Eagleeye.2010-2011.no.3

Start a tradition.

Go to an Ellen Degeneres show

Travel to at least fi ve different countries.

Ride a hot air balloon.

Stalk a famous person.

Give to charity.

Donate your organs.

Carve your name into a tree.

Shoot a gun.

Go on a police run.

Help someone cross the street.

Pay for someone’s groceries in front of you in line.

Rescue an animal from a shelter.

The BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe BigThe Big

333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333333 31

24

Ride a camel.

Donate hair to Locks-of-Love.

Go skydiving.

Be in two places at once. Date a famous person.

Save a cat from a tree.

Go cow tipping.Sneak out of a bedroom window.

Start a dance in a public place.

Plant a tree.

Basketball

Mountain Vista High School 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge

Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 80126 Issue 3 | Vol. 10 | February 07, 2011

www.vistanow.org

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2 eagle.eye february.07.2011 www.vistanow.org

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table of contentsPrincipalWelcoming the interim principal and prepar-ing for a permanent replacement

14-15

EditorialThe debate: should marijuana be legal?

16

MarijuanaStudent experiences about using the drug: facts from experts about what weed can do to you

18-21Foreign | tripsVista students who travel the world

26-27

Bucket | listWhat you should do before you kick it

24-25

PulseReviewing the Colorado sports teams

30Hope | reignsFour girls trying to save the world: Haiti earthquake relief

28

Epic | photosCapturing Eagles in action

4-8

marijuana be legal?28

SurveyCommunity’s inputon fi nancial crisis

11

RegistrationWhat happens after you apply

9

BasketballBreaking down the team stat by stat

31GossipHow the rumors you hear travel through the Vista grapevine 23

CritiqueA look at what students are saying in Vista’s hallways

22

WordThe life and achievements of senior Kate Koch

10

Illustration by Trevor Zalkind3

TattoosDealing with the consequences and the potential risks involved

29

4

The Joy of Giving

Jacob Large, junior

smiles at Brady O’Donnell during the Hero Week as-sembly Jan. 31. He gave a dollar to Roses of Charity in order to support orphans with AIDS in Zimbabwe. “I think it is great for students to give back to people since we are in a position to do so,” Large said.

Photo by Amy Markowski

5

6

Layin’ It UpJordan Anner, senior, attempts a last-second layup in the men’s basketball game against Regis Jan. 25. Vista’s 83-61 loss against the number-four-Massey-ranked team provided a preview of the hardship the Golden Eagles face in the state tournament. “If we play the way we’re capable of, we can win. If we play good defense, we’re sure to upset some teams,” Anner said.

Photo by Trevor Zalkind

Caleb Smith, senior, au-ditions Jan. 26 for Vista Idol with his guitar, hoping to carry out the tradition of performing in the annual talent show as he did the year before. Smith said he is inspired by Thomas Ewing, his church worship pastor, who plays guitar upside down. Smith did not make it onto the final performer list. “It was a bad song choice. The competition is really good this year. There are a lot of talented performers,” Smith said.

Photo by Sierra Thornley

Belting the Last Chance

7

Mitch Sedlmayr, senior, holds a paper towel to his nose after it began to bleed during his match against the Regis Raiders Feb. 4. “This was my ‘fi rst blood’ of the season, but I normally get scratches on my face and black eyes,” Sedlmayr said.


Blood, sweat and no tears

8

M

Make sure every student registers on Infi nite Campus and drops off his or her registration forms at the counseling offi ce Jan. 28.

Get the registration forms from the counselors for each grade.

Upload the information into a program on his computer called Wizard.

Evaluate each student’s class choices. Look to see if a classis overcrowded and check the availability of classes.

Once done evaluating, make sure each counselor goes over the class choices selected by the Wizard and make sure that everything is correctly in place for each student’s fi rst and second semester schedules.

Make it a priority for schedules to come out before school starts on Infi nite Campus in July.

To Do List for Mr. Long

Word

9

Mountain Vista students, nervous and excited, completed the registration process for classes next year Jan. 28. Many students have signed up for new and more challenging courses. However, several students often wonder what happens after the registration process is complete. Eagle Eye looked into the process after registration. After the student turns in their schedule requests, counselors and other administrators place the request into a whiteboard program or “Wizard” on Infi nite Campus. In the whiteboard program students are assigned their classes based on number of requests and behavioral reasons. For example, the “Wizard” bal-ances out students that have had a history of disciplinary problems, making it easier for teachers teachers to teach, and students to learn. “Everyone is placed by hand,” said Alan Long, the assistant principal in charge of scheduling. “It’s like a big puzzle. Where students are placed is bal-anced by lots of different things.” The new Advanced Place-ment system of getting signatures from teachers for next year is because of the whiteboard “Wiz-ard.” This past year, many students dropped out of an Advanced Placement class over the summer for different reasons. But doing so had consequences, increasing some class sizes and shrinking others. “It’s unfair to the students and very unfair to the teacher,” counselor Aaron Ragon said. If some class sizes were to be larger than others. This would result in teachers being able to spend more time with the students in a smaller class, making students in bigger classes have an unfair learning experience.

Despite the learning experience being unfair, Peter Kilbane, sophomore thinks that students should still be able to switch out of harder classes. “If I don’t understand the mate-rial, I don’t want to have a failing grade on my GPA.” Students often complain they do not have the elective they signed up for. This is because the entire schedule is based off of “singletons” — one semester elective courses. “Singletons drive the schedule,” Long said. When students register, both on the computer and on the registration forms, the Wizard, as well as the counselors, take the priority of registered classes into consideration. For example, alternate courses require students to pick an elective for each semester that they would be interested in. The reason for this is so that if students do not get their three elective choices they register for, they have a back-up class to enroll. It is also important to do this on the computer when registering because the Wizard builds a student’s schedule based on the order of electives not only on his or her registration sheet, but on the computer as well. Students have heard much about budget cuts the past two years. Despite those signifi cant cuts, Vista still has been able to offer new courses including Ad-vanced Placement Art History, Archaeology, Marine Biology. Ragon said the reason for the new classes despite the budget crises is “based on student inter-est.” If there are not enough people who request a class, then it will not be offered that year. So as students wait for their schedules, the “Wizard,” incessantly processing students requests, Alan Long and every counselor is hard at work.

The AfterAssistant Principal Alan Long and counselor Aaron Ragon explainthe administrative side of registration

Remember...On Feb. 4, counselors estimated 1,800 kids turned in their registration forms to the offi ce and registered online. If you are one of the 200 kids who have not, turn in your schedule as soon as possible to your counselor for next year. Don’t be the one holding your class back.

Jack | Reeves Pamela | Shapiro

Process

eagle.eye february.07.2011 www.vistanow.org

Photo by Cody Enboden

Photo by Kyle Waters

Name: Katie Koch Age: 17 What’s Next?: Hopefully collegeMotto: Take advantage of opportunities, don’t stress because there is always tomorrow and there is always another chance at everything.

An interview with captain of the 5A state champion girls fi eld hockey team and academic scholar Katie Koch.


fi eld hockey team and academic scholar Katie Koch.

Word

EE: How did you ace the ACT? Did you study or take prep classes?

Katie Koch: I didn’t take any prep classes. In elemen-tary school, in the sixth grade, there was a program that let you take all of those tests (ACT, SAT) early. So, by the time I took it last year it was my fourth or fi fth time. It wasn’t really practicing for the tests when I was in that program, it was taking tests more than anything that helped me score well.

