Lobo LegendDecember 2014

Editor in Chief Ashley Hopko

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The staff of the Lobo Legend has selected an open forum under which to write. Articles will be printed according to this policy.The purpose of the Lobo Legend is to inform, entertain, and educate school readers as well as readers in the community and give an opinion of students’ interests on local, state, and national issues. The staff will take full responsibility to thoroughly investigate and report all sides of all issues with an unbiased and objective viewpoint. The material, ideas, and opinions expressed in the Lobo Legend do not necessarily reflect those of the adviser, administration, or staff. They are the sole product of the paper’s staff. The Lobo Legend staff will refuse to print any article with material containing libel, obscenity, writings that promote self-destructive behavior or that which promotes the material disruption of the school process. Letters to the editor are encouraged and may be dropped off in the high school office or sent to:

Lobo Legend Staffc/o Conifer High School10441 Hwy 73Conifer, CO 80433

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On the Cover: Students participate in a pep rallly in support of the completion for the funding of the field lights. (Forrest Czarnecki/Lobo Legend)

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Audrey DilgardeAnnabelle CohenCami DotyNicholas Farco- HadlockMia MillerVonie GrubbAnna PalfreymanKarsten RyghHope TomasiRhett KilgoreSkylar MatthewsJoshua Hill

Madeline Downie Forrest CzarneckiEmily JonesBryce PattonJohnathan HurstTristan D. Kubik Forrest Czarnecki

Staff

After 7 years of watching the red line on the funding thermometer rise outside the front steps of CHS, the school has finally raised enough money to start installing the anticipated athletic field lights. The completion of funding for the first phase was announced to students at a special pep rally on the Friday afternoon of December 12th. Students walked into the Gym, many of whom were curious what lie beneath a large sheet by the podium. Mr. Paxton decided to keep the achievement a secret until the pep rally in order to surprise the students. Principals from around surrounding elementary and middle schools, along with many Jefferson County Public School officials came for the big reveal. “This is something people are going to see, be able to appreciate, and get a lot of great use out of,” said Tom Stapleton, the Construction Project Manager for Jeffco Schools. Stapleton was in charge of finishing the project once, Sean Braden, the original project manager left for another district. After a large check from Great Outdoors Colorado was presented and photos taken, it was

paraded around and presented to each of the four grades. A few students representing each of the outdoor sports who would be benefiting from the lights were responsible for handling the check. Great Outdoors Colorado, or GOCO, was responsible for matching the 280,000 dollars in grants which was raised by Conifer. This was

part of 2.5 million dollars of grants COCO has awarded. Great Outdoors Colorado is actually funded by a large majority of Colorado lottery proceeds. They give grants for outdoor improvement projects. “Were happy to be part of this project,” said Jake Houston, the Manager of the local government program for GOCO. Besides the funding

from this program, proceeds have also come from the Daniels fund, and PTSA. For Vicki Borns, the secretary of CLUB, spent an entire weekend writing the grant for the project. She along with her team, prepared the application for COGO. She hopes the completion of this project will help grow the other two phases of the project as well. This includes turf for the soccer

GOCO Lights up Conifer Spirit by: Ashley Hopko

“This is something people are going to see, be able to appreciate, and get a lot of great use out of,” said Tom Stapleton, the Construction Project Manager for Jeffco Schools.

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The Conifer Howl

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Anna Morgenthaler, Junior at Conifer High School, takes part in a competition where creativity is challenged and inconsistency is encouraged. Her team and she compete against other teams to be the smartest in a series of competitions that are designed to rattle the brain. They are Conifer High School’s very own Destination Imagination team. Destination Imagination (DI) is a world wide creative problem solving competition. The 20,000 students from 30 different countries around the world are given the option of six challenges: the technical challenge, scientific, fine arts, improv, structural, and community service challenge. They are then asked to create or solve their chosen challenge. The competition is not as easy as it sounds. Solving a challenge involves various art skills for inventing props and scenery pieces, skit writing, and being able to build props and backgrounds that meet certain requirements. They are also restricted to their own ideas, meaning that they must design and create a solution without adult interference whatsoever. Last September, Morgenthaler’s team chose the scientific challenge.They spent the entire year solving the challenge. They

were given the task of researching an extreme environment. They had to create a backdrop and props that brought that extreme environment to life, as well as utilize a piece of extreme gear to help their characters attempt to survive the elements of the environment. The team chose the extreme environment that is the brain suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The characters in the skit were the memories attempting to survive. They then had to present this skit to a panel of judges in the Jeffco regional tournament. There, they walked away with the first place trophy and the Da Vinci award only given to a team who expressed extreme creativity. The team then moved onto the state competition that took place last April and won second place accompanied by another Da Vinci award. They were then given the opportunity to attend Global Finals in Knoxville, Tennessee last May. At Globals, over 1,400 teams were attending. In Morgenthaler’s level and challenge, there were about 70 teams competing. There, Morgenthaler’s team placed 14th out of the other teams competing in their category.It took practice for Morgenthaler’s team to win what they did. During

practice the team built all the set pieces and props, exercised executing the skit under the eight minute time restriction, and worked hard to research the indepth information they needed on Alzheimer’s disease. Morgenthaler and her team must also balance DI and other chores. Besides the homework the team already gets from school, they practice DI up to five hours everyday after school and dedicate entire weekends to the project. “[It] isn’t just about competing, but about meeting people from around the world and celebrating creativity,” said Morgenthaler. Her teams consists of junior Danielle Sanchez, Columbine sophomore Hailey Stokes, and Morgenthaler’s sister freshman Riley Morgenthaler. They have been together for years, and have spent time working on bettering themselves for the next year’s competition. They have had the opportunity to meet people from all around the world and compete against other ideas. This year Morgenthaler’s team plans on improving from last year’s victory. With Globals on the horizon, Conifer’s DI team is working together to be the best in the competition and win yet another competition.

by: Madeline Downie Destination Imagination

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This year Conifer High School’s cheer team no longer exists. There were a mixture of emotions rippling throughout the student body regarding the loss. Several reasons, such as expense, squad member participation, and coaching, went into the decision to cut the team. Nearly everyone said that having a cheer squad is relevant for a high school when they were asked about the cut, but some people weren’t pleased with the team last year. “I respected the cheer team, but wish they were more professional,” senior Maddy Yerks said. The cheer team was not up to par many agreed. “I feel like the cheerleaders took away from the football games. All they did was yell at us,” Conifer football player Jackson Dunivan said.

Chase Layton said, “Nobody even looked at them.” Nash Murath and Chase Layton’s enthusiasm was focused on something completely different; they were focused on a male cheerleading squad. “We would really enjoy a male squad. We could totally run the school,” said Nash. Although a male cheerleading squad isn’t Conifer High’s main focus right now, the school still has a source for their spirit. Poms has stepped up as Conifer’s only spirit squad. They’ve made drastic changes to improve their team from prior years. All their routines are self choreographed, and they are not receiving instructions from a coach this year. One of the Pom’s captains, junior Erin Blair said, “It’s kind of a bummer that that there’s no

cheer team. It’s weird to have a school that doesn’t have a cheer team. As Poms we’ve taken up a lot of the cheer responsibilities leading the cheers and things like that. The team is kinda sketchy this year. We don’t even have a coach. It’s pretty difficult, having to choreograph our own pieces and whatnot. We all work really well together.” Current Poms member Kira Fox didn’t lose her excitement regarding the new poms team and the new choreographed routines. “This year is going really well, better than I expected myself. Without any type of coach or choreographer, we’ve been able to put together our own dances and push through any technical difficulties we’ve had.” “I feel good with Conifer not having a cheer team because poms deserves the spotlight this year,”

Cheer No More by: Cami Doty and Hope Tomasi

Sports: A Semester in Photos

Softball

Football

photos by: Forrest Czarnecki, Josh Hill, Leslie Thompson, Hope Tomasi, Annabelle Cohen

Boys SoccerCross Country

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Volleyball

Sports: A Semester in Photos

Boys Tennis

Girls Rugby

Boys Golf Winter sports have started. The CHS Varsity Boys Basketball team is off to a record start of the season and is ranked 9th in the state for the 4A conference. Both Girls Basketball and Girls Swim-ming and Dive is also underway and will continue after break.

