan gray

// jordan gray

In 1990, I enlisted as a paratrooper, which is a person who jumps out of airplanes. While I was in the service, my first duty station I had was in Germany for two years in a little itty bitty town called Hohenfels; after those two years I went to Fort Bragg in the 82nd, and I was in the 82nd airborne for two years.

My biggest influence to become a teacher was my Honors Geography teacher, Dave Rogers from Arvada West. I really enjoyed his style. He was really hard, but he really helped me mature and see that I could be successful in education.

3. Mr. Collins has a big family My father was raising me and my two brothers by himself. Then he got married to a woman with three girls, so it’s like the Brady Bunch. The interesting thing about that is when he married my now Mom, her name is Shawn, and that’s exactly the same name that I have. And, even fun-nier, my little brother is named Aaron, and my mom had a daughter and her name is Erin. And now we have two Erins and two Shawns in my family. Now there’s Shawn the mom, and Shawn the boy, and Aaron A. and Erin E.

Mr. Collins and his teaching career

2.Mr. Collins jumped out of airplanes

1.

6 // November 22 2013

3Things You Didn’tKnow About

Mr. Collins

Words, melody, movement, imagery, and film. Four Gator artists moving on to the district level of the PTA Reflections Contest share what inspiration means to them and how they use this meaning to succeed.

Finding Your Inspiration

// stephanie mcdaniel

// olivia koontz

-R.J. Gunderson ‘14

-Liam Skulley ‘17

-Julie Her ‘14

1

-Rachel Luebbert ‘14

234

“I just thought, why limit yourself to one possibility of an outcome when you could have multiple. For example, I used three [colors] on that...it’s really just believing [in] what you want in the end.”

“[My song] is primarily about a kid, who basically has a dream in his sleep, and through different odds, makes it into a reality.”

“[People] are inspired by the people around them... and they soar to whatever they want to accomplish and their goal, but in the middle of it, it has to be cap-tured so they can remember it every moment of it.”

“At the beginning of the dance, I’m wearing a blindfold because when you’re in that state of pain, you don’t really see how the world really is, like your whole perception is changed...but then when you realize, and embrace it and let go, you can see the beauty and inspiration in life,” Rachel Luebbert ‘14 holds a position

in her dance she choreographed

Who’sHiring?

1. Wake up bright and early and get into your lucky #18 or #87 jersey or simply get on blue and orange Broncos gear.

2. Invite your friends over to watch the game, but be sure to have a friend or two that is a fan of the opposing team so you can bash them when the Broncos crush their team!

3. Have your mom get all the scrumptious snacks and drinks: hot wings, chips and dip, veggie tray, Orange Crush, or iced tea and juice for the non-soda drinkers.

4. If you are that superstitious fan YOU MUST do whatever it takes to makes the Broncos win, you can’t let your fellow Bron-cos fans down. So, whether it be having your labels out on your drinks or doing your lucky red zone dance, DO IT!

Pizza Hut IHOP Dairy Queen Sonic KFC / Taco Bel l Subway Buffalo Wild Wings Jump CityChuck E Cheese

KohlsApplebee’s Cold StoneBonefishTarget Forever 21

King Soopers

Your next SSR book

This novel takes you from the story of a girl trying to discov-er the reason for living, to the story of a girl hoping to find love again.

Anna’s best friend, Frankie, takes her to the beach for twenty days of summer hoping they’ll discover their first summer fling by meeting a new boy everyday. Anna goes along with Frankie’s idea while she thinks about her first great love, Matt.

Anna and Matt fell in love the summer before he left for college, though he never got there. Matt died in tragic accident before he could tell Frankie, his sister, of his love interest in her best friend. One year later, Anna is still grieving with Matt’s death.

The story portrayed by Sarah Ockler is heart breaking but also comforting. Anna’s pro-cess of grieving is realistic and

A book that will actually keep you awake during SSR:Twenty Boy Summer

age age age

November 22 2013 // 7

// jordan gray

// natasha mccone, julia vasquez

Four steps to a perfect Bronco game

connectable, while also expressing a summer experience that most wish for. Readers of If I Stay would enjoy this tale of how to continue through life with the power of love and accep-tance. // julia vasquez

(Not Pictured)

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The Unincludedby Jeremy Minnick

The soccer team made Standley Lake history for the second year in a row. They made it to the second round of the play-offs, but sadly suffered a heartbreaking defeat against Grandview.

The boys fought through terrible weather conditions, not backing down. Forced into overtime, one chance changed every-thing. The lone goal by Grandview sound-ed that dreadful whistle to announce the end of a long season for the Gators. Something had to be different this season, though.

They weren’t just a family this year. That’s a cliche.There had to be something that

It’s cold. You’re sticking to the bleachers from all the frost. Your hands are in your pockets strug-gling to find heat, you’re nice and warm bundled up in seven layers of hoodies, all encased by your letter jacket, and for what? To watch the football team win another game? To be with all your friends? Your mind is focused on the play at hand and how you’re going to get to the game the next week. While other teams are inside, working their butts off, preparing for the game or match that they have the next day.

But you didn’t know. Heck, you had no clue Andrew Hewitt ‘15 went to state for golf, or Jaylen Williams ‘15 and Daniel Lee ‘15 went to state for Tennis, and while you are all talking about football, Lucas Klarich ‘17 became the 2nd fastest freshman in the state in a 4K race.

The pattern continues. Year after year, people credit football for all of their accomplishments rather than giving it to all of the sports. I’m not saying to take anything away from football, I go to games myself, so don’t think I’m taking a shot at football, but there is more than one sport that represents Standley Lake.

Nobody understands this kind of shame more than state-qualifying golfer Hewitt. “I don’t really get much credit. I mean, some people give me props but most of the time people just don’t say anything about it. I’m constantly told how golf isn’t a real sport,” Hewitt said. “People say it’s not athletic enough to be a real sport, but it takes endurance and extreme mental toughness. It sucks that it doesn’t get as credited as other sports, because every sport is capable of hanging a banner.”

All of the teams practice the same, work as hard, and compete at the same level.

This upcoming winter season, I look forward to seeing you in the gym for boys and girls basketball games. Or at the wrestling match with your face covered in blue and green. And make sure you run by George J. Meyers Pool to witness girls swim-ming take a dip at a league title. We can’t skip a beat. No missed games, no unincluded teams, and nobody stands alone. This is OUR school, not one person individually. The most important player on any team is the team player so suit up and support.

That’s the key to making everybody from The Swamp successful in what they do.

So, next time you walk around the halls, or hear on the announcements about another sporting event, don’t immediately hop on the football bandwagon; consider going to a Hockey game for a change, a wrestling match, or a girls JV basket-ball game. Drench yourself in blue and green, and support your fellow Gators.

8 // November 22 2013

pushed sophomore Kyler Fowkes to scor-ing in almost every game and becoming one of the lead scoring players in 5A.

“I think what made this year different was that we are all so similar,” Fowkes said. “We know how each other plays on the field so we know what kind of balls to serve in to certain players.”

Having similar personalities, the varsity boys soccer team was able to have a stronger connection, which eventually brought them to the second round of playoffs.

This season, the boys ended with a re-cord of 11-3-1 in the regular season.

The gym is packed with hundreds of cheering fans, music is blasting, coaches are yelling, but Jordan Ireland ‘15 focuses all her energy into her routine. Nothing stands between her and that 6 inch beam, she flawlessly finishes her routine and the crowd goes wild. Ireland is ranked the 6 best gymnast in Colorado. “It’s crazy I made it this far! I’m so surprised,” Ireland said.

Ireland stays positive and confident in every moment at every competition, and it paid off. “Before State, I was a little nervous, I knew I had to give it my all. But I had fun competing with my team,” Ireland said. “All I can do is be confident in myself and know that my body knows

what to do.”

The team took 3rd place at Leagues, and 8th in State. “I love being around my team and coaches,” Ireland said. “Having a team assures you that you always have someone to go to. They’re like my second family.”

Maddi York ‘15 placed 8th on floor at Regionals and qualified for State. The two junior athletes led the team to State and all finished with a smile on their face after a long, successful season.

The team as a whole was very successful this year, and Jordan is looking forward to reaching new heights in her senior year.

Soccer sets new standard

Ireland reaches new heights

// alie settje

// morgan rubendall

November 22 2013 // 9

Winter Warriors

Girls Basketball Casey Torbet ‘15//

Wrestling Dylan Aguilar ‘15 //

Boys Basketball Marcus Asmus ‘14//

Swimming Alicia Meyer ‘15//

Hockey Nic Schmidt ‘15//

//Diving Caitlin Torgerson ‘15

Keep your eye out for these star athletes as they take on the Winter sports season

[

// kylynn delohery

[

holidaya

affair

2. 3.

This is the easiest and most fun craft you’ll be doing this holiday season. Customize your or-naments by covering any plain bulbs with pieces of fun and festive washi tape. Viola! You’ve got your own customized ornaments to hang up on that freshly cut pine tree.