Did you take the SAT four times as well?

I probably took it about that many times. In sixth grade, the test was to get you into a summer pro-gram.

Did anything inspire you to do well ?

Originally, it was to get into a summer program at DU when I was little, but now I took these tests to get into college and hopefully get into a good school.

Did you take the PSAT or the PLAN?

Yeah, I took both of them sophomore and junior year and I think I did pretty well on both of them.

Do you have a role model?

My mom. She’s a pretty cool lady and my biggest hero.

Katie Koch

36 on the ACT

All of the above

Field hockey player of the year

A.

B.

C.

D.

What do you callsomeone who getsa perfect on the ACT?

1 “This was such a rush

of adrenaline winning the state championship.”

Do you have a favorite book?

Right now it’s “The Book Thief ” by Markus Zusak

Is it stressful taking these tests for the last time?

Not really because if you have taken it before you know what to expect of the tests and you know that you can take the tests over if you do really badly on them.

You also are captain of the fi eld hockey team, do you play any off-season teams?

I play fi eld hockey in the off-season. I play on a club team and besides fi eld hockey, I also work on the costume crew in the theater department.

Were your parents proud of you when they heard the news that you did so well on the ACT?

Yeah, they were really happy when they found out I got a perfect.

What’s your favorite sports team?

Well, of course I’d have to say my fi eld hockey team because we won state, but professionally the Rockies is my favorite team.

Joanie | LyonsRiley | McCloskey

2 “My team-

mates on the fi eld are also my friends off

the fi eld.”

3 “It was great that we won.

Especially as the fi rst start-up team

to win the state title!”

4 “My mom has always

supported me in everything I do. I think she was

just as happy we won state as I

was!”

6 “I was so happy

and proud to be one of the captains this

year.”

7 “This was the

best snow man ever. My friend Nicole and I made it. It was taller than me!”

8 “I was the center

back on the fi eld hockey team.”

9 “Academics are really

important to me.”

10 “I’m really close with

my sister, I love hanging out with her and her horse PJ.”

5 “The celebration after we won

went on forever. They turned off the stadium

lights to make us leave!”

EE: How did you ace

All of the above

EE: How did you ace Do you have a favorite

All of the above

EE: How did you ace

Katie Koch

36 on the ACT

All of the above

Field hockey player of the yearB.

Do you have a favorite

Katie Koch

All of the above

Do you have a favorite

All of the above

Photos courtesy of Katie Koch

Word

Photos courtesy of Katie Koch

O?

Community ResultsBrighter DaysAheadDouglas County residents weighin on school district’s performance

Managing Tax Dollars

Teachers’ Performance

AthleticsTechnology

Edna Doherty, interim principal“Last year, some Mountain Vista teachers lost their jobs due to budget cuts. We are waiting to see what effects our budget will have on us this year.”

Ellen Woon, sophomore“I would rate most teachers a ‘7’ for the way they teach. All of my teachers love teaching.”

Class Sizes Class Cuts

Carl Suby, sophomore“If class sizes went up it’d be a bit too clustered. There’d too many people and too many angles to learn from.”

Megan Rogers-Peckham, junior“Budget cuts would cause people to pay more for athletics and after-school activities. We probably wouldn’t get any new computers or become more advanced with technology.”

Jack | Reeves

Sierra | Thornley Pamela | Shapiro

Over the past six months, Douglas County residents have completed a community survey, revealing important results of the Douglas County School District’s perfor-mance on a wide range of topics. A number of people in the community have answered the survey, including parents, teachers and students. They then responded to how they felt about certain topics; for example, the way the state spends its budget on schools. Students have not only heard, but seen the effects of the state taking back nearly $12 million this year alone. There has been a notice in larger class sizes (30-35 kids instead of 20-25), increases in athletic and transporta-tion fees and a number of teachers losing their jobs and receiving pay cuts. Students gave input on highlighted issues within the survey. Out of the 195 high school students who responded, 76 percent were “concerned” with an increase in class sizes and 91 percent were “concerned” with losing class options. Despite increased fees in athletics and transportation, parents who answered the survey proved willing to pay the fees. Eighty-fi ve percent of parents are willing to pay the $130 athletic fee of high schools students, and 51 percent are willing to pay a transportation fee, costing a student 50 cents per ride. But how long will parents tolerate the increase in fees? “The degree of concern will vary,” said Interim Princi-pal Edna Doherty. “All information points that it will get worse before it gets better.” However, there were some positive results from the survey. The district does a “good” job in maintaining a socially and physically environment. “Douglas County is a wonderful district. There are so many possibilities for stu-dents and they need to take advantage of them,” Doherty said. As for now, students will have to cope with the budget cuts and new limitations of this year. “I’ve never seen it this bad,” said Doherty, “but there is always hope to turn it around.”

“All information points that (the budget issue) will get worse before it gets better.”| InterimPrincipalEdna Doherty

No20%

Yes80%

No15%

Yes85%

I Don’t Know2%

Not Concerned7%

Somewhat Concerned

29%

Very Concerned62%

Good41%

Excellent11%

Poor17%

Fair31%

Very Concerned35%

I Don’t Know

Somewhat Concerned41%

Not Concerned

23%

11eagle.eye february.07.2011 www.vistanow.org

Word

Photo by Alex Hill


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eagle.eye february.07.2011 www.vistanow.org14

?Who w

ill beyourprincipal

“I would like to work for another principal who I respect and I can honestly say is a good person. Steve Johnson was both of those things.”

“As a social studies teacher and sponsor of Student Leadership, I am looking for a principal that is supportive of the student culture here at Mountain Vista. A principal that is dedicated to maintaining our traditions, but open to the development of new ideas that will allow the spirit of MVHS to continue to grow would be ideal.”

Brian | Wood Doreen | Smith Brad | Shores

“The next principal should be thoughtful about MVHS’s history of success. We have always been one of the top high schools in Colo-rado in athletics, academics and achievement. We should continue to head toward goals that promote this continued success.”

Photos by Alex Hill

Teachers’ thoughts

Vista

In the wake of the departure of former principal Steve Johnson, Edna Doherty has stepped in as the interim principal until June. Although there is a lot of hubbub about the princi-pal position at Mountain Vista, many students are not even sure what the principal does. “The principal is responsible for everything that goes on in school on a day-to-day basis,” Doherty explained. “(He/She) tries to assure everything runs smoothly and students are safe. Just the whole gamut of what it take to run a building.” Nonetheless, students want an experienced, in-volved principal — one who knows exactly what to do and is worthy of succeeding Johnson’s nine-year span as the leader of this school. To run a large school with 2,031 students, a princi-pal must be a strong leader and be able to easily relate to students rather than being abstract and standoffi sh. Whomever becomes the new principal has the responsibility of learning to love Mountain Vista as

much, if not more, than the students within it, and to continue the trend of excellence. “I would hope that that person would kind of sit back for a while and, you know, get to know the students, study the environment...and not make any changes without the input of staff and students,” Doherty said. The principal must be passionate enough to push students and teachers to be the best they can be and dedi-cated enough to administrate properly. “I would hope that they have a great passion for students, for teachers, for the learning process (and) that they could make good decisions and have a whole lot of common sense,” Doherty said. He or she has to be able to connect well with everyone involved in the school. “I would hope it’s someone who’s very knowledgeable in the area of education.” Doherty said. “I would also hope that they could have a lot of fun doing their job.”