. . .

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Gossip Girl Comes to Conifer[

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It all started with a tweet. Lies, gossip, and misconceptions been spreading around of the halls of Conifer High because of one twitter page and a few anonymous students. A new twitter account called @ChsWhispers appeared online on Wednesday, December 10th. By the evening of the next day, it had 85 followers and counting. This page was created to be “a fun way to hear gossip about everyone” according to the page’s bio. The page also said “no targeting individuals.” Still, it became apparent that this was lie since many people are mentioned by not only first name, but last name as well. The owner(s) of the page called out fellow Conifer students and used terms such as “mattress official” to alienate the private lives of students. “Nobody really deserves to have their personal stuff exposed for everyone to see. Lots of people have secrets and things going on in their lives that they need to handle by themselves. It’s a respect issue” said Senior Maja Sagaser. Posts on the page range from nonsense about “hot” new students to who left a certain basketball game crying. It is unclear who thought of the idea for the page or who actually managed it. So far, the page only accumulated 11 tweets, but that was more than enough to draw community wide attention. This page has been compared to the “Conifer Memes Page” on Facebook by students and staff. Even Lauren Davis, a former CHS student who caught sight of the page admits ”It’s offensive and wrong. It makes the school look bad. I hate the anonymity social sites provide. It makes cowards become bullies.” Sagaser said the basketball team was on their way home from a game when she first saw a post about why two peoples relationship ended. Both people involved were her friends and that is why she chose to retaliate and post “Before you tweet or talk about someone check your sources. I don’t need any BS my Senior year” in response to the tweet about her friends. When asked about it later Maja Sagaser replied “It’s not the truth, it’s not what happened. I got really willed up about it because you can’t just assume things about people if you don’t know the whole story behind it.

“It’s just something stupid people do in high school to get attention,” said Vaughn Brasseaux a senior who was targeted by the page. “I think it’s a poor choice of a twitter page and is going to lead to anything from harassment to downright bullying,” said CHS resource officer Wilson. So far the page has not undergone a criminal investigation and that is likely not to happen, considering the page was already shut down. Twitter will not release the information about the page or who is behind it unless a criminal investigation is filed. “I haven’t seen anything on the twitter page that I would deem criminal,” said Officer Wilson. He shared that there were a few female students who came to him and shared their concern. His advice to students who disliked the page is to file “abuse” reports through the twitter company.

by: Ashley Hopko

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“Stay classy Conifer” has been a saying around the halls of Conifer for a long time. It’s even written in the 3rd floor girls bathroom. Recently, though, something came up with Conifer’s name on it that is the opposite of classy.

CHSWhispers came and went quickly but was definitely noticed. The Twitter page publicly shamed students at Conifer.The bio for the page read “no targeting individuals” but specifically called out people by name. People were infuriated by the account but some found it to be a humorous joke. It was quite the opposite of a joke and it is entirely unacceptable. The account exposed private information about certain individuals and their private lives, mostly concerning relationships. The problem with that isn’t that posting that information is essentially cyber-bullying, which it is, but that it’s nobody’s else’s business what is and isn’t “mattress official.” Feeding into that kind of immature mentality exemplifies why high schoolers still have to ask to go to the restroom. Classy is something that Conifer used to be. Now not so much. Spreading ignorant,gossip about the student body is the least classy thing imaginable. Conifer High School is not a reality TV show and most people don’t

want to see immature gossip floating around polluting the school’s reputation. Lessons can be learned here. High school is filled with meaningless gossip and rumors but that’s no reason to subscribe to the idea that it’s okay for that to happen. Nobody should ever have to be afraid that their own personal life will be spread into the world wide web where it can never be totally erased. The power to actually ruin someone’s life doesn’t belong to any one person and when someone finds it ok to take that power into their hands they are in the wrong on so many different levels. The number that was listed was used as a way for the poster to get more “juicy gossip” about the members of our school. Anyone who sent in texts to that number should be ashamed of themselves. In 2012, a girl named Amanda Todd committed suicide over the cyberbullying that she endured. People were in an uproar over how her fellow classmates could be so cruel to someone over menial things like her sex life. Yet, this Twitter page exists and it’s the exact same thing. Students who wrote those anonymous hate tweets needs to apologize to each person that was publicly called out over the site. Do it anonymously if that’s a must, but do it. For whatever reason, the Twitter page was taken down and good riddance. Something of that nature has no place within the halls of our school.

CHSWhispers Silenced:An Opinion by: Emily Jones

Keep Conifer Classy

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Of Mice and Men, the fall play, was sold out two of the three performances. It was a success in the eyes of the director and producer, Becky and Doug Sandusky, and the talented cast. The audience was wowed by the surprise ending and many were moved to tears. George and Lennie, played by Landon Wildes and Zack Hawkins, gave a moving performance reenacting John Steinbecks words well.

The program was presented for the purpose of helping students become aware of, understand, and appreciate human culture, history, and religious diversity.

Two best friends George and Lennie go to a new ranch to work. Lennie dreams of rabbits and George tries to keep him out of trouble. They meet many friendly farm hands there like Candy (Thomas Lapham), Slim (Mason Force), Whit (Bradley Kyle) and Crooks (Andrew Norman), who help Lennie and George survive the new ranch filled with ambition, jealousy, kindness and forgivingness.

However not all the ranches inhabitants are eager to help their new acquaintances. People like Curly (Thomas McCarthy), The Boss (Justin Rogers), Carlson (Kasey Conner) try to get Lienne in even more

trouble. While the one female character, Curley’s wife (Mariah Wildes), just tries to survive in the all male society. The makeshift black box theater set the stage for a dramatic, heart wrenching two hours. The setting of the show, a river bank and ranch, made set changes difficult. However the hard working cast and crew persevered to make a beautiful representation of the different atmospheres through out the story. The audience was engaged and enthralled until the curtain fell for the last time. By the time the show ended, several audience members were moved to tears. The director, producer, and all the cast and crew worked hard to put on a successful and entertaining performance.

Of Mice and Men Review

“It was phenomenal,” said Chase Barben, an at-

tendee of the opening night show

Into the Woods

From left, Landon Wildes, Zack Hawkins, Thomas Lapham, Mariah Wildes, Justin Rogers, Kasey Conner, Bradley Kyle, and Feliz Randol act out a scene from “Of Mice and Men”.

By: Vonie Grubb

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Stagedoor Theatre just ended their production of “Into the Woods”. The show ran for two weekends and attracted an audience from a large portion of the metropolitan area. The 1989 musical written by James Lapine and composed by Stephen Sondheim follows what happens before and after some fairytale character’s “happily ever after”. A baker (Sam Kassman) and his wife (McAlyn Forbes), Cinderella (Austin Johnson), the Witch (Christa Vrabel), Jack (Benjamin Powell), Little Red Riding Hood (Demitra Biddle), and various others are followed into the woods and the story unfolds, told by the nar-rator (Ben Yerks). by:SaskiaJorgensenandCamiDoty