Want your house to smell like what you’d imagine Santa’s house in the North Pole smells like? All you need to do is poke whole cloves into the rind of an orange to make festive smelling orange pomanders! You don’t need to be Mr. Claus or Mrs. Claus to have Christmas scented home.

the new bf/gf The mornings have a frosty bite to them, the sun is setting earlier--it’s cuddle buddy season. Come December 25, that cuddle buddy of yours is going to expect a gift and you will think that a cheap bottle of cologne or necklace is going to do the trick. Well, it’s not. Give yourself a hand and have a conversation about some interests before December 25, so you can avoid being that guy.

In the midst of final exams, projects, and the wrapping up of first semester, you totally spaced getting a gift for that one friend that always gives you an awesome gift. Avoid the urge to burst into Target and, mid-panic attack, grab the first thing that catches your eye. Take a deep breath. It’s going to be okay--as long as you don’t show up with a partially used gift card and no wrappings. Don’t be that guy.

the last minute giftIt’s Black Friday. You’re going on your fourth hour of shopping and the mall is looking less like a mall and more like the African jungle. You’re delusional. Don’t buy that CD for grandma because the cover is red and so are the walls of her kitchen. Don’t buy that cat sweater for your sister because it’s hideous and you’re sick of hearing her incessant whining for a kitty. YOU’RE DELUSION-AL. Back away from the mall. Don’t be that guy.

the delusional shopper

the not so jolly gifts

the goods:

// bethany keupp, shylah ogle, sabrina pacha

// sarah bennet, katelyn mertz, laurel nordquist-zukin

Crafting

Tis the season of

DIYRibbon or string of your choiceBranch of desired lengthHot glue gun

1 felt fabric square for each color you use 3, 3”x2” FloraCraft styrofoam conesSilver or Gold Jingle bells

of the cone. Repeat for the other two colors.4. Thread ribbon through a jingle bell and cut to desired length. Glue string to top of cone. Repeat for the other cones.5. Tie the trees at even intervals to the branch.

the how-to:1. Turn on the hot glue gun and let it heat up.2. Cut the fabric into abstract rectangles.3. Take squares of one color and glue them in a circular pattern starting at the bottom

the stuff:

10 // November 22 2013

Preheat oven and baking sheet to 375°F. In a large bowl, using a wire whisk, whisk together eggs, pumpkin, evaporated milk, 3/4 cup sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. Place frozen pie crust on preheated baking sheet. Pour filling into crust. Bake 30 minutes (20 minutes for regular crusts). In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/4 cup sugar, pecans, and melted butter. Crumble over top of partially baked pie. Bake an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

// tina muscarelli, morgan rubendall

Ingredients- (Makes 2 pies) -2 eggs-1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin-1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk-1 cup brown sugar, divided-2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice -2 pie crusts-1 cup pecan pieces-2 tablespoons butter, melted

Buy the lunch of someone behind you in the drive-thru line at your favorite fast-food restau-rant. Seeing their reaction in your rear-view mirror is priceless, and your food will probably taste better as you spread this random act of kindness. Who knows? Maybe you’ll create a trend with the person at the register and in the car behind you.

Donate! For pet-lovers, buy cat litter, cat food, or dog food for your local SPCA, volunteer at your local animal shelter, or donate money to a shelter to cover the adoption fees of a family that comes in to get a dog for Christmas. For

more information, call the Denver Animal Shelter at (303) 698-0076. To bring some joy to others this season, gather up those clothes in the back of the closet, make some cookies for our firemen for the holidays, or donate food to a local food bank. A specific charity called Prison Fellowship is an organization you can donate money to that gives Christmas presents to the children of prison inmates. To donate to this cause, go to http://www.prisonfellowship.org/get-involved/angel-tree/.

Give your time through volunteering, and donate to people, not bins, at assisted living facilities and soup kitchens, and personally

showing you care. Make fleece-tie blankets for babies at our local hospitals, and spend time with nursing home residents. At The Retreat at 10190 Wadsworth Blvd., Westminster, CO 80021, there’s an easy process to volunteer, which only involves you calling the facility at (303) 469-7178, asking for the activities directors Susie or Janay, and scheduling a time to meet with them. As a volunteer, you may read to resi-dents, call bingo, organize community service projects with the residents, or even paint the nails of some of the women residents, all of which bring joy to them and, in return, to you. “[You’re] going to be shocked at what you get in return...You’ll fall in love 55 times,” Susie, the volunteer coordinator, said.

// alie settje, olivia koontz, sabrina pacha

Pecan Glazed Pumpkin Pie

Today.

This week. This season.

November 22 2013 // 1 1

where is the love DWOH becomes world

wide peace movement 12 // November 22 2013

When we’re young, we learn that a hero is that brawny, shining-muscle guy with one fist punched out in front of him and a cape trailing behind him, flowing in the wind. He saves cities by night under the disguise of his mask and dwells in the ruffled comic books stuffed under-

neath a ten-year-old’s bed.

But what if he’s not the real hero? What if the real heroes are the ones that spread the simplest ideas: love and peace.

The real hero is Ms. Betty Williams, a Nobel Peace Laureate who gained her title after creating the Community for Peace People during The Trou-bles in Northern Ireland to heal a nation infected with indifference and hate.

The real heroes are the twelve students who shed light on the positivity within schools in a time when no one believed in it, and knew the power of a single white t-shirt.

Real heroes are Adam Baca and the eleven other students that met in E104 in 2007 to make the peaceful culture of Standley Lake grow and evolve, and lose sleep at night as project ideas and dreams of white posters flood their minds.

The real heroes are the teachers who aren’t afraid of the challenge that they undertake when they say, “Yeah, let’s create A Day Without Hate.”

After almost seven years of these heroes’ legacy, A Day Without Hate has survived the turmoil that accompanies our day-to-day lives.

“I’m working with different teachers currently to continue to spread Day

November 22 2013 // 13

“It’s one thing to participate in DWOH and it’s another to live it every day of

the year.”

Without Hate,” Adam Baca, a senior at Standley Lake in 2007 who helped start DWOH, said. “I email every school in Colorado, every district, letting them know about Day Without Hate. I go around and show them videos of it and that’s my job; to teach them about Day Without Hate.”

Efforts of countless others have provoked a vast and state-wide re-sponse that is defined by the compassion of our community. It’s this passion for love that holds the hands of members involved in Peace-Jam/A Day Without Hate.

In turn, they entice Coloradans to grab their hands and follow them to the depths of perseverance towards spreading A Day Without Hate even further.

“I’ve worked with A Day Without Hate at CU,” Annie Burky, the vice president of DWOH in 2009 and 2010, and Peace Jam president from 2008-2010 said. “Something I’ve learned is that the best way to spread a message isn’t through being in your face about it, but just how you act. It inspired me to help kids in Togo, it inspired me to travel abroad. DWOH taught me that I can be successful in making a difference.”

The devotion of DWOH is not only within this nation but towards the countries all around us.

Whether you’re that shy person who minds his own business and speaks but a few words to strangers, or that person who loves to be surrounded by people, the club’s roots don’t lie in what type of person you are but the fierce drive to make things right through the ideas of peace.

“I saw the impact that it had on SLHS and the community and it was really inspiring how I could be apart of a group of teenagers who are having such an impact,” Brittany Marks ‘15, a current DWOH club member said.

The amount of students flocking to DWOH is because of the knowl-edge and pride that fills the emotions of each member.

Why?

The news that caught the ears of so many students: the prestigious Global Call To Action Hero Award that DWOH was honored on October 17.

“I was beyond speechless because I was so happy,” Alexsander Hay ‘15, a current DWOH member said.

The attitudes of each and every member of DWOH is reflected in the dedication that was seen by not only our community but by PeaceJam International as a whole.

With this, we’re continuously driving away the cloud of Columbine. With this, we’ve begun to further the silver lining in the gray cloud of Colum-bine that those twelve students started back in 2007.

“We really feel so connected to you guys,” PeaceJam International’s Rocky Mountain Affiliate Coordinator, Michelle Cherniske said. “We start-ed out with two people and you guys started out with twelve. You guys take your passion and make a change and it’s in so many people and that’s how change happens. We’re just so proud.”

Through DWOH, we saw an elimination of the fear that shrouded our minds because of Columbine. Those twelve students planted the seed in fellow students minds to push back against the fear and anger.

Columbine was no longer winning. DWOH broke through the defenses of the people who worshipped the Columbine shooters. The people who radiated hate and instilled fear in others’ minds.

“It’s really weird, I mean the first year, DWOH was just an idea, and now it’s a reality,” Ms. Christy Hayashi, SLHS PeaceJam sponsor said. She was a Standley Lake Gator during the first DWOH.

There’s more good than bad in the world, and the students that gather in the confines of B222 push themselves to prove it.