?Who be

next

yourprincipal

Eagle Eye: What do you think students and teachers are expecting of you as the interim principal?Edna Doherty: “Obviously, I’m only here for a certain period of time and I would think that they wouldn’t expect me to look around and make a lot of changes, because that not really what I’m here for. I’m really here to see that things run smoothly and to aid in the process of setting up the system that will be used to hire the new principal.”

EE: Are you applying for the principal position here?ED: “No, I’m not. I’m retired and I have just come back to fi ll this position for the rest of the year. I have been a high school princi-pal for the last 21 years.”

EE: What are you looking for in the new principal?ED: “I just would like the princi-pal to be involved and not too strict and not too lenient so that we can continue the excellence at this school.”

15MVHSEagleEye

What qualities our next principal should have to ensure successTheland | Thomas

VistaVista

much, if not more, than the students within it, and to

“I would hope that that person would kind of sit back for a while and, you know, get to know the students, study the environment...and not make any changes without the

The principal must be passionate enough to push students and teachers to be the best they can be and dedi-

“I would hope that they have a great passion for students, for teachers, for the learning process (and) that they could make good decisions and have a whole lot of

He or she has to be able to connect well with everyone

“I would hope it’s someone who’s very knowledgeable

“I would also hope that they could have a lot of fun

What do you think students and teachers are expecting of you as the

“Obviously, I’m only here for a certain period of time and I would think that they wouldn’t expect me to look around and make a lot of changes, because that not really what I’m here for. I’m really here to see that things run smoothly and to aid in the process of setting up the system that will be used to hire the new

Are you applying for the

“No, I’m not. I’m retired and I have just come back to fi ll this position for the rest of the year. I have been a high school princi-

What are you looking for in

“I just would like the princi-pal to be involved and not too strict and not too lenient so that we can continue the excellence

Interim principal Edna Doherty

Vista


Eagle Eye staffCO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Kyle Tosch

Ryan Winter

EDITORS

Val Buccio

Joanie Lyons

Macy Morgan

Erica Rasquinha

Zack Smith

Caleb Williams

Caitlin Young

PHOTO EDITOR

Amy Markowski

ADVERTISING

Jordan Laeyendecker

POLICY Eagle Eye, a legally recognized public forum for student expression, is published six to nine times a year by the Newspaper class for students of Mountain Vista High School. Expression made by students in the exercise of freedom of speech or freedom of press is not an expression of Douglas County school board policy. The views expressed in Eagle Eye do not nec-essarily represent the views of the entire staff, adviser, MVHS administration or the Douglas County School District administration. Board policy regard-ing student publications (JICEA and JI/JIA) is available in the journalism/publications room (Room U328) or in the principal’s offi ce.LETTERS TO THE EDITORS Eagle Eye welcomes and encourages letters to the editors. This is a chance to express your viewpoint on important issues. Letters should be limited to 250 words. Letters will be edited for space and legal consider-ations, but not for inaccuracies, grammar or spelling. Letters must contain information pertinent to the students of MVHS. The staff retains the right to not publish any letter not meeting these requirements. Unsigned letters will not be published. Please submit typed letters in person to Room U328 or via mail or e-mail.CONTACT Eagle Eye, Mountain Vista High School, 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge, Highlands Ranch, CO 80126. Phone: 303- 387-1500. FAX: 303-387-1501. Adviser e-mail: [email protected]. Publication e-mail: [email protected] COST Single copies are free. Where available, additional copies of this paper are available for purchase for 50 cents each. Contact Eagle Eye for more infor-mation. Taking more than one copy of this paper with the intent to prevent other individuals from reading this edition of the paper is prohibited (C.R.S. 18-4-419). Violators, subject to prosecution and penalty under C.R.S. 13-21-123, will be prosecuted. OPEN FORUM CONTENT Some material courtesy of American Society of Newspaper Editors/MCT Campus High School Newspaper Service and Creative Commons licens-ing. ©2011 Eagle Eye/Mountain Vista High School. All rights reserved.

THE FIRST AMENDMENT Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

REPORTERS

Taylor Blatchford

Riley McCloskey

Megan Oberg

Jack Reeves

Brad Richardson

Pamela Shapiro

Jake Smith

Theland Thomas

Maggie Williams

PHOTOJOURNALISTS

Alex Hill

Sierra Thornley

Jordan VanNote

Kyle Waters

Trevor Zalkind

ADVISER | Mark Newton, MJE

Editorial

Last November, California’s Proposi-tion 19 aimed to legalize marijuana use. The bill did not pass. According to the Associated Press, proponents of the bill argued that legal-izing marijuana would bring tax dollars into a cash-strapped state, reduce drug violence in Mexico due to lowered pot prices and reduce the number of marijuana related arrests. The recent legalization of marijuana at the California and Colorado state levels for “medical” use has produced some disturbing results amongst high school students. According to a survey taken by the Los Angeles Times in December, 21.4 percent of high school seniors said they had used pot in the last 30 days. In fact, more seniors admitted in the survey to using marijuana than smoking cigarettes. According to an article in the Denver Post Jan. 1, substance abuse experts are concerned that the “increasingly per-missive attitudes surrounding marijuana use might be leading to higher teenage drug use and addiction rates.” Thomas Crowley, the director of the University of Colorado’s Division of Substance Dependence, said in the ar-ticle “the basic rule with any drug is if the drug becomes more available in the society, there will be more use of the drug, and as use expands, there will be

more people who have problems with the drug.” Those who use pot defend their ac-tions by saying marijuana is not addic-tive. According to WebMD, marijuana is addictive, at least psychologically, contrary to what pot smokers may say.Weed can cause, among other things, increased blood pressure, aggression, depression and of course, lung cancer. Repeated use may additionally impair brain cells and affect the cognitive and memory centers of the brain. Another problem is that marijuana is widely considered a gateway to “hard” drugs: ultimately the high from mari-juana is not great enough and the user turns to more potent drugs. By keeping marijuana illegal, judges are able to sentence offenders to treat-ment programs for addiction rather than jail, in the hopes of rehabilitating the user. This not only saves tax dollars incurred in incarceration, but also hopefully prevents the user from relaps-ing and progressing to harder drugs. So, should marijuana be legalized or not in Colorado? Do we want a person who is marijuana-impaired behind the wheel of a car? Is it OK for your boss or teacher to get high on his/her lunch hour? Do we want our pot-smoking friends to move on to heroin, cocaine or crack? We think not.