Into the Woods

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Nobody knows who they really are. I know it takes a lot to come to such conclusions and that a statement of this sort is within the boundaries of a fallacy, a hasty generalization if you will, I have my reasons. Let me explain. We live in a world of standards. We are taught from a young age to label ourselves. I am kind. I am smart. I am accept-ing. But those titles don’t define who you are, only how you act. They are standards really, society’s requirements. You have to be kind, smart, and accepting to be considered an eminent part of society. And if you aren’t kind, smart, and accepting then you are bad and everyone hates you. That’s just how it is. No pressure really. I mean, if you think about it you were raised to fit those standards. You’ve learned how to be kind etc. from you parents, teachers, idols who, ironically, were forced to learn from their parents, teachers, and idols. We life in a circle of censorship. That’s not even the scariest part. The most frightening fact of it all is that you had no idea that was the case. Society has been suppressing your initial self and replacing you with the im-age that it wants you to have. So simple yet so devious. You see, we are all born ourselves. We are all born with our original instincts that make us who we really are. But over time those instincts are replaced with reason. You are required to have a reason behind your actions these days. Modern science is required to have a reason for why certain things do what they do. There is a reason why the sky is blue. There is a reason the earth rotates on its axis. And there is a reason why he or she said this or that. No longer is the sky blue just because it is and the does earth rotate on its axis just because it does. No longer did he or she say this or that because they did. Because their instincts did. Instincts have been reduced to the status of excuse. Peo-ple blame their instincts when they do something stupid. That’s not what instincts do. They are simply the pre programmed ac-tions that are engraved in our brain that act without the necessity

of thought. They are who we really are because they display what we really do without any outside interference. Yet, no one relies on their instincts anymore. Instincts have been replaced with reason. But there is a downfall to knowledge. With the revival of instincts come the knowledge of who we are and what we are capable of. Although it might seem like a remarkable concept at first glance, it has proved to be a somewhat nauseating reality. You’ve all heard the story of Adam and Eve and how when they ate the fruit of knowledge it got the big guy all mad. Basically the same concept. The knowledge of who you are is something society, or the big guy, doesn’t want you to see. Or, maybe something you don’t wanna see. Because half the time you aren’t who you want to be. More often than not you are not kind, smart, and accepting. More like bitter, foolish, and disagreeing. You might be wondering how a somebody of my type would know such things about the majority of people. Well, it’s because I know who I really am. I have been forced into the situations where my instincts finally took charge and showed me what I was capable of, who I really was meant to be. And I didn’t like what I saw. I was not who I wanted to be, yet I knew I couldn’t change the fact that I knew who I was. Who I was preprogrammed to be. Let me tell you a story. The story of how I came to be.

Chapter One When I was younger there was nothing I would rather know that who I was. I don’t know if it was just the desire to be someone different or the genuine curiosity that I had to find who I was, either way I was determined to find the essence of my exis-tence. But it was harder than I thought. You see, by the time I had turned 16, I was already

The Social Experimentby: Madeline Downieillustration: Skylar Matthews

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convinced that life sucked. I knew that the word ‘sucks’ was con-sidered a strong word, but nonetheless, I was certain that the ex-istence that I was involuntarily subjected to was just that. Suckish. Sucky. Full of suck. No, I wasn’t depressed. I tended to look at it as realistic. The way I saw it, the things that people found pleasure in those days didn’t deserve their sensuality. Take sunsets for example. I remember repeatedly hearing how sunsets are the definition of romance and beauty, but I begged to differ. Sure, the end of the day ends in a splash of colors, but that was nothing worth nothing in my eyes. To me, it would only come tomorrow and the day after that. It’s not something someone should consider one in a lifetime and it ends in darkness. It ends in an inevitable void of darkness. I certainly didn’t see any romance in nothingness. As far as I was concerned, life was a paradox. We are all born to die. People who deserve a better life don’t get one. As long as you go to church every Sunday and sing along to the repeti-tive “holy” songs played by the tone deaf man who was forced to the job by his probation officer, you can do anything you want otherwise. Do drugs, get pregnant and get an abortion, or if you’re brave, murder someone. And that’s exactly what I did. Well, not the get pregnant part, but I did do drugs. I’m still not sure to this day if it was my-self or one of my drug induced friends that first got it through my head that drugs would lead me to the true meaning of life, either way I was convinced that was the truth. If I couldn’t figure out who I was as my normal self, I had a better chance of finding that out in an out-of-body experience. I guess I can’t label what I did as drugs, really, if you wanna get technical. I never did any of the stuff that would be considered heavy drugs like cocaine and meth, just cigarettes and, on occasion, marijuana. And that’s not because I was too weak or anything, but because they were high end drugs, for the rich people, you know? Nothing I could ever dream of affording. I only knew one or two people who had even touched meth, and they didn't ever offer me any, and I didn’t ever ask. I did drink a lot though. Nothing I could name off the top of my head, mostly anything that I found find or smuggle that could get me wasted after a few bottles. My friends and I would rotate off who would get the drinks. However, I am reluctant to say friends. They were more like to school aquantaintances. Those who I hated a little less than the rest. And they were a tough bunch. Well, as tough as they could get in Wyoming. I lived in a little town called Mosey Oak, Wyoming, a little town that nobody had ever heard of, and for good reason too. I won’t even try to sugar coat the experience of living in Mosey Oak. I can’t sugar coat it because there was nothing to coat. Let me give it to you straight, the greatest piece of infrastructure we owned was a bridge about one mile away from what us natives considered downtown. It was there at that bridge that my school acquaintances and I did business. Although none of us really liked each other, we all hung out. We were all we had. And it is with them that my story begins. On one fall evening, after I had worked my shift late at the market in town, I made the trek to the bridge about a mile away. It was a cold night and the sun was just on the tops of the trees, threatening me with the light I had left. By that time I had stopped caring. If it was two years prior when I had only snuck

out to smoke one or two times, I would have turned around and apologized to the gang later, but not tonight. I was 17 at the time, almost 18 and I didn’t care if I had to walk back home in the pitch black, I wasn’t going to miss my round of cigarettes and heavy beverages. It being my night to bring a few drinks, I stole two bottle of whiskey from the market successfully. I was certain that modern technology had not yet reached Mosey Oak and I could walk out of the market doors without any sort of alarm sounding. We hardly kept stock either, and my manager would have never noticed. His philosophy was that if there was more than one of something in the store, he had no need to order more. I guess you could say I took advantage of his carelessness, but I wasn’t one to disappoint the only ones to voluntarily spoke to me at school. I held the two bottles carefully under my coat as I walked and wrapped one arm around my torso as I walked as to not let them drop. And, as a result of a childhood injury on my right ankle that never seemed to heal properly, I limped slightly. I must have looked like a stumbling hobo to any passers by, now that I look back on it. The weather wasn’t kind during the fall in Wyoming, and I can remember how much the cold stung my bare skin. Pathetic snowflakes also fell from the dark sky and stuck in my hair. None-theless, I continued my trek to the bridge. No less than twenty minutes later, I could hear a sharp wailing sound whistling through the air. I wasn’t surprised by it, I had heard it before and it only meant I was closer to the bridge. Little flickering lights shined in the enclosing darkness not too far away. They blinked on and off and moved around. I knew that is must be the lighters that everyone was passing around in order to light the cigarette that hung out of various mouths. “Aye! There she is!” a voice finally interrupted the mourn-ing that I had first heard. I could see a figure emerge from the darkness to greet me. It was Gus, a tall lanky kid who always wore the same red jacket everyday. And today was no different. As he approached me, he towered over my smaller stature and smiled a large cheshire cat smile with rows of crooked teeth. I always won-dered why his parents never took him to get braces, they could certainly afford it. He was one of the cocaine kids. Then I remem-bered that he was the type of person that would bite the dentist when they stuck their fingers in his mouth. “Do you have it?” his breath fogged the air as he spoke in a lower tone to me. I carefully undid my jacket to reveal the two bottles of whiskey I had stolen. With a chuckle that resembled that of a maniac’s, Gus pulled on of the bottles from my clutches and spun around to reveal it to the darkness. “She brought whiskey!” he yelped into the air and a series of cheers erupted from the unseen. I dove into the somber atmo-sphere of the bridge with Gus and let me eyes adjust to the dark. Pretty soon I could see the other kids that outlined the bridge. There were about ten of them and they either hung on the railing or sat in the middle of the bridge, cigarettes perched on their bot-tom lips, all staring at me with a dullness in their eyes. The drugs had long taken the light that used to be there. I quickly spotted who the crying belonged to and not to my surprise did I find that it was Claire who emitted such a noise. She hung limply on the railing and a boy had his arm wrapped around her. I rolled my eyes to myself as I approached her. “He...just...said...he...needed...space!” I heard her hiccup