“When I was in fifth grade and [my sister] joined I would see her doing this and I said, ‘I need to do this when I’m her age,’” Jamey Burky ‘15, a current DWOH member said. “I want to make a difference like her, and if it changed her as drastically as it did, no matter what I’m going through when I join it, it will be good for me.”

When you make the choice to step into that classroom after school on Thursdays, it’s a commitment to spreading the peace all around you. The choice screams sensitivity, generosity, and love.

“You know you guys put time and energy... We’re changing their lives and we’re creating agents of change. And that’s what’s most important to me,” Social Studies teacher, Mr. Ben Thompson said.

This generation is the future, and the little steps that DWOH are taking are the ones that have the biggest impact.

They don’t accept no for an answer and they cross the line in order to achieve what they know is possible: peace. The knowledge within them-selves that they can keep spreading peace everyday is the secret recipe to DWOH.

“DWOH means it’s one day where we can remember why we’re here,” DWOH Coordinator Mr. Ben Reed said. “That we can remember to look out for our friends and to look out for our acquaintances. It’s a day to reaffirm the connectivity that we have as humans and that we need as humans.”

It’s a remembrance of those who lost their lives in countless shootings and acts of violence across the world. And it’s a day where we come together as one instead of staggered amongst various groups.

It’s a movement that grabs people by the shoulders and shakes them; screaming “open your eyes.”

“It’s important to stay humble and we’re really honored to win this award but we won’t be satisfied until every single person ever, in history, has worn a DWOH shirt and has written a letter of amends and felt our mes-sage, because its one thing to participate in DWOH and its another thing to live it every day of the year,” Chaye Gutierrez ‘15, president of DWOH, said.

Never be satisfied and never settle for good enough. Exceed the expec-tations, even if they’re your own.

And never give up on the power of love and peace.

“You have to keep going because there’s just too much at stake,” Wil-liams said.

Everyone involved in the efforts of DWOH knew what they signed up for and every single one of them chose to take the risk that resulted in this movement.

So be passionate in what you do everyday that involves peace, because no matter what it entails, you’re being a hero.

// jamey burky, chaye gutierrez, shylah ogle, emma staton

14 // November 22 2013

3 things you need to know about the Troubles1. it was a 30 year conflict in Northern Ireland.2. There were two sides: Unionists and Nationalists. The Unionists wanted to stay part of the UK. Nationalists wanted to join the rest of Ireland to become the Republic of Ireland. This conflict is often refered to be between the Protestants vs. Catholics. However, this was not a religious conflict.3. In 1998, both sides ceased fire and the Good Friday agreement was signed. this allowed Northern Ireland to self govern, ending the troubles.

November 22 2013 // 15

the m-line16 // November 22 2013

the m-lineThe heart and soul of Standley Lake Football

lies within these women—the moms of The Lake

November 22 2013 // 17

the big

The O-line is quick. Speedy. They’re the lean guys; the ones trained to dodge the 11 beasts in the other jerseys.

The D-Line is made up of the big guys. The ones who eat four plates of spaghetti for a pre-game “snack.” The ones who make that cracking sound you hear from the back of the stands when they take down anyone who comes within a mile of their ball.

And when you think special teams, you think kickoff, punt, extra point, field goal and the like. But you’re missing one.

They’re not on the field. They’re not in the locker room.

They’re sitting at the top of the stands at NAAC. Every. Single. Game.

They’re decked out in Gator Gear, fully prepared for the chilly steel bleachers with fleece blankets and hot cocoa in silver thermoses, and they’re watching every play of the game like a mama bear stalking every threat that comes close to her cubs. The ones you really don’t want to mess with.

They’re the moms of The Lake, and this is the season from their perspective.

“Run Trey! Go Go!” Elyce Jarvis yelled as her son, Trey Jarvis ‘14, caught a perfect pass from Jacob Naranjo for a first down. “I just love see-ing him do his passion,” Mrs. Jarvis said.

As the excitement on the field grew with each touchdown, it was equally matched by the proud mamas in the stands, decked out in blue and green glittered accessories.

“I just want him to leave with the brotherhood he’s developed with the boys and winning the title,” said Mrs. Jarvis.

After every snap, Mrs. Jarvis kept her eyes glued to #31; focused on her son, with her daughter Emily. While Trey’s dad, George, sat and analyzed the game, but no one was as into it as Mrs. Jarvis was.

Trey Jarvis recovered a George Washington fumble at the Patriots four yard line and brought it back for a touchdown to put the

[the mom list]

wGators up 14-0 , as one can guess, Mrs. Jarvis was ecstatic.

“I’m obviously very proud of him. I’m proud of the man he’s become through Standley Lake,” said Mrs. Jarvis.

The boys kept the crowd as much a part of the game as the players. With the true motivation and determination that the fans handed to the team, they gave them the extra push to excel over George Washington.

The fans sat and told stories to each other while Mrs. Jarvis observed the Gator Pride in the bleachers around her.

“The community is so great. There are so many fans and Standley Lake has a great community and fan support for the boys,” said Mrs. Jarvis.

Mrs. Jarvis is a football mom, she takes as much pride in every win as the players, and

takes as much heartbreak with each loss, just like the players, “The most heartbreaking was definitely the really unfair loss against Broom-field.”

They didn’t skip a beat and kept fighting until the final blow of the whistle, and they showed George Washington what Gator football is all about.

With their biggest fans behind them, the boys traipsed off the field, content with another win under their belt and already anticipating the struggle that they would face the following week in their last regular-season game against Monarch.

No matter what happens, win or lose, the moms are always there to help their sons out and throw their uniform in the washer.

The O-line is quick. Speedy. They’re the lean guys; the ones trained to dodge the 11 beasts in the other jerseys.

The D-Line is made up of the big guys. The ones who eat four plates of spaghetti for a pre-game “snack.” The ones

who make that cracking sound you hear from the back of the stands when they take down anyone who comes within a mile of their ball.

And when you think special teams, you think kickoff, punt, extra point, field goal and the like. But you’re missing one.

They’re not on the field. They’re not in the locker room.

They’re sitting at the top of the stands at NAAC. Every. Single. Game.

They’re decked out in Gator Gear, fully prepared for the chilly steel bleachers with fleece blankets and hot cocoa in silver thermoses, and they’re watching every play of the game like a mama bear stalking every threat that comes close to her cubs. The ones you really don’t want to mess with.

They’re the moms of The Lake, and this is the season from their perspective.

A mom’s checklistTake any momma’s best advice and be prepared. The weather in Colora-do can be unpredictable, so blankets and extra layers are a must-have.

Hand warmers are an extra protection tactic against the cold air.

School colors are an obvious requirement for any football game. A popular trend among the moms is wearing their sons lettermen’s jacket. It’s warm, sentimental, and there’s nothing better than reppin’ your baby (and maybe embarrassing them a little bit in the process).

Bleacher chairs are required for a soft and safe place to sit for over two hours. Otherwise, your back will be aching by the end of the second quarter

A camera or phone because you never know when they will make the best play of season.

Your very best mom voice to give an encouraging scream when needed.

Hot chocolate or coffee--after screaming your heart out, your throat will very much appreciate a sip of something soothing.

Hot chocolate or coffee--after screaming your heart out, your throat will very much appreciate a sip of something soothing.

18 // November 22 2013

MOHI ShowdownThe game could not start any worse for the Ga-tors as Monarch quarterback Jay MacIntyre, son of Colorado Buffs head coach Mike MacIntyre, returned the opening kickoff of the game for a touchdown, putting the Coyotes up 7-0 before the Gators even had a chance to show their stuff. Add to that a chilling wind that made for frozen fingers and tough passes, and fans and players alike could tell that this game would be a challenge unlike any other that the team had faced so far this season.

Before too much time passed, Monarch sneaked another touchdown by Gator defense, bringing the score up to 14-0, and bringing the spirit in the student section and on the sidelines down a few notches.

But tucked into the crowded visitor stands that blurred together into rows of navy blue and kel-ly green were a group of loving faces that could not be ignored. Their love practically radiates because those padded beasts on the field ar-

Wizards Wipe Us AwayTalk about having the weight of the world on your shoulders.

Die-hard Gator fans had travelled far and wide (okay, about 60 miles north on I-25) and sar-dine-packed into the visitor stands of Windsor High School, all hoping, praying, and yearning for one thing--a Gator victory in the first round of playoffs.

The boys could feel the pressure from the field, as they wanted that win just as much. The ten-sion built as the boys realized that these fans were there for the team. Especially the moms, who wanted to hold on to their babies’ last days of high school football with this win.

But taking down the Windsor Wizards (yeah, sweet mascot, right?) wouldn’t be an easy feat.

Lisa Durant sat with her family waiting to see what her son would accomplish this time.

“I like it when he receives a long catch, I like it when he makes his field goals, and I really like it when he gets a good tackle,” Ms. Durant said.