Although many people tend to turn a blind eye when it comes to the issue of medical marijuana, there are certain issues that should not be over-looked. The debate over whether the drug should be legal will continue long after the fi nal vote went through.

the the debatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebatedebate

Photo used under Creative Commons licensing/courtesy of Tomas de Aquino


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17

19 MVHSEagleEye

Scope

In eighth grade Jane, who asked to remain anonymous for fear of getting into trouble, took her fi rst hit of marijuana. She was pressured by three friends, but she said she was also curious. She was bored and wanted to try something new and fun, and marijuana seemed to fi t the bill. Soon after, she began smok-ing cigarettes and marijuana regularly. Though she didn’t buy it, she smoked marijuana whenever her friends had it, which was often. Her grades began to suffer because she didn’t turn in her homework. “I’d rather hang out with

my friends than do school-work,” said Jane, whose grades dropped due to “laziness.” “I didn’t want to quit, but soon I became bored with weed also,” said Jane. One year after trying mari-juana, she experimented with psilocybin mushrooms. A few months after that, she took ecstasy pills for the fi rst time. Jane and her friends became more involved with drugs and began to sell ecstasy, marijuana and mushrooms. They were often called to the offi ce under suspicion of sell-ing these drugs, but there was never any proof. Then someone hinted through Text a Tip that Jane and her friends were selling drugs during school. They were called to the offi ce and Jane’s mom was informed about the administration’s suspicions. Jane’s mom then searched her room and found a pack of cigarettes. Her mom drug tested her and the test came back positive for ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamine in the ecstasy pills. Jane’s mom grounded her for four months and wanted her to switch

schools. She called Jane’s friends’ parents and told them about the results of the drug test. She even wanted Jane to live with her aunt and go to Ponderosa High School, but Jane persuaded her to let her remain at Vista. Jane’s mom called an administrator and told him about the drug test. Jane said the administrator called Jane into the offi ce and tried to make her admit that she was selling drugs, but she wouldn’t. The administrator then gave her lunch detention every day for four months because he thought she was selling drugs during lunch. A year has passed since then and Jane says she is now drug-free, but everything is different. “My parents don’t trust me and I’m still kind of grounded,” she said. Jane also said that her study habits have not improved. She often doesn’t turn in her schoolwork and, when she is allowed, hangs out with friends instead of completing her homework. “(Smoking pot) wasn’t worth it,” said Jane, “because one year later I’m still dealing with the consequences.”

Jane was able to get rid of her marijuana addiction

about the administration’s about the administration’s suspicions. Jane’s mom then suspicions. Jane’s mom then searched her room and found a searched her room and found a pack of cigarettes. pack of cigarettes. Her mom drug tested Her mom drug tested her and the test came back her and the test came back positive for ecstasy, marijuana positive for ecstasy, marijuana and methamphetamine in and methamphetamine in the ecstasy pills. Jane’s mom the ecstasy pills. Jane’s mom grounded her for four months grounded her for four months and wanted her to switch and wanted her to switch

trust me and I’m still kind of grounded,” she said. Jane also said that her study habits have not improved. She often doesn’t turn in her schoolwork and, when she is allowed, hangs out with friends instead of completing her homework. “(Smoking pot) wasn’t worth it,” said Jane, “because one year later I’m still dealing with the consequences.”

Climbing out of the

Phot

o ill

ustra

tion

Hal

i Car

ter

POT Riley | Mccloskey

eagle.eye february.07.2011 www.vistanow.org 18

relaxed and less stressed,” he said. He also said there are no affects on health. “They are non-existent.” However, according to NIDA, regular users of marijuana can become psycho-logically dependent. They may have a hard time limiting their use, need more of the drug to get the same effect and develop problems with their jobs and personal relationships. The drug can become the most important aspect of someone’s life. Michael said the only negative affect on his life from the use of marijuana is the fi nancial issue. He said smoking two or three bowls every two days adds up. Michael said his job at a grocery store makes minimum wage. He said his parents pay

No matter the consequences, Michael will not give up marijuana Weeding OutValerie | Buccio

for most of the things he needs such as a cell phone and car. With not much else to pay for, it is affordable for him to spend $50-70 a week on mari-juana. “I would rather smoke marijuana than drink alcohol,” Michael said. “I have never thought about quitting and do not want to.”

Michael is addicted to marijuana.“I started because it was there and available,” Mi-chael said, adding his drug use started in eighth grade and continues today. Michael, who asked that his name not be used in fear of retribution, said his older brother got involved with marijuana because it helped him cope with his loneliness. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) many younger people are introduced to marijuana by their peers including friends, sisters and brothers. Michael was caught by the police and given a DUI his junior year. After court he had to pay the conse-quences of being on parole, having his license revoked and paying a fi ne of $8,000. Even with the risk of be-ing caught while on parole, he still continues to use marijuana. Michael said marijuana has affected his life positively for the most part. “I love people more, am more

Why le

galize

medic

al m

ariju

ana?

How

many te

ens a

re u

sin

g it?

In 2010, 21.4 percent of high school seniors said

they had used

marijuana in the last 30 d

ays, while 19.2 p

er-cent rep

orted sm

oking cigarettes in the same tim

e period

. This was the fi rst tim

e that pot surp

assed tob

acco in that age group

since 1981.

Facts

What d

oes m

ariju

ana

use lo

ok lik

e in

D

ougla

s C

ounty

?

There are currently nine U.S

. states that have legalized m

arijuana for med

ical purp

oses: A

laska, Arizona, C

alifornia, Colorad

o, Haw

aii, Maine, N

evada, O

regon and W

ashington.

Why? It sup

presses nausea, relieves eye p

ressure, decreases m

uscle spasm

s, stimulates ap

petite, stop

convulsions and

eliminate m

enstrual pain. It has b

een used for therap

y for cancer, AID

S (to sup

press nausea and

stimulate ap

petite), glau-

coma (to alleviate eye p

ressure), epilep

sy (to stop convulsions), and

multip

le sclerosis (to decrease m

uscle spasm

s).

Drug-related

incidents up

23 percent

from last year and

a 52 percent

increase over 2007-2008 school year.

The

The

The

The

The

TheFa

cts

TheFa

cts

Facts

TheFa

cts

Facts

TheFa

cts

Whic

h s

tate

s le

galize

d m

edic

al m

ariju

ana?

“Monitoring the Future” survey from

the National Institute of D

rug Abuse. Found in latimes.com

, “Pot smoking m

akes a comeback am

ong teenagers” by Melissa H

ealy.

Ednew

s Colorado, “Schools report sharp rise in drug incident” by R

ebecca Jones

http://health.howstuffw

orks.com/w

ellness/drugs-alcohol/marijuana4.htm

http://medicalm

arijuana.procon.org/view.resource.php?resourceID=

000881

It is illegal to grow

or possess m

arijuana in plant or drug form

in the U

nited States.

Possession of

the cannabis plant or m

arijuana seeds ispunishable by fi nes and possible jail sentences.

M

arijuana smoke has b

een found to contain m

ore cancer-causing agents than is found in tob

acco sm

oke. Exam

ination of human lung tissue that had

been exp

osed to m

arijuana smoke over a long p

eriod

of time in a lab

oratory showed

cellular changes called m

etaplasia that are consid

ered p

recancerous. In lab

oratory test, the tars from m

arijuana smoke have p

roduced

tumors w

hen app

lied to anim

al skin. These stud

ies suggest that it is likely that marijuana m

ay cause cancer if used for a num

ber of years.

Cancer

Facts

| Loss of coord

ination.

| Health p

roblem

s of tobacco

smokers: B

ronchitis, em

physem

a, bronchial asthm

a. | U

sers often inhale the unfi ltered

smoke d

eeply and

hold it in

their lungs as long as possib

le. The sm

oke then is in contact w

ith lung tissues for long pe

riods of tim

e, which irritates the

lungs and d

amages the w

ay they w

ork. Marijuana sm

oke contains som

e of the same

ingredients in tob

acco smoke

that can cause emp

hysema and

cancer.

Limb

s

| Harm

s reprod

uctive system

.

| Increased hunger.

Rep

rod

uctive System

21 MVHSEagleEye

Scope

The

It is illegal to grow

or possess m

arijuana in plant or drug form

in the U

nited States.

Possession of

the cannabis plant or m

arijuana seeds ispunishable by fi nes and possible jail sentences.