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loudly. I took my place on the railing next to her and pulled open the bottle of whiskey I still held. When she noticed me I handed her the bottle. She took it from me with shaky hands. “What happened now?” I asked after she had taken a hefty swig of the stuff. She turned to look at me with a tear stained face, a look I was becoming rather accustomed to by that time. Her blonde hair stuck to her forehead and mouth and streaks of makeup lined her cheeks. She was a hot mess. “Jack... broke up with me!” she howled. “Jack did?” I asked and looked over her shoulder to see the named boy standing not to far away. I raised an eyebrow to him and he shrugged. “Bummer,” I said. She took another drink and handed the bottle to the boy who was next her her. I recognized him as Claire’s boyfriend that she had just last month. It seemed like not too long ago she was crying about him in the same spot with a different boy hanging on her. Claire was one of those girls who got around. She had dated every boy who was on the bridge with us, and then some others from school. Well, let me rephrase. She had dated ev-ery boy in Mosey Oak at least once before. I knew that she had hooked up with a boy named Jason Marks at least five times in the past two years. It was not uncommon to see her in the state she was in that night, more often than not she was. She had the right idea, she was looking for long lasting love, one she could have with a boy who was the one, but she looked in the wrong places. As far as I was concerned, no one in Mosey Oak was worth dat-ing. But what could I say? She was desperate, and desperateness gets people in trouble. Claire and I didn’t speak long, pretty soon she went back to her sobbing and I was pushed out of her bubble once again. I managed to wrestle two cigarettes from the boy who was with her, and a light from a guy nearby that I couldn’t see in the dark. I stuffed the other one in my pocket and then wandered around the bridge for a while, watching the people. Most of them were with someone else. Many of them were making out drunkenly and some of them simply talked amongst one another. As the temperature dropped, the more cigarettes people smoked and the closer they grew to one another. Me, being an introvert, strayed from the interpersonal interactions and risked the odds of being frozen rather than bunched up against people I didn’t really like. I found Gus standing on the rail alone not too far away. Since he was so tall he could stand with both feet on the ground and still hunch over the railing. He looked solemnly off into the distance as if he was waiting for something to happen, blowing puffs of smoke that traveled in the wind every few seconds. I strolled over to him and stepped onto the rail so I was at least close to his height. I noticed the bottle of whiskey he held in his hand, three quarters empty now and most likely contaminated with the various diseases that the kids around me harvested.If I like him better, maybe I would have spoken to him, but to me, Gus was just like the rest of ‘em. It’s a shallow thought, now that I look back on it. But one I didn’t blame myself for having. As I mentioned before, I was hell bent on the discovery of myself, and thus, which such determination, come selfishness. And that’s exactly what I was. Selfish. Everyone else was simply there to add to the scenery. Gus silently handed the bottle to me and I took it from him without even nodding a thank you. I took the first drink of that

night there on the rail, and I winced as it went down. Don’t get me wrong, I was no novice to the drinking game, but the first swallow always seemed to be the hardest no matter how experienced I grew. A fatal flaw in the preconceived ideas of being a profession-al. You really never are one.I learned that the best way to cope with the first drink was to keep drinking, so that’s what I did. Following the first sip came at least five more before I handed the bottle back over to my silent accom-plice. Each one went down a little easier than the last. The night was beginning to be swallowed up in the silence that ensued. It happened every night we met up. Once all of us had our fair share of drinks and cigarettes, we all fell into our own thoughts, leaving the night open to the sounds of a normal Mosey Oak, Wyoming night. Except this night wasn’t a normal Mosey Oak, Wyoming night.The lot of us hadn’t given the night a chance to settle in a fill our silence because before long, a commotion of sorts erupted among us that led to the series of events that made this night notewor-thy. Little did I know at the time, but it was this night that I got a glimpse of who I was. I promised you a story, and now I shall fulfill that obligation.I’m not positive how the whole thing really came to be, but before I knew it my thoughts were pulled from forcing drinks down my throat to a rather abrupt corruption behind where I was standing. I was unsteady, but not drunk, and I staggered to turn around to see what was going on. In the faint light from the moon I could see several people standing up and crowding around the bridge. Their breath filled the night with obscurity and agitation. Gus stalked over there before I could and I found myself right on his heels. We pushed through the small crowd of people effortlessly and made our way to the front. There we could finally see what was the cause of such an audience. I could just make out the faint image of Jack, the boy who Claire was just mourning over, and the boy who had been hanging on the same girl not too long ago standing awfully close to one another, hands clenched at their sides. The mumbled quiet insults at each other that were gradually growing louder and by the look over the blood trickling down Jack’s chin from the split in his lip, it seemed as if one punch had already been thrown. Not too far away stood Claire, her eyes no longer filled with tears and her arms wrapped around her torso. The only thought that ran through my mind was what she must have said to get these two so riled up.As their voices grew louder, their insults grew more audible. Jack shoved the other boy at one point, forcing him to step back a few inches and me to step forward one. I could feel Gus tensing up beside me, as if at any moment he would dive in and break up the two. I just wondered what was holding him back thus far.“Is that all you got, boy?” the other boy retaliated with a more heartfelt shove that Jack required to reposition his stance. I couldn’t help but imagine what would have happened if the pushing continued, each one more powerful than the last, that eventually send one of them over the side of the bridge and into whatever lay below. But it didn’t end up like that. Jack must have thought it necessary to return the shove with a little more horsepower. He punched the other boy so hard in the jaw that he stumbled back several feet compared to the first time he was attacked. He stood for several seconds with his hand clamped over his jaw and his face hidden behind his shoulder before standing back up and facing his oppo-

14

nent again. The then returned Jack with a strike to chest, which knocked the wind out of him. He then attempted to grab Jack by his shoulders to make his next shot easier, but Jack pushed him away with the strength he had left and kicked the other boy in the shin rather pathetically. What followed that was a series of flying limbs that hit random places of their opponents body. The people around either mumbled amongst themselves or cheered the two on.I looked up at Gus who was staring at the fight intently. I could see the gears in his head moving, trying to sort out the decision of breaking the two up or letting them battle it out. It was painful to watch because I knew what I would do. The frustration was begin-ning to build up inside of me, because I knew that it wasn’t Jack’s fault. What ever Claire had told the other guy must have been a lie. I could feel it in my gut. My instincts took over.Before I could stop myself I stepped forward and towards the battling boys. My hands were fists at my side and I frowned it determination.“Hadley no,” I heard Gus call over me and grab my arm, but I shook him off and continued forward.“Hey!” I yelled at the two, but they didn’t stop beating on each other to take notice of me, “hey!”As soon as I was close enough I latched onto the other boys arm, giving Jack a chance to pull away. I then positioned myself in front of Jack, which I will admit now, was a stupid move. Blinded by rage and blood that poured from a cut just below his hairline, the other boy kept lashing out. I dodged the first strike, and tried to grab his attention by shouting, but I was too late. The next punch hit me square in the mouth.My head snapped back in the process and my knees buckled. I had never felt a force so strong and it drug me down to the wood that lined the bridge. My hands broke my fall, stressing my wrists in the process, and I positioned myself to balance on one arm while the other hand shot instinctively to my face. Searing pain shot up from my mouth to my head and soon began to spread about my body. Not only did my mouth hurt, but my chest and my feet too. I could feel tears spring to my eyes but I held them back.“What they hell!?” the ringing in my ears finally died out and I could hear Gus’ voice commanding from above. Several feet moved around me, sounding hollow on the bridge. I stared down at the wood in the dark and slowly moved my hand from my face. I could faintly see drop of blood hit the surface below me. Before I could react, a pair of strong arms wrapped around my torso and pulled me up like a child. I stood shakily on my feet, not letting myself hold my face any longer. I didn’t want to look weak. The faces around me lit up in the moonlight. People all around stared at me with either one of two looks: horror or satisfaction. Let me remind you they were a tough group of kids. “Let’s go,” the same person who heaved me up, wrapped an arm around my shoulder a pulled me around. He led me straight through a pair dumbfounded boys who I had just tried so hard to separate and a Claire who stood with her own hands clinging to her mouth as if she has just been punched. Their awe struck eyes followed me as I was led away down the bridge.“You’re an idiot,” my escort finally spoke up. It was Gus, not to my surprise. I knew I was in for a butt-chewing.“Well, you weren’t gonna do anything,” I defended myself with a sore mouth and a hoarse voice. “Shut up,” he said. I realized that was his best attempt to tell me