Windsor proved their worth in the first quarter with a two touchdowns. A little shaken but never afraid of a fight, the Gators returned with a touchdown made by Tyler Davis, sending

pulses of hope through the pounding hearts of cheering Gator fans.

Durant missed the extra point kick, furthering the intensity felt in the packed Gator stands.

“I just want him to do the best that he can do,” Ms. Durant said.

Durant made his mama proud when he came back and scored on a 16 yard pass from Jacob Naranjo ‘15 in the second quarter making the score, closing the gap and bringing the score to 14-12 with Windsor in the lead.

The reality of a possible win washed over the crowd. Moms’ jaws clenched. Their fragile hands stayed in a fist, ferociously waving spirit towels in the air. Their eyes never left the field nor Windsor’s abnormally large defensive line that threatened their babies’ safety.

Fans and moms had reactions to every play and call coming from the field, yelling in encourage-ment and disagreement when appropriate.

Windsor went for their final touchdown which brought everyone to their feet in hopes of a better outcome, but ended with a score of 21-12. Discouraged by what happened, the boys looked for extra support coming from their mothers’ continuous shouts of faith and

optimism.

The game reached the point of no return in the fourth quarter.

Everyone waited in anticipation as the Gators came perilously close to touchdowns to no avail.

Everyone held their breath when Naranjo’s attempt for a touchdown to Connor Durant ‘15 ended with Durant on the ground after the play. Coaches pulled him off the field to check any damage.

Durant showed his tenacity by going back out on the field and scoring a field goal to bring the Gators up to 21-15 against Windsor and making his mom proud.

Windsor came back with their final touch-down leaving everyone with their last grasp of hope.

At the end of the game, the score was 28-15. There wasn’t a dry eye on the Gator side of the field.

Carol Naranjo only has one thing she hopes Jacob takes from this experience: “Memo-ries, always for the rest of his life, memo-ries.”

en’t just Gators to them; they’re their babies.

“It makes me proud to see him on the field. He’s passionate about the game,” Cindy Shaha-mat said about her son, Michael Shahamat ‘14. “He’s a good leader.”

And in the last minute of the half when the Gators were down by four touchdowns and still hadn’t made an appearance on the scoreboard, that’s exactly what they needed: a good leader.

Luckily, Shahamat and several other seniors pacing the sidelines rallied some positive ener-gy and Connor Durant took to the field to earn three points for Standley Lake before the half was over.

“I love seeing him on the field,” Lisa Durant said.

As the temperature continued to drop and the sounds coming from the stands dwindled with each Monarch touchdown, the harsh realization set in that the Gators would have a hard time

recovering by the end of the game.

Monarch was leading 43-3 with ten minutes left in the game, but John Roach ‘14 wasn’t going to let his fans leave without giving them something to cheer about.

In the last three minutes, he managed to score a touchdown off a 5 yard handoff from Saige Bergel ‘14.

“It takes a team to win...It’s everybody all together and not just him out there by himself,” Debbie Roach said on her son, John Roach ‘14.

And when the final buzzer sounded, Stand-ley Lake had ended their regular season on a 43-9 loss. While the game was a bit of a heartbreaker, the boys still had playoffs to prepare for. So they choked back tears, cleat-shuffled over to their fans, shouted their “Gator Blue” chant as loud as they could, and looked forward to the next fight.

// Jamey Burky, Chaye Gutierrez, Jeremy Minnick, Julia Vasquez

November 22 2013 // 19

shelter from

storm20 // November 22 2013

The ash of burnt buildings and the echos of an empty city full of angry men follow Izeta Gerovic home from the blood bank. In one hand, her one-year-old daughter Lejla buries her head in her mother’s chest, avoiding the sticky bandage on her forearm, and listening to the woozy beat of her mother’s heart.

On her hip, she cradles the brown paper bag holding their food for the week.

The Bosnian war required this sort of strength from its survivors. It required sacrificing your own blood to keep your child full, so they didn’t see that the whole country was starving.

Eighteen years and two continents later, the most difficult walk this custodial moth-er-daughter team has to take is when they vacuum the math halls, doing their jobs here at Standley Lake High School. The only war they have to fight is the decision of whose house they will have their morning coffee at before work.

The most trying part of their day is the jarring fluorescent lights in the school’s classrooms during their 3:00-10:00 p.m. shifts.

The Bosnian war started in 1991 when the Ser-bians invaded Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was a culmination of ethnic, religious, and territorial hatred. “In my country once I had house, had good job in grocery store.” Izeta said in her Eastern European accent, ”That’s all destroyed because of war. All that because of the war.”

In April of 1991, the carnage showed up at her front door. Out of the blue.

“Right before the war, a lot of crazy things happened. A car full of teenage boys was just slaughtered to death, and no one really knew why, or who did it,” said Lejla. “It started with those random acts of violence. And all of the sudden, everyone that was Serbian, is no longer in your country. They just disappeared over-night. They packed up and left. People were asking, ‘Where did the neighbors go?’”

When men in tanks rolled up their street, Izeta was only 18.

With a one-year-old baby girl.

And a husband forcefully conscripted in the war.

The death toll of the war was approximately 102,000. “It was a mass genocide of the Bos-nian people. That’s the proper way to put what happened,” Lejla said.

“They don’t care who you are, they will just kill you. Especially if you have a Bosnian name, and I have a Bosnian name. We were targets just because of our names,” Lejla said.

When men in uniform began pounding on the doors of their city, seeking the blood of every male in the country, many Bosnians were con-fused. Some fought in the name of God, some in the name of territory. Some killed for their leader, or for the purification of the Serbian name. The only unifying power behind these boys with guns was blind hatred.

“I didn’t even know what happened 500 years ago,” said Izeta. “I started to do research, read-ing. I asked. ‘Why is this happening to me?

shelter from

the storm

standley lake custodian Izeta Gerovich did everything she could to protect her daughter from the Bosnianwar: mind, body, and particularly soul

November 22 2013 // 21

1990 July 17th

1992 6 April

1995 July 14th

1998 August 24th

2001 August

2008 August

War starts

Father enlisted

lejla is born Izeta’s

mother passes away

War ends Moves into arvada

home

Izeta works at Standley

Lejla works at STandley

“When the bombing started, I used to cover her with my body.”

Left: Izeta sends Lejla off for her first day of 1st grade in 1997. Right: Izeta in 1995 at six years old.

It doesn’t have anything to do with my country, my people. Serbs started killing Bosnians just because the Turks had come 500 years ago and started killing Serbs. Bosnian people now don’t like to be Serbian, don’t like to be Turkish, don’t like to be nothing. And don’t want to be killed.”

A year into the war, their city, Tuzla was cov-ered in ashes and blood. The streets had been drained of life.

“You’ve got 15-year-old girls running for their lives because they’ve lost everything,” said Lejla. “They’ve lost their brothers, their sisters, they’ve got nothing. They’re own their own, fending for their lives.”

Little Lejla got to hold onto as much of her life before the war as possible. She played with her puppy or built snow forts outside, all under her mother’s watchful eye. Izeta had to sell her clothes, her jewelry, her shoes, so Lejla could stay full and have new toys if she wanted. To comfort herself, Izeta would silently re pack a backpack full of survival tools, and their most treasured family photos, of which only four survived.

Izeta became a shield.

“When the bombing started, I used to cover her with my body. We would also go under the kitchen table so we could have something to protect us,”said Izeta.

She was going to do everything in her power to protect her little girl: mind, body, and partic-ularly, soul. Her youth—the foundation of the way we see the world—was not going to be destroyed by the malevolent acts surrounding them. This determination to secure Lelja’s innocence and well being meant holding on to a kind of hope only survivors of a great tragedy can understand.

The war might have changed the minds of thousands of people, but it was not going to change theirs. She was not going to share in the rage and hatred that drove a league of murderers to her city. If she vowed revenge, screamed in agony, cursed all people of Ser-bian descent, she would be no different than them. Blood is still blood, no matter whose hands it’s on.

She mourned.

She prayed for her husband’s safe return.

She held her daughter as much as she could.

She thanked God for everything she still had.

But there is no real sanctuary during the war. No shelter from the storm.

“I remember being outside, playing with my toys and the alarm...the siren would go off to indicate to run to shelter, and we would just drop everything that we had, and run as fast as we could,” Lejla said. “Because it could be too late. You never know when they’re going to come through your city, or what’s next.”

In 1995, three things happened to the Gerovich family. The war ended, Izeta’s mother Razija, Kovacevic died, and Lejla’s father, Emir Gerovic came home from the war.

After five years of having to sleep in holes filled with water, after days of being in the front of 22 // November 22 2013

The main bellig-erents were the Serbians, Call-ing themselves the “Republic of Bosnia.” The bosnians defended them-selves with an army of the country’s men.

An “ethnic cleansing” of the Bosnian people.

1st of March 1992 to the14th of December 1995.

Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The fall of the Berlin wall broke up Yugoslavia, dividing the Mus-lims of Bosnia and the Christians of Serbia.

the line, carrying his troop’s radio on his back, melting snow for drinking water, Emir made one last trip up the hill to their home. He didn’t have to say goodbye ever again.

Despite this victory, Izeta had to say goodbye to her mother. Razija was the kind of woman that held onto optimism when it seemed a crazy venture. When evil and sin and corruption sur-rounded her, she preached faith and love and hope. It was the kind of hope that Izeta would wear in a smile, to comfort her crying daughter. It was a kind of hope that inspired Izeta to keep going, to keep fighting for their futures. She passed away the same year the war ended.

It was a sign for them to keep going. They had to keep moving towards the future her mother had wanted for them.

The dust settled, but the chaos wasn’t over. Thousands of people just like them were stumbling in the UN’s immigration aid office, begging officers to help them because their house had been burned to the ground.

On August 24, 1998, they moved into an Arvada home that reminded them just enough of the home they had to leave. Izeta went from hiding under tables, to building them at her first job here in a furniture warehouse.

She found Standley Lake in 2001, and applied right away as a custodian. Lejla started working alongside her mother in 2009 when she was 19. She’s now a homeowner and a certified pharmacist technician. But they both stay here, at Standley, because they love it. It feels like home.

“Obviously I like it here if I’ve stayed here twelve year’s,” said Izeta. “And that’s it; I’m happy here, learning with you guys. Listen-ing to you every single day and how you talk, that’s how I learned english. Thats really how I learned—by listening.”

She didn’t have language professors, she had us—the murmurs of teachers grading after school while she cleaned their windows, the gossip in hallways after clubs let out, the foot-ball team’s roars, the science club’s arguments. We were her Rosetta Stone in between the drone of 30 pound vacuum backpacks and massive carpet cleaners.

Five years of their life was consumed by the war. Five years worth of memories still ache like a wound. They all cope with that pain differently.

Izeta and Emir try their hardest to forget.

Emir, a calm and collected soul still has night-mares, where people are chasing the family he worked so hard to protect. When he’s awake, he blinks away those memories.

Izeta has honestly forgotten a majority of what happened during that time of her life.

They’ve protected themselves from certain parts of their own mind; their own life. No need to reopen the wound. Relive the night-mare. “That’s the hardest part. To leave country where you come from,” Izeta said. “That’s my country. I still think that’s my country... It’s still hard. It’ll never stop being hard. Never. If you ever leave a place during the war, trust me. It’s

going to be hard forever. “

Lejla is just the opposite. While she respects and acknowledges her mother’s way of dealing with their time during the war, she strives to never forget. And make sure other people don’t either. “I’m still mad. I’m furious still, and read-ing things now, about people that had it way worse than we did, it’s it’s sad,” Lejla said.

“This war happened in the 90’s, and nobody did anything for five years.” A genocide in the modern age. Just this October, roughly 93 bod-ies and counting were found in a mass grave in northern Bosnia and will be given proper burials this year.

They all share in this gratitude for their roots. And the little bit of hurt that peeks through their happy, loving lives now serves as a re-minder to appreciate their lives.

Working five days a week for four years might be a problem for most mother-daughter rela-tionships. They love it.

Izeta is immensely proud of her daughter. She brags about her smarts and moxy like every parent should.

Lejla holds her admiration and appreciation for her mother’s sacrifices above all else. She doesn’t needs heroes, she has her mom.

They are strength, folding up our cafeteria tables. They are hope and faith and courage, dusting our library shelves and shutting out the lights for the night when they are finished. They are new beginnings, lasting sacrifices and courageous love. Just follow the rattle of the keys on their hips, and you’ll find them.

// natasha mccone

“It’ll never stop being hard. If you ever leave a place during the war, trust me. It’s going to be hard forever.”

what wasthe

bosnianwar?

who what

when

whe

re

why

december

14Italy

croatia

serbia

hungryaustria

Bosnia and herzegovina

November 22 2013 // 23

Every Day Miracles

Monday; Tuesday; Wednesday;

Imagine getting on the bus and paying no at-tention to the person sitting in the drivers seat, finding a place to sit and comtemplating the math test, wishing Friday would come sooner. That’s what most students do everyday. My bus driver Greg wears a Standley Lake Gators shirt, but nobody notices. I bet the bus driver knows your name, but do you know theirs?

They drive you in the chilly autumn mornings, or even -20 degree weather in a blizzard. “I wake up way too early every morning,” bus driver Greg said. Most bus drivers have to wake up at 4:30 in the morning to be exact or even earlier to drive kids to and from school. This includes Greg, who has been a bus driver for almost 23 years.

“I just fell into it,” said Greg. “But I like it or I wouldn’t have stayed.”

Sometimes people don’t realize the good things that people do for them. Greg has not only been a bus driver for 23 years but has been a supportive Gator for 10 years.

Just take the time to realize the things that may seem small and be thankful for them.

// molly smith

We took a week to uncover the hidden miracles in the every day life of Standley Lake. These are some of our stories.

Students ban together to help fellow GatorOn the softball field, she is hard as stone, hun-gry to win; but when there’s a friend in need, her hard exterior melts and nothing else seems to matter.

Melissa Heronema ‘14 spent her Monday collecting signatures in a card from her fellow students in her classes and in the hallway to give to Mary Pankow ‘14 and Erin Pankow ‘16.

The Pankows had spent the following evening and all of Monday sitting by their mother’s hospital bed after she suffered a major stroke. Upon hearing about their mom, Heronema immediately knew she had to do something.

“I just thought that having a card from all of their friends would put a smile on their faces and show them that they have support from all of us back at school,” Heronema said.

And the card did just that. “It means the world to me to know I have such amazing people in my life,” Mary Pankow said after receiving the card.

When one Gator is in a swampy situation, we’ll always do our best to lead them through it.

// alex thorfinson

Kirsten Salazar ‘14 provides a safe placeYou get a half credit towards graduation for being a teacher assistant. You file, you grade papers. But for Kirsten Salazar ‘14 she decid-ed to TA for a whole other reason; to help the small population of special needs students.

She was asked to help walk around the school with the special needs freshmen on Orientation Day to help them get through the hustle and bustle of the first day and to help them to not be overwhelmed by something as simple as school.

“After spending a day with them I grew a connection with them already,” Salazar said. It really opened her eyes to the people she never got to know before.

When you assist for a teacher you walk into their room or office and you ask if there’s anything you can do for them. They ask you to grade a test and that is that, you can’t interact with their students.

But it is the opposite when you’re in Salazar’s position. She gets to not only help the teacher with their day but her main objective is to talk to the students, to make that 45 minutes count.

“You get more interaction with the kids and they ask you how your day is and we ask them how their day is,” Salazar said. It really makes them happy when someone asks them a simple question just to see that somebody cares.

Salazar looks forward to walking into seventh period with her fellow TAs, looks forward to asking them how their day is, and to see what they bring to school with them from home because it makes them feel happy to show it off to the world. It’s their safe place.

She looks forward to this because, “They make your day.”

// emma marlow

Nobody recognizes the kind acts of bus drivers.

1 224 // November 22 2013

Friday;

Stage fright is a foreign term to the students of Ms. Elizabeth Reed’s eighth hour Children’s Theatre class. They tour elementary schools with wacky costumes and wide smiles, doing whatever it takes to get a laugh out of the kids.

This year’s childrens show is based off of the hit kids movie, Despicable Me. Agnes, the youngest of the three adopted girls, has lost her unicorn. Mr. Gru, along with the help of his fun-loving Minions, are there to help solve the mystery.

All of the K-2nd grade kids cheered, laughed, and even booed at the villains. “He loves the childrens play. In fact, the only thing he doesn’t like is when it’s over,” said FACS teacher Ms. Malissa Sloan, who took her son to the play.

Not only do they tour elementary schools, but the class also performs at Standley, where admission is either one dollar or a can of nonperishable food put towards charity. The class itself is actually a communi-ty service act, lead by Ms. Reed.

“The most rewarding aspect would be that our students at Standley Lake get to share their love of theatre with the youngest students of our area,” Ms. Reed said.

The rushing around from school to school, the con-tinuous undressing and redressing, the hair, and the makeup may be tiring, but it’s all worth it when the crowd of kids are hollering for more and lighting up with laughter.

// hannah brock

Students at Standley Lake High school represent their school very well. However, some students choose not to represent the school at its greatest.

Monday afternoon, a teacher had his laptop stolen right off of his desk. Being a student in Mr. David Cohara’s 5th hour class, he started talking to us shortly after the bell rang. He was explaining the incident to us.

“I would have never expected that from any of my students here,” Cohara said.

This teacher was devastated to find out it had gone missing. He wanted to get back all of the items he had saved to his computer. He had his wedding pictures, pictures of his daughter, he had saved his latest draft of his novel to the computer. The only way he could get these back, would be by getting his laptop back.

“Im not even worried about the money I paid for it, I just want all of my wedding pictures back!” Cohara said.