Law

:The

When m

arijuana is inhaled or ingested in som

e other form, several short-term

effects occur. S

ome of m

arijuana’s side effects are:

Effe

cts

:The

| Increased heartb

eat and p

ulse rate.| R

aises heart rate as much as 50

percent.

| Chest p

ain.| H

as been linked

to heart attacks.

| Distorted

percep

tion.| R

ed, b

lood shot eyes.

| Dry m

outh and throat.

Heart

| Health p

roblem

s of tobacco

smokers: B

ronchitis, em

physem

a, bronchial asthm

a. | U

sers often inhale the unfi ltered

smoke d

eeply and

hold it in

their lungs as long as possib

le. The sm

oke then is in contact w

ith lung tissues for long pe

riods of tim

e, which irritates the

lungs and d

amages the w

ay they w

ork. Marijuana sm

oke contains som

e of the same

ingredients in tob

acco smoke

that can cause emp

hysema and

cancer.

| Thinking and refl exes are

slowed

.| A

cute panic anxiety reaction:

losing control. | A

lters your sense of time.

| Loss of interest and

motivation in school: im

pairs

thinking, comp

rehension and

verbal and

mathem

atical skils. | R

educes the ab

ility to do things

involving concentration such as d

riving a car or coord

ination.

Eyes

Mo

uth

Brain

Lungs

Information gathered by division of alcohol and drug abuse

| Increased hunger. S

tom

ach


some other form

, several short-term effects


| We should play telephone with toothpaste in our mouths.

| Now, I can look at your face e’rrday.

| Wow, this homework really put a rat trap between my legs.

| Believe invalid truth.

| Where’s the WiFi?! I need to download Oregon Trail!

| You can choose the scenic route or the lust route.

| It had one. I took it off.

| AP meeting during SOAR for lacking information about the classes.| Marijuana being legalized.| Valentine’s Day| Leadership for doing a poor job of advertising Sadies.| The ladies’ restroom for not having toilet paper

| Interim Principal Edna Doherty for taking on the new job.| Steelers and Packers for going to the Super Bowl. | Math teacher Brian Wood for becoming a fi rst-time father.| Seniors who have been accepted to college.

Props

Flops

with toothpaste in our mouths.with toothpaste in our mouths.with toothpaste in our | We should play telephone with toothpaste in our We should play telephone

with toothpaste in our We should play telephone

with toothpaste in our mouths.with toothpaste in our

Girl’s Basketball Team B+ Bball, The Bachelor & Mr. Bob Ross




Bob Ross A


Bob Ross’ painting class is the best because he made painting a spectator sport. His sooth-ing voice makes inanimate objects interesting because his trees are always happy or the bushes lonely. You never know what he is doing but he al-ways has his end result in mind. Every seemingly random brushstroke ends up adding to the overall painting. I enjoy his eccentric look in addition to his impressive creations. He made the afro cool again for middle-aged white man. Some have even said he painted with brush strokes of joy.

Bball, The Bachelor & Mr. Bob Ross

hallwayhallwayhallwayhallwayhallwayhallwaytalktalktalk

Girl’s Basketball Team B+ Bball, The Bachelor & Mr. Bob Ross

B+ I went to the girls basketball game and they made it look more fun than the gangly sweaty guys I saw play my freshman year. Then again, it might have been my 16-year-old point of view but any-ways, these girls made me want to play, too! Even though they lost that night to Rock Canyon and there were some tense emotions after the game, I was still impressed by this team. They would fl y across the court and I loved watching the hard-core falls. It looked like a lot of fun and I wanted to join in. Seniors Grace Shea and Lauren Dalton lead a team of promising underclassmen. Go girls basketball!

Photo by Trevor Zalkind

Photos used under Creative Commons licensing/Courtesy of haiden1991 and robin_24

The Bachelor D

“I wish I had a ton of roses to give to every single one, but I just don’t.” This quote from this season’s bachelor, Brad Womack, shows his inner turmoil over his choice of future bride. This chump, while looking like the model he is, in the hot tub with his 20 lady prospects also seems to have diffi culty forming multi-syllabic words. I would say the show itself is the most unrealistic, unpractical and unhealthy method to fi nding your soul-mate but, despite this, I cannot stop watching. Even worse than Brad himself are the girls who sign up. I hope they do not seriously believe this show is anything more than entertainment for the masses. If you are willing to risk your own corruption and loss of brain cells, join me in watching this season. Putting yourself out there like Brad, might help you fi nd bucket loads of amusement! I’ll leave you with my favorite quote of Brad’s: “I’m ready to open my heart to the women.”

Soul

The WEBSwe weaveThe Telephone Game of GossipJack | Reeves

Gossip is everywhere. As a high

school student, not a day goes by without somebody hearing something out of the ordinary — true

or not. The constant contact of students — between texting and Facebook — makes it quite easy to fi nd the latest “news.” | But why

do people gossip? And why do people care about gossip? “People can gossip for a variety of reasons, but more often than not it is with

real intent to demean or hurt someone,” said school psychologist Kim Frederics. “They like the idea of ‘stirring the pot.’” |

Motives for gossip include jealousy or anger towards another person. “Anyone can have the nice car, or the newest shoes, but

people who gossip have ownership of information, which they feel gives them power,” said Frederics. “It can be

devastating, it can ruin lives.” | For students that have been affected or hurt by gossip, Frederics

advises to “give it until next weekend, and something else will happen. Your story

is going to be ‘old news’ and it’s all going to go away sooner rather

than later.”

Thor Andreassen

underwent knee surgery.

Thor will replace

Will Ferrel in the "Anchorman"

sequel

Thewheelchair rugby

scene in "Talledega Nights" is based

off ThorThor

is now a paraplegic

Thor is related to Stephen Hawking

The bloody showdown

left Claire's shoulder dislocated and

Thor's kneeshattered

Thor Andreassen and Claire Miller were

seen talking behind the

school

Claire Miller dislocated

her shoulder

They started a

secret romance that ended in an ugly

fallout

A fi ght took place

between the cheerleaders and DCTV

Graphic by Jordan Heck | Skyler Moede


Soul


Things to do before you die100100100100100100100100100100100100100100Valerie | Buccio Megan | Oberg

100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100100 Soul

25MVHSEagleEye100100100100100100Save a life.Spend New Year’s Eve in Times Square.Send a message in a bottle out to sea.“Swim with a sea otter,” senior Jasmine Stamm said.Go on a police run.Help someone cross the street.Pay for someone’s groceries in front of you in line.Rescue an animal from a shelter.“Stalk a famous person,” freshman Tori Cull said.Give to charity.Be an organ donor.Carve your name into a tree.Watch a caterpillar turn into a butterfl y.“Go to an Ellen Degeneres show,” senior Emily Sherwood said.“Travel to at least fi ve different countries,” junior Tracy Enders said.Ride a hot air balloon.Ride a camel.Donate hair to Locks of Love.Go skydiving.Be in two places at once (straddle the state line).“Date a famous person,” freshman Katie Fix said.Save a cat from a tree.Go cow tipping.Sneak out of a bedroom window.Start a dance in a public place.Plant a tree.Start a wave at a sports event.Walk up and kiss your crush.Learn how to play an instrument.Go on a blind date.Donate blood.Experience zero gravity.“Travel the world,” sophomore Keara Leahy said.Drop a penny off the Empire State Building.Win the lottery.Meet favorite singer or band.