not to stop talking so I don’t hurt myself while still maintaining his cold-hearted status. Gus was a believer that being tough and callous got you places in life. “Here,” he shrugged off his jacket and handed it to me. I frowned at his offer.“Get that away from me, I’m not cold,” I hissed.“It’s not for you to wear, dumb-ass,” he took it upon himself to push it onto my mouth, “keep it there to stop the bleeding and to catch any teeth you might loose on the way home.” I mumbled an inaudible thank you in his jacket.“I can’t believe you did that,” he shook his head. I rolled my eyes as an answer and focused on where I was stepping. I don’t know if it was from being tipsy or being injured, or a mixture of the two, but my feet were slacking and began to stumble over the smallest things like a slight incline or a pebble. And my usual limp wasn’t helping the matter any. I repeated commands in my head like bend knee and pick up foot then heal then toe to remind myself how to walk like a normal person.Although my house wasn’t more than a fifteen minute walk from the bridge, Gus didn’t falter to take all that time to castigate me for all the reasons I shouldn’t have tried to be the peace bringer and why I was undoubtedly nothing more than a moron. I didn’t defend myself or even attempt to because I knew I was just going to be shot down again. Instead, I let them hit me and then brush them off as they came. It was not a hard task for me to do. When we arrived at my several minutes later, I pulled the jacket from my face and shoved it back to him rather aggressively. I turned to walk up the stairs without giving him a thank you.“Hey wait,” he stopped me before I opened the door, “you’re cool for doing that.”“Thanks,” I put my efforts into smiling. He smiled back.“Although it was stupid,” he added. I cocked my head at him.“Whatever,” I brushed it off, “you just wish you did.”“I would have done it better,” he laughed.“Yea right,” I mumbled, “goodnight Gus.”“Good night, rebel,” he replied.

15

To the dismay of many, the Alco in Conifer is closing. On October 13th, Alco announced their bankruptcy to the Conifer area with a large sign with “Now Closing” written in big letters, and a liquidation sale.

“Alco filed for bankruptcy for reconstructing,” said Lara Smith, the Conifer Alco store manager. This news has upset many of Conifer’s inhabitants especially the high school students who rely on the store during their lunch periods. Most popular, is the $1 section where students are often seen buying everything from candy to ice teas for only a buck. “Alco is closing? What is this, Nazi Germany?” Said senior Cori Carter. Many students like Carter are distraught over the closing. Senior Natalie Armstrong said that if Alco

closes, she is out of a place to buy most of her goods. Others, like senior Kiran Muetz admit that that is where she buys everything.“I’m going to miss it dearly,” Muetz said. Junior Alyssa Knights explained that it is the closest store to small towns like Bailey that carries good that Walmart or Target would usually sell. The closing of the ever popular Alco store has surprised and agitated many. Only some, like junior Molly Monahan, have different

opinions on the matter. “I don’t care,” Monahan said. Some around the school may have never even been to Alco and could care less about the closing. Senior Andrew Norman described it as “just another thing closing in Conifer.” However, this “just another thing closing” might be larger than a single thing. Smith said that it’s not just her store that is facing closure, it’s the entire Alco company. “The entire company’s closing, 198 stores across the country,” said Smith. Although this has baffled many, as a closure seemed far to reach the seemingly busy doors of Alco, but Alco’s history illustrates a

Obituary: Alcoby: Maddie Downie, Karsten Rygh

“Alco is closing? What

is this, Nazi Germany?” Cori

Carter, senior

complicated turn of events that might have led to the complete closure of the company. “Alco Stores Incorporated filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, with plans to liquidate or sell,” explained wsj.com. This may not be the end of Alco forever, though. The 113 year old company experienced turbulent times in the 1980s. As stores closed left and right, corporate undertook a major reorganization. Corporate executives understood that there was no way they could compete with giants like Walmart and Target. The decision was made that only towns with less than 5,000 people serving a general area with no more than 16,000 people would be allowed to open. The idea worked, and Alco became a retail mini-giant so to speak during the early 1980s.

But by the late 1980s, Alco had fallen on hard times again and had to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. GE Capital lent Alco money and were therefore temporarily safe.

“The entire company’s

closing, 198 stores across the country.” Lara Smith

16

Two years later, Alco returned to profitability. The company began opening stores at a rapid rate. By the time Alco’s centennial year, 2001, rolled around, Alco appeared to be

unstoppable. The recession took a toll on

Alco, and unlike most other retailers, Alco’s sales did not rebound. In September, a new CEO, Stanley Latacha, was named. Latacha was declared CEO by the board after they agreed to immediately terminate former CEO Richard Wilson. “With the longstanding goodwill of ALCO in the communities it serves, along with the hard work and dedication of the Company’s staff and team members and

“I’m going to miss it dearly.”

Kiran Muetz

the active support of the Board, I am confident that together we can make impactful improvements to the business,” said Latacha, appearing optimistic to be part of the Alco team. It seems that there was simply not enough time for Alco to be turned around. No talk of bailouts has occurred. It seems Alco will go the way Dodo, and only the scars of an old neon sign will remain on buildings across rural America. Despite Latacha’s optimacy the company took a turn for the worst, and now it is no longer.Now the people of Conifer only wait to see what will take Alco’s place beside Staples. And some even hope that it will be as close to thier hearts as Alco was.

Senior Natalie Armstrong said

that if Alco closes, she is

out of a place to buy most of her

goods.photos by: Nicolas Faraco-Hadlock, Vonnie Grubb

17

Mountain Resource Center

Mountain Resource Center (MRC), an organization that carries the vision of “Neighbors helping neighbors”, is a local center for families in crisis or others in need. MRC’s services include a food bank, medical center, disaster relief programs, family education programs, workforce services, and insurance help. In order to execute their vision, Mountain Resource Center often holds events to improve the lives of those in need. One of these events is known as the MRC Holiday Party held on December 20th in the Conifer High School auditorium. This annual holiday occasion is invitation only for families that have received support for personal crisis from Mountain Resource Center in the past year and a half. These families are clearly struggling financially due to loss of a job, divorce, medical crisis, and “so many other unimaginable events that can cause life to just turn on a dime” says Director of Operations Mary Alice Cohen. Often times, these families are unable to have a holiday celebration without MRC’s support.

Donations

For this celebration to occur, the “people in our community bring in gifts, food, all kinds of things to help families celebrate the holidays”, says Cohen. Throughout the Conifer Community, wrapped empty boxes sit waiting to be filled with donations. These, boxes, however are immediately overflowing with

toys and gifts donated to MRC. “Our community is so amazingly generous and they take care of eachother. This holiday party is just one example of that.” All these donations are finally put to use on December 20th, along with other events constantly going on around the children including pony rides, a petting zoo, face painting, and of course, Mrs. and Mr. Clause and their elves.

The Clause Couple

At the beginning of the party, children watch the Clause couple arrive on a firetruck, with the help of their elves. This group of elves consist of the entire Tall Grass Spa staff. The “elves” spend weeks before the party creating 250 stockings to give to the children after speaking with Mr. and Mrs. Clause. While the children wait for the chance to sit with the Clause couple, the elves entertain the

children with crafts and music. Once it is their turn, “Mr. and Mrs. Clause take as much time as necessary to hear each child’s every wish” says Cohen.

Entertainment

Donated by the 4H club, ponies wander outside the Conifer High School auditorium, where the holiday party takes place. The children are offered pony rides and time with animals in the petting zoo also donated by the 4H club. If the children are not riding ponies, petting animals, or sitting on Santa’ s lap, then they are offered an “incredible amount of crafts” organized by the Early Childhood teachers of Mountain Resource Center. The children can make gifts for the special people in their life. The families that attend are unable to allow their children to buy gifts for others, so the children can make

The Giving Season

18

by: Annabelle Cohen

all sorts of art and picture frames for their loved ones.

Wait for the Shoppe

With the children enjoying the holiday cheer under the supervision of the elves, the parents head behind the party to the “toy shop”. While they wait to get backstage, the parents are given greeting stationery to write letters to the important people in their lives. The cards are later shipped through MRC for the families in crisis.