Thinking it was gone for good, Wednesday morning it reappeared back on his desk again. Cohara had left his classroom for a moment and when he returned it was placed back into his desk drawer. Cohara was so grateful to have it back in his possession.

“It would have been respectful and just nice to get an apology from the student maybe,” Cohara said.

For now, he is going to take this as a lesson and remember to save his personal and important things to other items he has to make sure he won’t ever have to worry about losing them again.

// jacy potter

Children’s Theatre class puts on a show for the kids of our area.

Administration works hard to find a thiefCohara finds missing laptop back where it came from

The room is always way too hot or way too cold, and the kids are always starving and tired, but the Link leaders in Lifetime Fitness teacher Ms. Heather Mar-tin’s Study Hall don’t care. They look forward to that freezing Thursday afternoon, while the freshmen are dreading it.

Cassandra Garcia ‘15 didn’t like her link leaders her freshman year. “My Link leaders my freshman year were really terrible. They never came in, and they never showed up to do anything worthwhile. So, I was like, why would I let the next freshmen come in and go through that same thing, when I could actually be helping them?” Garcia said.

Whether you like them or not, they’re your link lead-ers. They help guide you through that awkward fresh-man year. Cassandra remembers her link leaders, and witnessed others becoming close to theirs.

“The leaders that you’re with now actually become really close because you’re always with them, so it’s really fun,” Garcia said.

She remembers hers, but do you remember yours?

// sarah graham

Thursday;Cassandra Garcia ‘15 stands to make a change, for freshmen

“It’s all worth it when the crowd of kids are hollering for more and lighting up with laughter.”

3

November 22 2013 // 25

Shallow breaths. Blank gaze. Racing heart.

Her delicate hands shake ever so slightly as she imperceptibly withdraws from the conversation. Tears well up in her vacant eyes as her chest tightens trying to hold in the flood of emotions paralyzing her.

More than anything, she wants to be invisible right now. She wants to be somewhere that she can calm down; that place isn’t school.

“Just breathe,” most people say.

Junior defeats panic

Whether just walking past or asking for assis-tance, most people don’t give much thought to the boy who sits behind the information desk in the medical surgical department at the hospital.

Occasionally, someone figures out why he’s working there and briefly stops to say, “Good job.”

And then they’re gone, continuing through their day.

Michael Ramirez ‘16 volunteers at Avista Ad-ventist Hospital in Louisville every Wednesday. He answers patient phone calls in the medical surgical department and works in the main lobby, checking people in, directing them, and escorting them around the hospital.

Sophomore gives his time to help hospitalMichael Ramirez ‘16 has grown to enjoy his volunteer time at a local hospital

Darian Bowden ‘14 provides a warming smile to a friend in need

7-Eleven gives the gift of inspirationPam Ogden instills a little kowledge in her customers every day

Gas stations are known for selling energy drinks, chips, and lottery tickets, but the local 7-Eleven also gives the gift of inspiration free of charge to everyone who stops by.

Mounted behind the grill, a large whiteboard presents encouraging and thought-provoking quotations to visiting students, feeding their minds as Pam grabs hot taquitos to feed their stomachs.

“We love the kids here,” Pam Ogden, who co-owns the store with her sister, Nancy, said. They’ve managed the store for the last 5 years and have seen myriads of Standley Lake stu-dents in their time.

Picture cutlines:1. Kirsten Salazar ‘14 works as a TA helping special needs students. Salazar helps these students feel comfortable with being in school.2. Bus driver Greg drives students to and from school every day. Greg has been a supportive gator for 10 years.3. Cassandra Garcia ‘15 helps this year’s freshman enjoy high school. Garcia wants to make a difference in these student’s lives. 4. Lunch lady Olivia Garcia helps students with a smile. Garcia is expecting a baby girl to be born in March.5. Michael Ramirez ‘16 volunteers at a local hospital. Ramirez started off volunteering solely for college applications, but it has become a fun job for him.6. Trey Jarvis ‘14 dominates the field as a proud gator. Jarvis has been nominated for 9news’ Prep Play of the Week.7.The whiteboard at the 7-Eleven on Wadsworth and 102nd provides a little bit of wisdom every day. These changing quotes, giving its customers new inspira-tion and knowledge.

And each and every one of those students has seen their whiteboard as they wait in line, holding a Full Throttle in one hand and stifling a yawn with the other.

The quotes written up on the board are constantly changing, ranging from the most famous quotes from prominent political leaders to little-known, yet nevertheless inspiring, quotes from obscure people. Small as the act of displaying quotes may be, it makes a big difference on the students.

“When we were getting a new oven, we had to take down the whiteboard for a few days,” Pam said. “Everyone was asking us ‘When are you going to put the board back up?’”

He started volunteering for the advantages it will give him when applying for scholarships, but, as he says, “It’s not really for scholarships anymore; it’s more for the fun of it.”

The job gives Michael glimpses, fleeting but memorable, into the lives of people who stop by the desk:

A woman with Alzheimer’s disease who asked to borrow the phone and walked away –- assuring Ramirez that she wasn’t stealing the phone, don’t worry, she would bring it back -– but who forgot who he was when she returned.

A war veteran who let his life unfurl before Ramirez by telling him about his childhood, why he decided go to war, and what fighting in it was like.

She couldn’t “just breathe” though; she could only panic.

Darian Bowden ‘14 spotted the look; the look she has seen so many people suffer on a reg-ular basis.

“It’s awful to see someone you care about having a panic attack because there is only so much you can do to help,” Bowden said.

How do you help? What do you say to someone who feels like their world is crumbling? How do you comfort someone having a panic attack?

26 // November 22 2013

“You don’t have to say anything; sometimes just a smile, a caring look, and a hug can help more than anything,” Bowden said.

“I went over and gave her a hug until she stopped panicking. After she felt okay, she told me I had helped her calm down,” Bowden said.No words. No questioning.

Just care.

// jackie pries

Behind the desk, it’s easy for Ramirez to feel like he’s making a difference by helping. “At the volunteer desk, they don’t have anybody to work there,” Ramirez said. “It’s all volun-teer-based.”

“A lot of people say, ‘You’re doing such good things. I applaud you for volunteering,’” Ramirez said.

After these people stop by the desk, they move on and join the crowds of those who don’t know that Ramirez is volunteering at the hospital weekly.

But the most caring acts often go unnoticed.

// nicole heetland

Her new quotes are always noticed. They always give the students a small nugget of wisdom that they carry back with them to school. Maybe most of the words get buried under facts about the Civil War and finding the standard deviation of a data set, but sooner or later, each person finds one quote that refuses to go away.

That quote is Pam Ogden’s gift to Standley Lake.

// parker simmons

Senior catches his dreams on football field

Freshman brings smiles to students

Bullying. It fills schools with hateful words, de-pression, and sadness. Flattering remarks used to be fairly common; but now it seems compliments have been thrown in the trash can of society. That’s what she is trying to change; one compli-ment at a time.

“I don’t really think about it too much,” Chey-enne Terrabull ‘17 said. Terrabull often compli-ments random students about their hair, shoes, and t-shirts in hope of possibly brightening that person’s day.

But Terrabull doesn’t say nice things to people for the sake of karma; she just likes to show others that she thinks what they are wearing is cool.

Terrabull is also a strong believer in pure happi-ness. “It makes me happy [to compliment people] and it might make them happy,” she said.

She finds joy in complimenting people, and goes to the greatest extent, like yelling at someone walking up the stairs, to say, “I like your hair!”

“I don’t think there are enough compliments in the world, and people should compliment each other more... and be nicer,” Terrabull said.

Terrabull just likes to show people that they are interesting, and that someone actually notices them; and maybe one day, Terrabull will change someone’s life with her compliments.

// meg metzger-seymour

The bright lights highlighted the green dew-covered grass as cleats shredded it into mud. Most football play-ers’ desire is to sabotage the opponent of a bigger, more built college player.

Dreams of achieving the place to be on a college field is hard to gain, but for Trey Jarvis ‘14 it all depends on your support. Trey Jarvis, a senior on the varsity football team, got nominated on Tuesday for 9news’ Prep Play of the Week.

“It was awesome being nominated, it all just worked out. My teammates did their job and I did mine,” Jarvis said

His touchdown and interception during the game versus Golden High School was phenomenal and helped dominate the score. For most students it doesn’t seem like a major impact, but for Trey it opens a lot of oppor-tunities.

“Hopefully I am going to go to college to play football, but as of right now I’m just talking to a lot of schools in different divisions,” Jarvis said.

Taylor Redding ‘14, Jarvis’ girlfriend, has been to all the games this season to support him. She was caught off guard when she heard his interception was nominated for the Prep Play of the Week.

“I was really excited when I found out he was nominated,” Redding said. “I was watching the news, and they pronounced his name wrong which made me mad, but they said his play was the number two play in the state.”

