the courier volume 37 issue 5

march 24, 2010

news 2

radical rebel 11

culture 14

inside this issue

The Courier, Rebelations, and RNN have teamed up to help give the school’s website a fresh look for the spring. Look for photo, news, and video features on-line!

The Courier,

Rebelations, and RNN have teamed up to help give the

school’s website a fresh look for the spring. Look for photo,

news, and video features on-line!

A large number of students across the state are enrolled in classes and educational programs that allow them to obtain college credit while fulfi lling high school requirements. One such program offered at Columbine, the CU Succeed Program, run by the University of Colorado at Denver, has offered a variety of courses avail-able to high school juniors and seniors. Start-ing next school year, however, the CU Succeed program and credit options will no longer be of-fered at Columbine. According to CU Denver's website, the courses "have the same content as on-campus courses, require the same quantity and quality of work, and are evaluated by the same high standards. They are not high school courses for which students receive college credit." Because the classes are actual college courses taught by CU certifi ed high school instructors and require CU tuition, they are defi ned as "extended stud-ies programs." The Colorado Department of Education (CDE) has recently decided that programs defi ned as "extended study" does not count toward fulfi ll-ing high school requirements. For example, juniors and seniors who must be enrolled in a minimum of fi ve classes can-not count their CU Succeed class as their fi fth course because the student is paying CU to take the class. This means that he or she is con-sidered to be a four-fi fths high school student. According to Colorado legislative aid Linda Fedak, "Extended study programs must be es-tablished when a school or district enters into

a contract or agreement with an institution of higher learning." In order for the Columbine to continue to offer CU credit options, the school would have had to pay approximately $11,000 in order to renew a contract with CU outside of state edu-cation funding. Many students have already enrolled in CU courses for the next school year, but were not informed during registration that they may not receive college credit for them. Counselor Mr. Lentini said, "We [the counselors] had not yet heard how to address the issue. Students were told about CU Succeed course offerings be-cause no fi nal decision had been made at that point." Despite college credit no longer being an op-tion through the CU program at Columbine, the same class curriculum will still be offered. This means students who signed up for the classes will be able to take them for high school credit as long as the enrollment is signifi cant enough for the course to be offered. There is also still potential for students to re-ceive higher institution credit in their accelerat-ed courses through other means. "Most courses are also considered AP," said Lentini. "Students still have the opportunity to earn credit if they choose to take the exam that is offered in the subject area." All students who are currently enrolled in CU Succeed courses for the current year who have registered and paid their fees will still be able to receive college credit if they meet the academic requirements.

the buzzyour schoolcommunity

world

2 march 24, 2010

editors-in-chief:abbey borchers

lauren elder

staff writers:chufan (jerry) deng

justine renfro grace padillaemily partidaheidi roberts

adviser:mr. friesen

the courier staff

policy

The Courier is the offi cial student newspaper of Col-umbine High School.

Expression made by stu-dents in The Courier is not an expression of Jefferson County Public School’s Board policy, and the school district and its employees are immune from any civil or criminal action based on any expression made or published by students.

on the cover

Columbine moves into the 21st century with a revamp of the school website. Visit it at http://columbine-web.jeffco.k12.co.us.

. . . The average person spends two years of his or her life on the phone . . . A pregnant goldfi sh is called a twit . . . Pearls melt in vinegar . . .

CU Succeed credit crisisNew Colorado Department of Education decision eliminates college credit opportunities

lauren elder

Classes with Former CU Credit

Opportunities: Interactive Media Image Manipulation

(Adobe Photoshop)

Algebra III (College Algebra)

AP Calculus AB

AP Calculus BC

Inferential Probability and Statistics

AP Statistics

AP Chemistry

Honors Chemistry

AP Biology

AP Foreign Languages

March 24thRed Robin Fundraiser for class of 2012: 5:00-10:00 p.m.

Relay for Life fundraiser at Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill: 5:45-7:00 p.m.