The Toy Shoppe

Throughout the last month, donated toys have been gathered and are now back in the toyshop for the children and families. With their children occupied and happy, the parents sneak backstage to pick out personalized gifts they know their family will love. Once the parents have chosen gifts for their children, the presents are placed into a dark bag and

“sneakily carried out to the parents car” says Cohen. Later on in the holiday season, the children will receive the gifts without the knowledge that it is from charity. “It’s all those factors of the holidays that a lot of us enjoy and so many of us just take for granted. When suddenly you’re unable to do those things, it can make the holidays really challenging” says Cohen.

After

Not only does the holiday party impact those in crisis during the day of the party, but also well after. “So many people that come to the party and are able to get back on their feet after, having everything in their life settled, then they give back to those in need” says Cohen.

To Help

Mountain Resource Center’s holiday party cannot be possible without the help of local members. With boxes set up in

“It’s all those factors of the

holidays that a lot of us enjoy and so many of us just take for granted. When suddenly you’re

unable to do those things, it can make the

holidays really challenging”--Mary Alice

Elves Jane, Gail, and Melissa at the 2013 Holiday Party

select places across Conifer, “donations are greatly appreciated and well needed. Extra hands on the set of the party are also always needed.” On December 19th and the evening of the 20th in the auditorium of Conifer High School, volunteers will be setting up and taking down the party and “welcome any new helpers.”

19

9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. A simple countdown be-gins the Denver Parade of Lights each and every year. With the end of the countdown, and a mass cheer of, “Light the lights!” the Denver City and County Build-ing flashes a brilliant display of colors and holiday decorations. Then the parade itself starts with bands, horse-drawn carriages, large balloons, floats, and, of course, Santa, just to name a few of the many displays you will see in the 2 mile, hour and a half, long parade. History Even though the 2014 parade was sup-posedly the 40th an-niversary, according to Adele Arakawa, 9 News anchor, it actually dates back 58 years. It origi-nally began in 1956 as the Santa Claus Parade, but was discontinued in 1966. It was brought back, however, as the Parade of Lights in 1975. It is funded by the Downtown Denver Partnership. The average yearly cost is “tens of

thousands of dollars,” says Adele. 9 News has hosted the parade for many years. “I’ve been hosting it for 20 years, but I know that we have been hosting it for longer than that, I’m just not sure how long,” Arakawa said. Even though the parade has been going on for 40 years “not much has changed about it. Obvi-ously some of the partic-ipants have changed, but believe it or not, many of the participants have been with us for decades. The biggest change that I have seen is actually the role that social media has played in it. The way that it is covered and the way that it is viewed has changed a lot. It started off as if you wanted to see it, you had to come down and watch it. Now we live-broadcast it on the news station, put it on youtube, and this year, I will be live Tweeting it as

well.” In the first decade of the parade, there were on average 18k spectators each year. Now, as of 2 years ago, there were over 40k. Of course, the turnout varies with the weather. The coldest Parade of Lights was in 1985. It was 3 degrees, but with the wind chill made it feel like -15. “The most memorable parades are certainly when the weather has been a huge aspect. One year, it was snowing sideways, and the crew had to put up a makeshift tent around us, and we were totally, completely miserable, but looking back, now it’s one of the moments that sends the whole news crew into a laugh-ing fit!”

The Parade Now The parade follows a 2 mile route, starting

“In the first decade of the parade, there were on average 18k spectators each year. Now, as of two years ago, there were over 40k.”

Lighting Up the Season by: Hope Tomasi

20

in front of the Den-ver City and Council Building and ending at the intersection of 14th street and Glenarm. The staging is organized, and well put-together at a 4-way intersection. When standing in the route looking at the staging area, the bal-loons are staged to the right, the equestrians, such as the Westerai-res and the mounted police are staged to the left. Then the floats and bands are staged in the road stretching in front of you. There are volunteers that help act as traffic patrol, direct-ing the entries into their correct position. Of course, everyone has a favorite aspect of a parade, maybe its the police, and the sirens and lights are exciting. Maybe it is the mu-sic, and the bands are the fan favorite. “My favorite is either the Denver Lowriders or Santa. The lowriders are always fun, because what’s not to love about cars that bounce and drop? Santa is also my favorite, because the kids get so excited, and I love watching their faces light up when they see him. It really brings out the Christmas Spirit in everyone” says Arakawa.

ADELE ARAKAWA

MARK KOEBRICH

“The kids get so excited and I love watching their faces light up when they see him. It really brings out the Christmas Spirit in everyone.”

21

Conifer High School’s varsity journalists recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to attend the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Conference. Of 6,000 attendees at the conference, six of the students were from CHS. This convention is a twice yearly event that is intended to inspire upcoming reporters and editors to change the world with their words and photographs. In D.C., the journalism students interacted with some of the most influential people in the business and learned skills that will prepare them for a bright future in media. They heard from major figures like Bob Woodward, Jay Harris, and Ed Donahue. Keynote speakers Bob Woodward and Jay Harris shared their past experiences while Ed Donahue gave the students an opportunity to see a live AP Radio newscast from inside the booth. “Deal with people as seriously as they take themselves,” said keynote speaker Bob Woodward at the conference, in response to questions about interviewing techniques. Woodward took a serious tone to describe his struggles and triumphs getting into journalism. If one point he made stood out above the rest, it was to fact check everything you publish and take nothing for granted. He told a story about his early journalism days as a reporter when he was assigned a small story about health code violations in a popular coffee shop. His editor asked him to fact

check his story by actually visiting the cafe. It turned out that the cafe about which he had written did not match up with the actual location. If he had not caught this mistake, not only would he have incorrectly ruined the reputation of the coffee shop, he would have been kicked out of the journalism industry altogether, meaning he would have never been able to discover the Watergate scandal. In contrast, Jay Harris, a popular sports broadcaster with ESPN, took a lighter tone while speaking. He shared his enthusiasm for the field of journalism and inspired journalism students in the audience to stay determined, no matter how discouraged they might get. At the conference, the students interacted with peers from across the entire United States. Because

of the diversity in school size, publication type, and staff organization, the conference was similar to a giant think-tank for the students and advisers. Conifer students discovered other types of publications ideas and found some possible pacemakers for future editions of the Lobo Legend. Most of these sessions take a light tone and a new perspective to help the students focus on the opportunity of journalism rather than the frustrations of it. With session titles like “Design so cool it will make your eyes bleed,” journalism students know they are in for an interesting discussion rather than a boring lecture. Editor In Chief of the Lobo Legend, Ashley Hopko, was able to learn about leadership techniques that will help her organize the staff and keep the newsroom a stress free environment. Skylar Matthews coordinated with several professional editorial cartoonists. Bryce Patton was able to attend seminars that help him with vital design skills. Nicholas Faraco-Hadlock had a chance to get some introductory camera lessons that gave him a leg up in the world of DSLR photography. In addition Faraco-Hadlock learned about the benefits of adding a drone to the Lobo Legend publication program. Forrest Czarnecki sat in on seminars about photography and attended a presentation about covering tragic news events. Lastly, Emily Jones learned about writing opinions, satire, and covering tragedy. Part of the excitement for the students from a small town was learning to ride the Metro. It only took a few train transfers for them to get the hang of it and understand how