“Buy an elephant,” senior Ashleigh Peluso said.Ride a mechanical bull.“Sleep on a roof,” senior Andi Patton said.“Kiss an Australian,” senior Natasha Johnson said.Be prom king or queen.Crush grapes in a vineyard with your feet.Take a picture of lightning.“Live in the Carribbean for a year,” sophomore Katlyn Enders said.Be a match maker“Deep sea fi sh in the Atlantic,” said senior Cody Corbin.“Live in Australia,” freshman Amanda Waterman said.Shake the President’s hand.Punch someone in the face.“Streak at a Super Bowl,” sophomore Chad Nesketh said.Get pilot license.Smash a guitar.“Run with the bulls wearing a snake skin banana hammock while eating a whole wheel of cheese,” senior Michael Hepp said.“Raise baby chicks,” freshman Andrew Walton said.“Climb Mount Everest,” sophomore Justin Miller said.“Swim with a shark,” freshman Alyssa Russo said.Be on a game show.“Get in a bar fi ght,” freshman Chase Geissler said.“Meet Prince William,” senior Bryce Cameron said.See the real Mona Lisa.Learn sign language.Barefoot water ski.Find your soul mate.“Hold my breath through the entire Eisenhower Tunnel,” junior Kelsey Cisarik said.“Scale a building,” junior Kailey Knigge said.

“Buy a cake from Charm City Cakes,” junior Katey Gooderham said.Learn to ballroom dance.“Go to outer space,” senior David Sorenson said.Trade lives with someone for a day.Jump in a pool with clothes on.Be an extra in a movie.Get locked in a store for the night.“Eat the hottest pepper in the world,” junior Tom Coates said.Eat octopus.Spend a night in a haunted house.Get a tattoo.Attempt the milk gallon challenge.“Ride a bull,” senior Morgan Wheeler said.Get a hat trick in a sport.“Go to watch the Olympics,” junior Jenna Jesse said.Shoot a gun.“Be in the NBA,” junior Drew Boeckman said.Start a tradition.“Go backpacking around Europe,” junior Zach Criner said.Ride a gondola in Venice.Watch an eclipse.“Heli ski in the Alps,” junior Nathan Patrick said.“Dock with the international space station,” junior Andie Friesen said.Run a marathon.Bail someone out of jail.Take up a new sportForgive those who have hurt you in the past.“Climb a K2,” sophomore Noel Wagner said.Go to the airport and take the next fl ight out of state.Fly a kite.Try being a vegetarian.Hit bullseye on a dartboard.“Go to Jamaica,” senior Alex Shayler said.“Win a million dollars in Vegas,” junior Ben Navin said.Accept yourself for who you are.

Photo used under Creative Commons licensing/courtesy of acloudman, coolcal2111, daniel.julia, Dottie Mae, Grand Velas, kcp4911, MoLeY2k, Neil and KAthy Carey, Newsbie pix, Royalty, SergioDJT, and WayTru


Senior Ricardo Delius Cordova is not here on foreign exchange. Rather, he’s here for good. Five weeks ago, Delius, a native of Bolivia, arrived in Miami, Fla. with his dad, mom and younger twin sisters. Two weeks later, he traveled to Colorado. It was in Colorado that he would start a new life, leaving old friends and an oppressive government behind. “In my country, when you are 16, 17, it is mandatory to serve one year in the army,” Delius, 18, said. The service included waking up at 6:45 a.m. on Saturdays and conditioning through 7 p.m. During any breaks throughout the school year, Delius would also be required to serve every weekday in Bolivia’s army. Delius added that residents of Bolivia have to successfully complete army service in order to obtain a driver’s license. Due to this, Delius said he learned how to shoot a gun. The government’s control, however, did not stop there. Bolivia’s government is in the process of nationalizing, which includes the takeover of private industries

throughout Bolivia. The government is also beginning to make it lawful for houses to be nationalized, which could have happened to the Delius family’s house. Delius said he and his family got fed up with Bolivia. In a choice between Germany and America, Delius and his family chose America to be the place where they would start again. As for Colorado, his family chose to live here for many reasons. He specifi cally cited two reasons, including the scenery of Colorado and the fact that Highlands Ranch is “not a vacation place like Miami.” By residing in Colorado, Delius would actually be able to get in his work and schooling. Additionally, Delius said he moved away from Bolivia because of Bolivia’s awful public schooling situation. “Public school in Bolivia is really bad,” he said. “Families that have money send their kids to private

institutions. I went to a private school with all boys from Monday to Friday every school day. For one-and-a-half hours at night, all we would do is learn English.” Delius said he was pleasantly surprised when he arrived at Mountain Vista High School. It was his fi rst time he was able to practice his English skills, as well as his fi rst time seeing girls of his age in the same school. “I like the girls here,”

| Location: Central South America| Population: 9,947,418| Literacy Rate: 86.7%| GDP per Capita: $4,800

Bolivia

Jake | Smith

SS Senior Ricardo Delius S Senior Ricardo Delius Cordova is not here on SCordova is not here on foreign exchange.Sforeign exchange. Rather, he’s here for S Rather, he’s here for good.Sgood.

Delius said. “They are more friendly than the boys.” However, Delius still prefers some things in Bolivia. “The food in Bolivia is much better. Whenever we ate in my country, we ate big portions. Here, people seem to eat in small quantities all through the day,” Delius said. He said his favorite food is a dish called picana, a soup containing many different types of meat that his family only consumes at Christmas. He does admit, though, that he loves to eat french fries. One thing that Delius did not have to do in Bolivia has become a problem for him in

America: chores. “I had a housekeeper in Bolivia. Now, I have to help with chores. I never did in my country,” Delius said, with a wry smile, “but I am learning.” Nevertheless, Delius said he is enjoying his time so far in Colorado. He went to see the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs and the Denver aquarium already, and plans to get involved in several snow activities during Colorado’s long winter. And he has no plans of leaving anytime soon. “I want to stay here,” he said, “It is a very nice place to live.”

Delius enjoys a day in one of Bolivia’s forested areas with his dad, sisters and mom behind the camera.

Photo by Kyle Waters Down

Delius stands with others his age in the 1st Company of Infantry, while listening and awaiting instruction.

Under

Two Mountain Vista studentsconvey their wordly experiencesliving in the southern hemisphere

Photos courtesy of RicardoDelius Cordova

27

Soul

MVHSEagleEyeSource: CIA World Factbook

“I wanted to do something different with my life,” said Sarah Linder, who recently returned from an 11-month-long student exchange trip to Adelaide, Australia. The junior said she has been interested in going on the trip since she was in seventh grade. “I really love to travel,” Linder said. When she fi rst arrived she said she was really ex-cited, but it was also daunt-ing. “Eventually, it caught up to me. It was very hard.” After struggling for the fi rst two months from being homesick without her par-ents, she said she got over the “culture shock” that many travelers experience and adjusted to the seasons being swapped. Summer is in December, and winter is in July. The school year also goes from January to November. Linder, an only child, had to get used to the 9- and 10-year-old boys in the host family. She said that they live on a big plot of land in the hills near the ocean. “It was really pretty,” she said. Linder said overall the host family was amazing and took her places all over Australia. “You have to be really gracious to let a stranger — a teenage stranger — into your home

for a year,” she said. The people are very nice, laid back and interested in the American culture, she said. “Everyone wants to be your friend.” Linder said they laughed at her for saying “trash can” because they say “rubbish bin.” They also say “petrol” (short for petroleum) instead of “gas.” Food there was also a different experience. “They don’t have Mexican food in Australia,” said Linder. “The family ate lots of steak and chips, and I’m more of a salad person. They also ate savory pies — pies with eggs and ground beef instead of our American fruit pies.” Linder said the best thing in the experience was the friends she made. They went to the beach, surfed after school, went to mov-ies, went shopping and did normal teenage things. She said the guys there were re-ally cute compared to back home in the United States. “The school there was much easier, like going back to kindergarten,” said Linder. “Coming back to school here was much harder.” In July, she also went