Watching Jarvis, you will notice he puts his heart, sweat, and determination in every game. During the Golden game, Jarvis was ensuing the teammates from Golden when the ball drifted into his reach. He gained an interception.

“I know he’s worked really hard to get where he is today,” Redding said. “I’m so proud of him.”

// kelsey paquet

Trey Jarvis ‘14 gets nominated for 9news’ Prep Play of the Week.

Cheyenne Terrabull ‘17 goes out of her way to brighten another’s day

Lunch lady Olivia Garcia feeds hundreds of students everyday, no big deal, but one kid she feeds in particular is very special.

Olivia is five months pregnant and that special kid is hers. She feeds and takes care of her every day while doing the same for us.

“I’m excited about the pregnancy,” said Olivia. “Even though it was a bit unexpected.”

Within the five months, Olivia has had morning sickness a few times, occasionally missing a day of work, but the best and worst of this pregnancy is yet to come.

“She’ll be born on March 8,” said Olivia. “I am looking forward to being a mother, and to not being pregnant anymore because it sucks.”

Despite the difficulties of being pregnant, students can expect to find someone who always has a smile on her face and her hair up in a net when they go to Gator Alley. They can expect to have a conversa-tion with her, share stories and jokes, then end with a hug or a fist bump.

Through the good and the bad, she still shows up to work with a smile on her face and a full belly, ready to help us get through the rest of our day with a full stomach, feeding and taking care of us like her own unborn daughter.

// brendan roby

Lunch lady feeds another mouthOlivia Garcia adapts to being pregnant

4

5

6

7 // designed by cassidy conlon

November 22 2013 // 27

28 // November 22 2013

Letters to the eDITOR

Dear Editors:

When a large number of students attended class on Halloween wearing orange shirts with notation about Standley Lake Prison, I was left with the thought ‘Seriously?’ Although free speech is a fundamental right in this country, what exactly are these students saying?

Scores of children have been murdered for attending school in China over the past several years, hundreds in Nigeria. In Pakistan, Malala

Dear Editors:

There was no way to ignore the sea of orange in the senior hallway as we celebrated Halloween. But it was also hard to ignore all of the complaints from faculty. I’d like to clear things up about the SLHS prison shirts...

The idea behind the shirts was meant as a joke. I was a witness to many discussions on the meaning behind them and some teachers complained about how we -students- can’t make it to class on time

and how the shirts were disrespectful. The new policies don’t even apply to me because I don’t have a first hour and my parents refuse to call me out of class. I made and wore an SLHS Prison shirt for fun. I’m 17 years old and like most of my classmates, going to school can sometimes feel like going to prison. These shirts were just a creative way to bring students together on a fun holiday. It was never my intention to upset all these people with this idea, but the immature way some teach-ers reacted showed that they couldn’t understand

the opposite side of the idea, and because we disagreed with them, we were wrong.

In my personal opinion, if the faculty thought the shirts were so inappropriate they shouldn’t have continued bringing it up and blowing it out of proportion. They, being the adults in the building, should have led and acted in a mature manner be-cause in reality, if they thought it was “unprofes-sional” they shouldn’t have been the ones acting unprofessionally.

Yousafzai, refused to be intimidated when faced with death threats for desiring an education, and nearly paid with her life when she was shot in the head. According to UNICEF, only 58% of children worldwide attend secondary school. In Sub-Saha-ran Africa, that number is less than 25%.

So, what exactly are the Standley Lake students protesting? That they have the privilege of a largely free education given to them? That our school administrators and teachers expect them to be in class and learn? I’ve heard that it’s related

to a teacher desire for an enforcement of the at-tendance policy. Is this an undue hardship, or are teachers and administrators attempting to instill an ethic that will bring students greater success later in life?

Sometimes protesting serves a vital function in our society. Other times, it leaves people wondering whether the protesters should really just get a broader appreciation of how fortunate they are to live in a society such as ours.

Went toO far // Mr. Rob cassady

just a joke// sydni kilnes

Cira Gamboa ‘14, Kasey Stimmler ‘14, Sydni Kilnes ‘14, Michael Shahamat ‘14 pose for a photo in their SLHS Prison shirts. On Oct. 31 seniors wore orange shirts to protest the newly enforced new attendance policies.

November 22 2013 // 29

don’t be such a smarty-pants // sabrina pacha

“Fans goin’ crazy for the boys of fall.” A line by Kenny Chesney which can be applied to every high school football game except for Standley Lake.

My freshmen year I went to every football game except maybe three, then my sophomore year I did the opposite. I was always shocked at the lack of noise radiating from the student section compared to my other high school football game experiences.

In my childhood, I watched my cousin play football; and in his high school years I always loved joining the hundreds of people who came to watch his team play. He played at Englewood High School, which is still categorized as a 3A school.

In middle school, I watched one of my favorite people cheer at football games for Ralston Valley where I found even more fans who filled the game with noises of encouragement that didn’t stop until cars were filing out of the parking lot.

I couldn’t wait to have my own team to cheer for, to join my peers in cheering on Standley’s Boys of Fall. But I didn’t find that; I joined my dad in the parent section where the only source of cheering

and hullabaloo can be found from the spirited moms and competitive dads.

The first game of my junior year, I thought things would turn around and I would finally get the ex-perience I once had at the other schools. I pulled into the NAAC parking lot and glowed at all of the vehicles representing our Gator Pride. But I was disappointed when the game clock was through the first quarter and nothing had changed about my peers from freshmen year.

And I’m not the only one with this opinion. The parents of the Boys of Fall expressed their frustra-tion with a challenge for the Monarch game. Kathy Pott Brown posted this on Facebook:

“Standley Students- Here is a challenge. We think the parents are louder and have more energy than the students at football games. Let’s have a com-petition at the Monarch game! Who can be louder and give our players more encouragement- the parents or the students?”

That post was liked by Carol Naranjo and Elyce Jarvis, two active football moms. The parents sit through the games aggravated with the students

where did the fans go // Julia vasquez

So you’ve got all A’s. Your homework is always in on time, you grasp every concept of the lecture like its the A, B, C’s and you’ve never missed a day of class.

You must be really smart, which must make you really good at life, right?

Well, let’s say we take this hypothetical straight A student and put them on the football field. Chances are they wouldn’t last more than a minute during the game.

What would happen if we put this student on to the streets of Denver, late at night, in the roughest area there is? Would they know how to handle that situation?

Everyone has their strengths and everyone has their weaknesses. Who are we to judge that one strength is better than another?

Psychologist Howard Gardner has created a the-ory called the Multiple Intelligence theory, which classifies seven distinct intelligences. Each intelli-gence focuses on different areas of expertise, such as logical-mathematical, linguistic, and musical. Gardner classifies one intelligence as bodily-kines-thetic, meaning that you can use the body effec-tively, such as a dancer or sports player might.

Interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences deal with your people skills, and it measures that as a skill, as value.

This theory proves to us that everyone thrives in different areas, now it’s just time for us to under-stand that all areas are just as useful and valuable. A student in debate is no better than the girl who seemingly is involved in nothing, but goes home and ends up working two jobs to support her family. They’re both learning vital skills, they just happen to be different.

Don’t ever say that you’re better than anyone. You’re not. You just happen to be really good at something that they’re not. But now you go do what that person is good at. And I’m sure you would be humbled down.

That’s the key word-- humble.

Take that to heart, be humble, be compassionate, and realize the values of all human beings. We’re like one big machine, with out one part the whole thing wouldn’t work. That’s where we come full circle. All of those seven types of intelligences are imperative to the human race. Don’t judge and don’t place yourself on a pedestal. We’re all just people and we all make mistakes. More important-ly, we all have purpose.

and hope that one day they’ll see how foolish they look.

This year’s season has been amazing for football, but I find it sad that 50 or more students will show up to a game and spend over two hours standing on some bleachers and the only time you can hear any commotion from those 50 people is when it’s time to “form the orange,” time to “believe,” and time to “shake your booty.”

I don’t know how to solve our problem; I’ve tried standing in the student section and cheering and yelling, but my peers just look at me like I should shut up. I’ve seen teachers try to join their students in hope to encourage a movement of spirit, but they’ve failed too. Maybe Standley students should try going to other games, to see how much adren-aline can come from constant shouts and cheers. I’m sick of seeing social hour take place while our boys beg for fanfare from the sidelines.

As Kenny Chesney says, football takes “every ounce of sweat and blood.” 73 boys have put all of their energy into every game and practice result-ing with an amazing record of 8-3. And we haven’t done anything to return their efforts on any level.

shining light// stephanie mcdaniel

This past July, I was dealing with family in the hospital, a breakup, and my sister being in Togo, Africa. So I knew a little church would do me good. I was happy to go on a mission trip to Philadelphia the last week of July to help those in need, not to preach, but just to assist the needy. While I was there, handing out food to homeless people, I met a homeless couple named Dawn and Meeshka. We never learned Meeshka’s real name, he wouldn’t tell us. We didn’t care though, he was just Meeshka.