From Tall Mountains to Tall Monuments

22

check his story by actually visiting the cafe. It turned out that the cafe about which he had written did not match up with the actual location. If he had not caught this mistake, not only would he have incorrectly ruined the reputation of the coffee shop, he would have been kicked out of the journalism industry altogether, meaning he would have never been able to discover the Watergate scandal. In contrast, Jay Harris, a popular sports broadcaster with ESPN, took a lighter tone while speaking. He shared his enthusiasm for the field of journalism and inspired journalism students in the audience to stay determined, no matter how discouraged they might get. At the conference, the students interacted with peers from across the entire United States. Because

of the diversity in school size, publication type, and staff organization, the conference was similar to a giant think-tank for the students and advisers. Conifer students discovered other types of publications ideas and found some possible pacemakers for future editions of the Lobo Legend. Most of these sessions take a light tone and a new perspective to help the students focus on the opportunity of journalism rather than the frustrations of it. With session titles like “Design so cool it will make your eyes bleed,” journalism students know they are in for an interesting discussion rather than a boring lecture. Editor In Chief of the Lobo Legend, Ashley Hopko, was able to learn about leadership techniques that will help her organize the staff and keep the newsroom a stress free environment. Skylar Matthews coordinated with several professional editorial cartoonists. Bryce Patton was able to attend seminars that help him with vital design skills. Nicholas Faraco-Hadlock had a chance to get some introductory camera lessons that gave him a leg up in the world of DSLR photography. In addition Faraco-Hadlock learned about the benefits of adding a drone to the Lobo Legend publication program. Forrest Czarnecki sat in on seminars about photography and attended a presentation about covering tragic news events. Lastly, Emily Jones learned about writing opinions, satire, and covering tragedy. Part of the excitement for the students from a small town was learning to ride the Metro. It only took a few train transfers for them to get the hang of it and understand how

to get from point A to B. Somehow, they managed to make a game out of it. There are large red dots that line the tracks, which blink when a train is about to arrive. Everytime the the students rode the Metro, they would make guesses on which dots the doors would open on. Thursday Morning the young journalists broke into two separate groups for the first time. While Forrest Czarnecki and Ashley Hopko jumped on the Metro and headed down to Dupont Circle to tour the Pulitzer Crisis Center. Emily Jones, Skylar Matthews, Bryce Patton, and Nicholas Faraco-Hadlock went with Mrs. Thompson, their adviser, to tour the U.S. Capitol building. Jones was vital in getting the special tour of the Capitol building by reaching out to Colorado Senator Michael Bennet’s office weeks before the trip. At the Pulitzer Crisis Center, Hopko and Czarnecki learned about current international issues and how the Pulitzer Crisis Center is a media hub for journalists wishing to investigate important stories abroad. At the Capitol, the other students participated in a tour of both the Senate and House of Representative chambers of the building. The students got a look

into the rotunda of the Capitol Building, as well as the old Senate chamber, the old House of Representatives chamber and the old Supreme Court Chamber, along with both of Colorado’s statues in the National Statuary Hall Collection, which includes a statue of John Sweigart, an astronaut on the Apollo 13 mission and Representative of Colorado in the House of Representatives, as well as a statue of Florence R. Sabin, who was a pioneer in science and Public Health, the first woman to graduate from John Hopkins University in 1902. While at the Capitol, the students rode the special underground metro that shuttles senators and house members between their office buildings and the Capitol.Another highlight for Thursday was when the students arrived at the Associated Press building, where they were surprised with what Jon Elswick, a photo editor at the AP, had in store for them. Elswick welcomed them into the floor where all the business happens at Associated Press. Before the students lay a room with hundreds of computers, dozens of TV monitors, and several miles of communication cables needed to deliver breaking news across the world to

From Tall Mountains to Tall Monuments

23by: Ashley Hopko, Emily Jones, Bryce Patton, Forrest Czarnecki

photos by: Forrest Czarnecki, Photo Editor

During the media room tour, the students were shown one of the many radio sound booths, where AP Radio broadcasts are made and sent out to radio networks across the world. While Elswick briefed the student journalists on the operations of the radio broadcasts, it was time for a live news clip, which go out on the air at the top and bottom of every hour. At this time, a man stepped into the booth and asked for all persons to remain quiet while he broadcast the news, but it wasn’t until after the broadcast that the man introduced himself as internationally recognized news correspondent Ed Donahue. This unique opportunity was presented to the CHS students because of Forrest Czarnecki’s student membership in the White House News Photographers Association, an organization devoted to both domestic and international photojournalism. Following the tour, Elswick talked photojournalism with Czarnecki, the staff photo editor at the Lobo Legend. During his portfolio review Czarnecki took full advantage of the meeting, writing down notes on what wisdom Elswick had to impart and even asking follow up questions with the Associated Press editor. Following the portfolio review, both Elswick and Czarnecki rendezvoused with the rest of the student group and Heidi Elswick, the Executive Director of the White House News Photographers Association. Wednesday, the first whole day in Washington, D.C. all six staff members of the Lobo Legend set off to view the majesty of the Washington Monument. Not only did they get the chance to see the monument, the students also were granted a tour to the very top of the monument. As the day carried on, the students, many of whom were visiting D.C. for the first time, were amazed by the rest of the monuments. They saw the Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam Memorial, the reflection pool, and the World War II Memorial. As the students were walking back to the Metro station, the Anonymous group held a protest march on Constitution Avenue. The event was themed after Guy Fawkes Day. The protest was not about the holiday at all, rather an excuse to organize an event to demonstrate political unrest. Protesters marched straight down Constitution Ave. which gave a clear view of the Washington,, Monument as a backdrop for the scene. One popular topic covered at the march was confusion and displeasure about the NSA supposedly censoring the internet, and therefore snatching away a chunk of the First Amendment. Although they all had different agendas, each protester was wearing

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an identical Guy Fawkes mask. What made them individuals were unique Anonymous logos on flags, sayings on homemade posters, and different uses of the American flag. One woman at the protest carried a sign that read “Respect Existence or expect Resistance.” Another man held a sign that read “Wake up and Rage!” Other concerns ranged from education reform to saving the environment to reform of privately owned banks and investment firms. Students Forrest Czarnecki and Ashley Hopko took this as an opportunity to apply their journalism education and practice their first amendment rights as journalists. Together, they managed to cover the event as professionals. As Czarnecki started snapping photos and covering the event with a camera, Hopko took notes and did interviews in order to gain a full perspective of the situation. Police in charge of making sure the protest remained peaceful refused to comment due to legal restrictions and instead gave the young reporters a number to the media and public affairs office of the D.C. area police department. Protester Caroline Scullen had other ideas . “This is democracy at work,” said Scullin. The protest in D.C. was one of hundreds internationally. According to protesters, Twitter was one of the most important sources of communication. That is one of the main ways they were able decide upon times and places for the protests. After Czarnecki and Hopko were able to gain all the information they could from the scene, they packed up their reporters notebooks and set off toward the White House in hopes of being face to face with the home of the President, being separated only by that infamous fence, now protected by another fence. Later that night the group took the Metro and met up in Old Town Alexandria, where they were able to enjoy the mellow night life of opera singers and candle lit brick buildings. For dinner they enjoyed the cozy atmosphere of Union Street Pub, a quaint little restaurant in Old Town Alexandria. Before catching the Metro back to the hotel, they stumbled upon an opera singer named Krista Monique Clouse, who was serenading any passerby on a street corner with songs from musicals and arrangements including Phantom of the Opera. On the nighttime tour of the monuments, Friday evening, the bus driver/ tour guide mentioned that the only da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere was in the Smithsonian National

Gallery of Art and gallery. Early in the morning before the plane ride back home, the kids lept at the chance to explore each of the Smithsonian museums but they particularly sought out a special da Vinci painting. Before their flight took off Saturday afternoon, the students had an opportunity to tour a few of the most famous Smithsonian Institution Museums. At the Air and Space Museum, the teens went on a search to find the famous Enola Gay, the plane which dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima during World War II. Contrary to popular belief the, Enola Gay is not in the actual Smithsonian Air and Space museum along the National Mall, so the search was fruitless. Still, they were able to see many historic planes and spaceships. At the art museum, they pushed on to the exhibit hall featuring the only Leonardo da Vinci painting in the Western Hemisphere. Walking into the room it was a bit of a surprise to see the little 2 foot by 2 foot painting on the wall. The piece is the Ginerva de’ Benci. In tune with pieces like the Mona Lisa, this painting was of a girl with a mostly expressionless face staring out past the viewers. Just as the students were about to leave a large guided tour came in to the room. The tour guide explained that this painting was of a girl right before her marriage and indeed it was odd that her face was so expressionless. On the back of this painting is another painting with three different types of plants and the words “Virtvtem for ma decorat” which means beauty adorns virtue. On the plane ride back was, the departure was bittersweet. Arriving at Reagan International Airport on Saturday evening, the students couldn’t believe the trip was already over. They had done so much in only three whole days. Although tired, the students were reluctant to leave. They all wished they could stay for a few more days.