AussieSlangAussie

Taylor | Blatchford Jordan | VanNote

| Location: Oceania, between Indian and South Pacifi c Ocean| Population: 21,515,754| Literacy Rate: 99%| GDP per Capita: $41,3800

Australia

“I “I wanted to do “I “I wanted to do something different with “Isomething different with my life,” said Sarah Linder, “Imy life,” said Sarah Linder, who recently returned from “Iwho recently returned from an 11-month-long student “Ian 11-month-long student

to the city of Cairns with a student organization. They were able to visit the rain forest, go snorkeling and feed kangaroos. “I will always remember that,” said Linder. There were mixed emotions when December came and it was time for the 14-hour fl ight home. While she said she was excited to come back and eat Mexican food, she said it was really sad to leave. “It was my new home.” Linder said she would recommend doing an exchange program over three months, but a year is a really big commitment to make. “It was hard because they weren’t that religious, but I go to church all the time,” Linder said. Linder said the trip made her more indepen-dent as a person.“I’ve learned to respect other cultures more.”

Photo by TrevorZalkind

“tea” | dinner“bathers” | swimsuit“carpark” | parking lot

“the boot” | car trunk“rubbish bin” | trash can

In March, Linder visited a wildlife park in Victor Harbor with her host family. She interacted with many animals in their natural habitat.

Under

Two Mountain Vista studentsconvey their wordly experiencesliving in the southern hemisphere

While in Cairns, Linder went snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef during July of last year. “I willalways remember that. It was my new home,” she said.

For more informationon how to become a foreign exchange student, go towww.cci-exchange.com.Photos courtesy of Sarah Linder

T

L

I


T Think back to the winter pep assembly a year ago — every person in the auditorium was on their feet, fi shing in pockets and rifl ing through wallets to give what they could. Students eagerly passed donations from the top of the bleachers to the bottom, where cheerleaders stood with enormous bottles fi lling up faster by the second. That day, Mountain Vista High School raised over a $1,000 in a matter of minutes in wake of the catastrophic earthquake that struck Haiti Jan. 12, 2010. Seven months later, every member of Hope Reigns had either graduated or did not return to the club — except two. Instead of 20 people coming together for a meeting, walking into Room U314 revealed only four girls, each with a heart brimming of dedication. Every Tuesday, sophomore and president Kelly Strife, senior Shannon Mayberry, sophomore Allie Elias and senior Kellen Turton meet with sponsor Meg Blaze in the hopes of planning a successful event as a small group. “Last year was different because there were more people involved in the club, and we could plan more events (and) we had more help,” said Strife, one of the returning members along with Mayberry. “I feel like we aren’t making much of an impact (this year)... with such few members, it is diffi cult to plan huge events.” Missing just one member in a meeting makes setting plans more diffi cult than before, Mayberry said. The lack of supplies and volunteers has not allowed for as many successful events as the club has wished. “These girls have a lot of ambition and passion for helping others,” said Blaze. “I respect their persistence considering how few members are in the group.” Although the people of Haiti are not on everyone’s minds right now, said Elias, they still need help. “(Haitians are) still struggling to get their homes rebuilt and get enough food and clean water around,” she

said. One full year of struggling to simply get their families fed, to fi nd a place to spend the night — that is the reality of the country of Haiti, and these girls are perhaps the only ones doing something about it at Mountain Vista High School. “If you take your focus off of that new car you’re getting, or how you’re excited to watch the next episode of ‘Jersey Shore’ on your fl at-screen (TV), you would realize that people around the world, for example (in) Haiti, don’t have cars, TVs and houses,” said Strife. “This club has opened my eyes to the poverty and problems, and it only gives me more of a passion to help make them better.” Upcoming plans include the return of last year’s Baby Bottle Drive, a CONNECT contest and a movie night in the auditorium in March. “I believe we need all the help we can get,” Elias said. The club would get much more done with more members to help out with events like these, she said, and students don’t have to join the club to help out with events and get community service. “One goal is to raise more money this year than we did last year,” Mayberry said. Hope Reigns raised $4,759.48 during the last school year. With less than four months left of this one, they wonder, is it possible? As a club, Hope Reigns proposes a challenge for Mountain Vista: to raise more than $4,759.48 before May 25. As Margaret Mead once said, “A small group of thoughtful people could change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” The people of Haiti still need help getting back on their feet, said Elias. “It’s always the really small groups that try their hardest.”

Four Girls

What you can do to contribute

1Attend aMeeting

Meetings are every Tuesday after schoolin Room U314.

2 Donate

Donations for Haiti may be given to club members or to non-profi t organiztions.

3 Spreadthe Word

Attend upcoming events like the movie night and bring your friends.

Feb. 18 - March 18:Baby Bottle Drive

March 4:Movie night in the school auditorium @ 6 p.m.

for the World

Macy | Morgan Maggie | Williams

Sophomores Allie Elias and Kelly Strife and seniors Shannon Mayberry and Kellen Turton dedicate them-selves to Hope Reigns every week.

W

29

HomemadeTattoos:Using theillegal needle

the sewing needles and Indian ink at Michael’s,” said Smith. “To tattoo myself I basically just dipped the needle in the ink and poked my skin over and over again.” Even with the risk of using equipment that was not correctly sterilized Smith said he was not worried about infections. “At fi rst my leg bled a little,” he said it really itched after it scabbed and fi nally the scars just faded away (leaving the tattoos). Smith said his parents are against him getting tattoos before he turns 18. “It makes sense to me because I know they just want me to really consider what I want to get done before I mark my body,” he said. He said he was afraid his parents would fi nd out

for some time, but when the tattoos started to fade he did not care about keeping it a secret. “I hid them with jeans and high socks,” Smith said. When thinking about the consequences he could have faced, Smith said his parents would be “irritated, but they know that they could not do much if I chose to mark my body.” He also said his dad now knows about the tattoos but that they have kept it a secret from his mom. Now, a couple years later Smith said he would never tattoo himself again and will wait for the legal age. “I think it’s better to wait and get a beautiful work of art rather than regretting it and being stuck with a horrible looking tattoo.”

Unable to wait forthe legal age, onestudent decidesto tattoo himself

What is reallyin tattoo ink?

| Black- Carbon (Indian ink), iron oxide, logwood | Blue- Cobalt aluminate | Green- Chromic Oxide, lead chromate, phthalocyanine dyes | Purple- Manganese, aluminum | Red- Mercuric sul� de (cinnabar), sienna (ferric hydrate), sandalwood, brazilwood, organic pigments | Yellow- Cadmium Sul� de

Graphic by Adaylia McDevitt and Jamie Wood-

Photo used under Creative Commons licensing/courtesy of Arup

Holguin is a tattoo artist atPhantom 8 in Englewood.

Eagle Eye: Do you have many minors asking to get a tattoo at Phantom 8?Hugo Holguin: Most kids call first and we just tell them that we don’t tattoo minors even with parental consent.