They are real people. Our food goes to them, the food that we dread to bring in every year for the food drive.

I see it every year. The food drive comes around, a chance to feed the poor. Everyday of the drive, 90% of those boxes in the classrooms of every school I’ve gone to except for Lukas Elementary, are empty. Let that sink in.

The other 10% is only from teachers who offer extra credit to give kids the slightest motivation to help starving human beings. It’s nothing to us. We live off what is enough for us and we’re good

to go. We seem to forget that our food is actually going to someone like us.

Dawn is a woman, a mother. She isn’t on the streets because she’s lazy. She’s on the streets because her husband died, the bank claimed everything she owned, and she was fired from being a foreclosure agent. Meeshka isn’t some lazy Russian, either. He was an assistant attorney and a semi-pro tennis player. When he was visiting Philly for a tournament, immigration wouldn’t let him return to Russia, leaving him here in the U.S., leaving him homeless.

These are real people, not just bums.

But they don’t want your entire pity. They want to be treated as equals, like the humans they are.

“If you can do one thing, just one thing for me, is to never look down on someone. Never make someone feel like they’re less than you, because I am tired, just tired of having to put my head down because other people feel like they’re better than me,” said Dawn. These words are stuck in my head. Dawn had to look down when walking around people because they thought they were

these are real people // Jamey burky

If you’ve ever spoken to me, you would know that I take pride in the woman I am, and I give no credit to anyone but myself. I am my own person with my own mind, body, and soul.

But, it’s time to be truthful. Part of me doesn’t belong to myself. Bits and pieces of me come from the most important person in my mother’s life. Her mother. Part of me is her.

My Nana died in a car accident a month or so before my first Christmas, leaving behind a family who had to figure out who kept what. But she didn’t just give me a blue and white dress on Christmas day, she gave me the most valuable of her possessions--her soul.

I like to think when she was finally gone, her soul escaped her body and filled into the cracks my soul left open for development as I grew. In a sense I’d call it reincarnation, but not in the ortho-dox way like you see in movies and TV shows.

According to the traditional concept of reincar-nation, when you die, your soul is born again in a new form later that day. I think your soul goes to find where it can fit in order for it to stay with the people you loved the most.

The main reason I think my Nana became a part of me is so she can stay with my mom. They weren’t only mother and daughter; they were best friends. And that’s the kind of relationship my mom and I have.

It now becomes apparent in small things, such as my smile in certain pictures, or the fact that I can’t swallow pills without crushing them in between two spoons. But I especially remember a baby’s dress.

But I’m not the only one who got a piece of her. My little sister, Rebecca, also got part of her. It shows even in her name, Rebecca Ellen McDaniel.

Ellen. The name alone means shining light.

We are constant reminders of Nana. From the tone in Becca’s voice, to the ridiculous smile that rarely spreads across my face, we keep her alive to the most important person in our lives.

Our mother.

The mother-daughter bond my mom had with her mother was a gift that I’d consider close to a religious feeling. Because it surpassed even death, and found a way to keep them together.

Even in a new form, even in the new daughters welcomed into life.

Because her death was so unexpected and tragic, the bond is the reason we are guided by a shining light to be caring, kind and genuinely nice people to the best of our ability.

Her soul is thriving in us whenever I stare at cold water and seriously not want to get in. By the Bee Gee’s songs we randomly dance to and silently acknowledge her favorite band.

In these things we know she is watching over to make sure we are laughing instead of crying in her memory. So I do my best to do her justice by being a good person, and loving my family even when I can barely stand them.

No matter how insane they make me, I just remember that in my top drawer awaits a petite dress and this reminds me that I never know how long I’ll have with them.

No one ever knows how long they have.

And because of that, I know that she helped me become who I am.

30 // November 22 2013

better than her.

These are people that do need food, but they also need respect. If you were on the streets, would you want people to donate some decent food for you? Yes you would, don’t lie. Now raise your hand if you’d want to be treated like you were less than other people. Put your hand down, no you don’t.

It’s almost hilarious; people whine and groan about having to bring in food for the food bank. You’re being asked to be a nice person? Such a hard life you live.

I know I’m being condescending, but I’m not sorry for it. It’s ridiculous.

These are real people. I can still see Meeshka hugging Dawn to keep warmth. They were truly happy. They don’t want to be spoiled, they just want to be treated equally.

So come food drive time, bring in food, help some-one out. It’ll make you smile. I meant what I said last Day Without Hate when I said this is one of the best schools in the state.

Now go prove it.

GRATEFUL GATORS

The PromiseWe strive to deliver the latest news in the freshest and most unique way. Our ultimate goal is to allow our community to utilize The Lake for all their news by creating an easy-to-reach outlet that is entertaining to all.

tHE PEOPLEChaye Gutierrez //Editor-in-CheifSabrina Pacha //Editor-in-Chief

Jamey Burky //Team Editor Cassidy Conlon //Team EditorKylynn Delohery //Team Editor

The FORMALITIESOpinions or expressions made by students in this publication are not expressions of board policy. The district and its employees are immune from any civil action based on any expression made for or published by students. The Lake is an open forum for and by the students, faculty, and community of Standley Lake High School. The Lake is willing to accept and print any appropriate articles submitted by the students of SLHS and reserves the right to edit any of these articles. We will not print letters sent to us without a name and signature. Submit letters to standleylakenewspaper@gmail.com

Olivia Koontz //Team Editor Alie Settje //Team Editor Emma Staton //Team Editor

Sarah Bennett //WriterJordan Gray //WriterBethany Keupp //WriterNatasha McCone //Writer Stephanie McDaniel //WriterKatelyn Mertz //Writer

Jeremy Minnick //WriterTina Muscarelli //WriterLaurel Nordquist-Zukin //WriterShylah Ogle //WriterMorgan Rubendall //WriterJulia Vasquez //Writer

Ben Reed //AdvisorAina Azlan //Cartoonist

November 22 2013 // 31

I’m thankful for a lot of corny, generic things. I’m really thankful for the University of Missouri, though. I’m thankful for its great journalism school as I can pursue my dream of being a football analyst there. I’m thankful for its environment. I’m thankful that it’s so close to my favorite city in the world, St. Louis. I’m thankful for Henry Josey, Mi-chael Sam, James Franklin, Dorial Green-Beckham, Maty Mauk, and L’Damian Washington for being the beasts that they are. Finally, I’m thankful for the head honcho himself, Gary Pinkel.

Yeah, I’m thankful for that Mizzou Roar.

Two years ago, my parents called a “family meet-ing” and announced my younger sister, Grace, had epilepsy. Today, we still struggle with this, but it’s more than that. Now I’m grateful for little things: each day she doesn’t have any seizures, for everyone involved when she does, perspective, and the stronger bond my family has become by connecting in both frustration and hope. In my daily prayers, I often forget to recognize how many blessings have come from this struggle, but I’m truly thankful for the ability to see how this bur-den has the potential to provide reason to hope. //

I’m thankful for small things. For that one present we get to open the day before Christmas, that’s al-ways pajamas. For the sound of the boiling sugar, as we make our holiday candy. For the sound of the silence at the beginning of every karate class, while everyone is standing at attention. For my dad and the puzzle rings he buys me every year for my birthday. For my mom and how she makes me tea every morning before school when I’m sick. For my sister and all of her dumb jokes that make me laugh.

For loving and being loved.

I am thankful for so many things, from the sweet smell of lavender to Disneyland. But, I’m most thankful for Sundays. I get to wake up from the rising sun shining through my window. I go to church, and it fills my soul every week. My family and I go to our usual Sunday lunch, it’s the only time of the week we’re all together. I spend the rest of the day in my warm welcoming home where I’m loved and cared for by the people who really matter the most. My best friend bringing me Starbucks and my sisters making me laugh are extra perks. Sundays are the best days, I’m so thankful.

My Rocky Mountains. The gorgeous cotton candy sunrise and the deep snow capped purple and blue that shimmers when the sun shines. The way my Dad & I can take a weekend off and escape to one of the most beautiful places in the world. How I can find complete and total happiness by fishing on the lakeside, sleeping on an air mattress, waking up with messy hair to the smell of coffee and bacon being cooked, and being able to be away from all the problems of life with my best friend. And the fact that this absolutely perfect place is only one hour away. I’m so very thankful that God has graced us with my Rocky Mountains.

As life goes on, many things like divorce are considered “bumps in the road”. However, my par-ents’ divorce was the best thing that has happened to me yet. When I was four, my parents divorced. As a result, I now have a step-sister, step-dad, step-mom, and two step-brothers. I could not imagine life without any of them. I have had so many special moments and memories with each of them, and now my life is richer because they are in it. So this Thanksgiving, I am thankful that God could take something that may seem bad and turn it into something good.

// olivia koontz // alie settje // emma staton

// jamey burky // cassidy conlon // kylynn delohery

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