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The RadishLike The Onion, but worse

Black Friday is the most dangerous holiday of the year. Since 2006, 7 people have died and 98 people have been injured in the lunacy. The most recent was a murder-suicide at the Chicago Nordstrom during the 2014 Black Friday rush. While that was the most gruesome headline, the best one came from USA today that read “Man stabs co-worker at Costco.” The bluntness of that headline is almost poetic. The deals are so low, you might as well be stealing those T.V.s. However there’s only one problem, the people killing and assaulting others on black friday are still being prosecuted even when we know at least 6 people will get hurt every year on black friday. My proposed solution is to legalize all crimes on black friday, kind of like a festive version of the purge. It’d be like the regular purge, but on black friday, and everyone would be wearing santa

hats and ugly sweaters while throwing molotov cocktails at cars and lighting dumpsters on fire and pushing them down hills. This would help keep the people that are killing and assaulting others on black friday from being jailed just because they want to get a slightly better deal on a television . If you are unacquainted with the purge, it was a 2013 movie about how there were no laws for 12 hours. There was another plot that ended up earning the movie 3 stars on IMDb, but the concept is what we’re really after here. It would be great, people like Hannibal Lecter from Silence of the Lambs could continue to kill and eat people and remain a free man. Ted Bundy could continue to kill women, if he was still alive. John Wayne Gacy or The Killer Clown, could keep killing teenage boys and young men. Gary Ridgway could continue on his over 90+ suspected murders of

prostitutes across America, and Charles Manson could continue leading his death cult and preparing for the “Helter Skelter” or the apocalyptic race war by killing more prolific actresses among other things. There is no way that releasing dangerous psychotic killers and cult leaders onto the people could go wrong. Overall this would be a great idea because deals are the most important things that we need to look for on black friday, and what’s a better deal than free? The best way to help people get fantastic deals without doing anything illegal, is to make all things legal. People can continue to trample, pepper-spray and stab others for new things at prices marginally less than they are normally. This proposition would give a whole new meaning to “Killing for those prices.”

Black Friday Anarchyby: Bryce Patton

comic: Skylar Matthewes26

by: Nicholas Faraco-Hadlock

After years of having lesser club opportunities than other larger schools two seniors decided to do something about it and create a debate club. With help from Philip Vagos and Leslie Thompson, the adviser, Alex Coté and Ian Heaney founded this institution to compete with larger schools.

Since the idea of a new debate club was sparked in the minds of these students, interest has exploded. “The offerings of clubs that Conifer has aren’t comparable with that of other schools around like Columbine and Chatfield” according to senior and co-founder Alexander Coté. As a population Conifer High is comparatively smaller than these schools. Our population only 863 in the 2012-2013 school year, while Columbine had 1,634 students and Chatfield at 1,805 in the same school year. But there is no reason that asmaller school deserves smaller offerings.

Coté said “Even though were smaller I believe we should still have the offerings that those schools do.” Neither the Columbine nor Chatfield has a

debate club, but according to Coté they have a forensics league which is a significant counterpart to this institution. Thompson and Vagos chip in when the time is right but mostly the students have taken control of the responsibility. “They’re in charge. The students are large and in charge.” Phil Vagos said. Heaney and Coté run every meeting. They chose class officers and choose new topics to debate every week. most weeks both Thompson and Vagos do not even have to attend. Debate teaches valuable life skills including speaking, listening, processing and at aa higher level than most see even achievable.

“Its important for people to learn these debate skills, to learn how to listen as well as speak, to learn how to think on their feet, to learn how to modify their argument on the spot. And to learn how to, as the saying goes, keep grace under pressure.” said Vagos.

In fact debate increases reading ability. Oprah Winfrey was a state champion of forensics for two years in high school. Colleges choose student who are consistently participate in debate over participants in newspaper, student council, band or athletics.

As Nelson Mandela once said “A good leader can engage in a debate frankly and thoroughly, knowing that at the end he and

the other side must be closer, and thus emerge stronger. You don’t have that idea when you are arrogant, superficial, and uninformed.”

It’s Not Debatable Anymore

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Recipes for the Festivities

PePPermint Bark

You will need: 12 oz. of white chocolate chips, 12 oz. of dark chocolate chips, 1/2 cup of lightly cruched candy canes

1. Line a 9”x12” pan with parchment paper2. Melt the dark chocolate in the microwave using 30 sec. increments, pour into pan, and spread evenly3. Melt the white chocolate, pour into pan, and spread4. Sprinkle crushed candy canes while white chocolate is still warm5. Let chocolate harden in the refrigerator for two hours6. Break into pieces and enjoy

Grinch Fruit kaBoB & cheese Platter

You will need: Slices of cheese, crackers, green grapes, strawberries, bananas, tiny marshmallows, & a star shaped cookie cutter

1. Place crackers on plate, and cut cheese into star shape2. Wash fruit3. Slice banana, and remove top of strawberry4. Put fruit on toothpicks in the order: grape, banana, strawberry, marshmallow5. Add Grinch fruit to platter6. Arrange in an aesthetically pleasing way and serve

Peanut Butter Blossom cookies

You will need: a large bag of Hershey’s kisses (48), 1 3/4cups flour, 1/2cup of sugar, 1/2cup brown sugar, 1tsp. baking soda, 1/2tsp. salt, 1/2cup shortening, 1/2cup peanut butter, 2tbsp. milk, 1tsp, vanilla, 1 egg

1. Heat oven to 375ºF2. Combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, salt, shortneing, peanut butter, milk, vanilla, and egg. Mix.3. Shape into 1” balls, roll in sugar, place 2” on ungreased cookie sheet4. Bake for 10-12 min. or until golden brown5. Immediately top with kiss and enjoy

holiday movie checklist

holiday Playlist

1- “White Winter Hymnal” by Pentatonix2 - “All I Want for Christmas is You” by Idina Menzel3 - “Silver Bells” by She & Him4 - “Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)” by Death Cab For Cutie5 - “Holly Jolly Christmas” by The Format6 - “Deck the Halls” by Julie Andrews7 - “Carol of the Bells” by Jingle Dogs 8 - “Underneath the Tree” by Kelly Clarkson9 - “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Eddy Arnold10 - “Last Christmas (Studio Version)” by Jimmy Eat World

uPcominG eventsA Christmas Carol Nov. 28 - Dec. 28

The Nutcracker Ballet Nov. 30 - Dec. 28

Zoo Lights Dec. 5 - Jan. 4

Blossoms of Light at the Bo-tanic Gardens Dec. 5- Jan. 1

Festival of Lights Dec. 6 - Dec. 25

How the Grinch Stole Christ-mas Live Dec 17 - 28

Olde Golden Christmas Pa-rade Dec. 20

Skate the Lake Dec. 31

Zoo Lights is the perfect date night, strolling down the walkways of the Zoo, gazing upon more than 38 acres of bright glittering lights. From 5:30- 9:00 p.m. people can look at Colorado Christmas lights in the forms of animals, plant life, and other habitat decor.

This annual event is sponsored by Toyota, Frontier, and ABC 7 News and in the year of 2014 Zoo Lights takes place from December 5, 2014 through January 4, 2015.

When the sponsors put together multiple events for Zoo Lights, they made sure to create a melting pot of events that range from African drummers and dancers to ice carvers. They even have carolers, adding a sweet melody to the radiant decor. All of the events can be found at www.denverzoo.org/events .

Throughout the zoo, there are different sections and groupings of how the animals are laid out. There is Predator Ridge, Birds, Primate Panorama, pachyderms, Tropical Discovery,Bear Mountain, Felines, Toyota Elephant Passage, and the Northern Shores during the normal zoo day. However, Zoo lights has been set up to imitate the zoo so the real animals match the lighted animals!

Denver Zoo lights has beverage stands to buy delicious hot chocolate.

This colorful escape from life can get quite chilly though, so many layers and warm clothing are advised.

Denver Zoo Lights

by: Skyar Matthews

Lobo LegendSenior Kirstin Hafeman (22) drives to the basket during the first quarter against Elizabeth High School on December 18th. The Lady Lobos won 65-49 over the Cardinals. (Forrest Czarnecki/The Lobo Legend)

December 2014