EE: What is your response to those who ask to be tattooed underage?HH: I think it’s professional eti-quette to explain that most kids under 18 are probably not too sure of the designs they want to get. When I was 15 my mom took me to a well-respected tat-too shop and they told me that any shop that tattoos minors is not a credible place. Originally, I thought that the response that they gave me was kind of rude but now I look back on it and know that they saved me from a big mistake.EE: What are the con-

sequences for tattooing minors? HH: It really varies from shop to shop and each city has different ordinances and rules.

EE: To the minors who decide to go to a different shop, what words of advice and warning can you give them?HH: They should just ask a lot of questions about the sterilization process, how long they’ve been tattooing and what’s in their portfolio.

EE: What do you think about homemade tattoos?HH: I don’t recommend it because it is dangerous with the risk of infections. Even though I did it when I was younger, I think it can't be avoided but people can be informed about the dangers.

5 questions with tattoo artist Hugo Holguin

Source: www.emedicine.medscape.com/article/1124433-

sequences

It really varies from shop to

for

While in eighth grade sophomore John Smith,who asked that his name not be used in order to keep his experiences private from his peers and other adults, took an abstract path when getting his fi rst tattoos. “I was really impatient to get a tattoo and thought I would be able to put them on myself,” he said. Homemade tattoos are done illegally without a proffesional tattoo artist. According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, in Colorado it is illegal to tattoo anyone under 18 without parental consent. Doing so without that consent results in a $250 fi ne for the person giving the tattoo. Smith said he tattooed different designs of his initials and last name on his ankle and calf. “I bought

Erica | Rasquinha

| MVHSEagleEye

Soul

The future of the Broncos organiza-tion is now in the hands of young TimothyRichard Tebow. Only time will tell if Tebow’s game can make the transi-tion fromcollege to pro.

Right now, Tebow doesn’t have the accuracy or to compete at a high level in the NFL, but what rookie does? You can teach a quarterback to throw a perfect spiral, take a snap under center or take a fi ve-step drop, but you can’t teach heart like Tebow has.

In three games as a starter this season, Tebow went 1-2, but showed signifi cant signs of promise. He scored eight touchdowns, turned the ball over only four times, and

wracked up 881 total yard. Most importantly, while Tebow was under center, the Broncos averaged 25 points per game. With all of the controversy surrounding star quarterbacks, such as Ben Roethlisberger, Brett Favre and Michael Vick, Tebow’s humbling personality is certainly a breath of fresh air. Player behavior

has never been more important in the NFL than it is today, which only adds to Tebow’s value.

2010: The Yearin Colorado Sports

2010 Grade Report

Who is your favorite Colorado athlete?

Although the Rockies did not make the playoffs in 2010, they easily had their best offseason in franchise history. Resigning Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez to long-term deals makes the Rockies playoff contenders for the foreseeable future. However, if the Rockies are going to win it all, guys like Chris Ianetta, Ian Stewart and Seth Smith are going to have to swing the bat better than they did in 2010.

The 2010 season for the Broncos was memorable for all the wrong reasons. The team fi nished 3-13 and took steps back in most major areas. However, the Josh McDaniels era is over in Denver, which is a positive going forward. With Elway at the helm and Tim Tebow undercenter, fans can begin to forgive the Broncos for the past two seasons. My advice: Trade down in the draft from the No.2 spot and draft for defense.

The Nuggets made the playoffs in 2010, losing 4-2 in a best-of-seven series versus the Utah Jazz. However, the fran-chise is currently in a state of turmoil with Carmelo’s status uncertain. Before the franchise can move forward, they need to take a step back. My advice: Trade Melo and start preparing for the future. Don’t become the laughing stocks of NBA like the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Avalanche showed signs of life by making the playoffs last year as the No. 8 seed. Although they eventually lost to the No.1-seeded San Jose Sharks, the Avalanche are a young, scrappy team with a lot of upside. Forward Matt Duchene is the next big thing in Colorado hockey, and he’s only 20. The organization is going in the right direction, but can they put it all together and return the Stanley Cup to Colorado?

A-

F

B

C+

Tebow Time!

Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow fi nally got his opportunity to start late in the 2010 season.Poll conducted of 100 MVHS students. Photos courtesy MCT Campus


Photo courtesty of Anda Chu/MCT

Vista H ps

Men’s BasketballRECORDSOverall Record: 14-3League Record: 3-2 Non-League Record: 11-1Home Record: 9-3Away Record: 5-0

Continental LeagueSTANDINGS as of 1/31 1) Highlands Ranch 2) Regis Jesuit 3) Chaparral 4) Mountain Vista 5) ThunderRidge 6) Rock Canyon 7) Legend 8) Littleton 9) Douglas County 10) Ponderosa

Golden Eagles UPCOMING GAMES02/11/11 Heritage (3-12)02/15/11 Legend (8-9)02/17/11 @Highlands Ranch (16-1)02/23/11 First Round State Playoffs02/25-26/11 Second Round State Playoffs

Photos by Trevor Zalkind

Brad | Richardson Mountain Vista basketball is back! The Vista mens team sits at a surprising [14-3], whichcurrently has them [fourth] in the 5A Continental Division. While the halls are buzzing with excitement over the team’s recent success, many wonder how the team turned it around so quickly after a below-average 2009 season. Assistant Coach Brian Wood says the turnaround is due to three primary reasons: the players understand-ing the system, a fully developed and experienced senior class and hard work in the gym. “It takes a little while as new coaches to put in your program and get guys to understand what you expect,” Wood said. “Our senior class has spent a lot of time in the gym so I think they’ve put the time in and understand what we expect.” Although they have done well so far, the team still has a lot to prove with many tough games remaining on their schedule. Going up against teams like rivaled

Highlands Ranch will push the Golden Eagles to the limit, said Coach Wood. “The biggest problem with Highlands Ranch for us is they’re huge,” Wood said. “They’ll be comically big-ger than us at every position, so we’ll have to run them and shoot them.” Highlands Ranch has beat up on Vista in previous years, but Coach Wood said this is the fi rst year in a long time that the Golden Eagles have had a legiti-mate chance of beating the rival squad. “I would imagine that our preparation would be a little bit different and I imagine that our guys would be a little bit more excited,” Wood said about the upcom-ing game against the Falcons. Although the Vista-Ranch game is always impor-tant, Coach Wood says that the team’s goal is to win it all. “I think we can make noise in the state tourna-ment,” Wood said. “I think the goal is to get into the fi nal eight, and then anything can happen.”

Photos by Trevor Zalkind

JUSTIN MILLER

Position: Small Forward

Brings: Leader, man-to-man defense

Coach: “He’s im-proved the most. Probably our best all-around player.”

STEPHENCHIPMANPosition: Center

Brings: Height, rebounder, runs the fl oor

Coach: “He runs the fl oor like crazy and has an amazing motor.”

JORDAN ANNER

Position: Shooting Guard

Brings: Lots of steals, speed, leading scorer

Coach: “He’s never afraid to take the big shot.”

MITCH CARTERMITCH CARTERPosition: Power Forward

Brings: Defense, team player, potential

Coach: “He’s one of those guys you never get mad at because he does everything right.”

TONY KAHN

Position: Point Guard

Brings: Defense, good passer, sets offense

Coach: “He’s ultra-aggressive and very physical.”

Boys’ basketball exceeds expectations

Pulse

31MVHSEagleEye

MITCH CARTER

Starting Line-Up

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