Spring play rehearsal: 6:30-9:00 p.m.

March 25th Spring play rehearsal: 3:00-5:30 p.m.

March 26th Spring play rehearsal: 3:00-5:30 p.m.Cosmo volleyball tournament sponsored by senate: 5:00-10:30 p.m.

March 29thSpring break beginsSpring play rehearsal: 6:30-9:00 p.m.

April 14thGraduation Speaker Tryouts in LA-7: 2:00 p.m.

Need something posted?Drop us an e-mail at chs.courier@yahoo.com

March 29thSpring break beginsSpring play rehearsal: 6:30-9:00

bulletin board

Jefferson County Public Schools is facing large-scale budget cuts which could drastically impact the way schools within the district–including Columbine–are run. The district is required to formulate a new budget that will cut $18 to $20 mil-lion in spending each year for the next three years, totaling approximately $54 to $60 mil-lion. The two-year goal is a budget reduction of $36 million. Jefferson County is just one of many school districts throughout Colorado that must make drastic reductions in spending. This is due to the mill/bond levy that was not passed two years ago, which would have increased funding for schools, as well as the poor state of the economy. "Jeffco’s general fund will be reduced from approximately $647 million to approxi-mately $622 million," said Cindy Stevenson, Superintendent of Jefferson County Public Schools. Making the necessary cutbacks in order to meet the goals for spending reduction will impact everyone from fac-

ulty to students. Several ways to save money have been pro-posed and are currently being considered by the district. In high schools, proposals for cutting spending are to eliminate one secretary per school and one counselor for every two schools, which would save approximately $1,827,000.

Also, reducing the ratio of teach-ers to students to 41.5 teachers to 1,000 stu-dents could save an estimated $2,141,800. At the middle school level, re-ducing the num-

ber of staff districtwide is a proposition for saving mon-ey. Eliminating 37 teachers

would save $2,704,700, while reducing the number of counselors and librar-ians could potentially save $402,800. At the elementary school level, class sizes for the 2010-11 and 2011-12 school years could be increased by one student per class, creating an esti-

mating savings of $4,231,600. Reducing the hours worked by clinic aides would save about $288,500. Other elemen-tary school budget cuts could include the reduction of librar-ians and secretaries in schools that can function with fewer staff. These budget cuts could very likely have negative im-pacts on classes at Columbine. Spanish teacher Mrs. Domroese worries that the bud-get cuts could hurt students' learning. "I assume that my class sizes will go up making one-on-one with students even more diffi cult," Domroese said. "It is diffi cult as a teacher to think that budget will restrict what materials will be available to students and that furlough days might replace work days spent on trying to build programs and teaching strategies that benefi t students." Stevenson admits that there will likely be "larger class

sizes, fewer class choices for students, less money for text-books, and less money for technology" once the cutbacks take effect. S c h o o l - s p o n s o r e d clubs and activities could also take a hit. "More groups [will] perhaps have to do fundraising activities to support their activ-ity," Assistant Principal and ac-tivities coordinator Ms. Doolan said. The Frank DeAngelis Columbine High School Aca-demic Foundation will make

every effort to help offset costs and accommodate the small-er budget. "We will be working closely with Mr. DeAngelis and the teachers as to what the current needs are and will be using our funds to help offset those [costs]," said Mary Tedford, founding member of the foundation. The foundation is currently raising money to meet its goal of 25 thousand dollars by 2010. "The foundation will direct its funds to the classrooms to help offset some of the items that are being cut by the district," Tedford said. "Everything will look different next year," Stevenson said.

Working around the bottom line

march 24, 2010 3

the buzznews

Jeffco district eyes budget cuts which could negatively affect Columbine

abbey borchers

5 Reduce the school day by an hour or two. Or three.

4 End dependence on copy machines by eliminating the copying of worksheets or tests. This would save a bundle on copier fees.

3 Do not turn on lights during the day. As well as saving money on electricity, this measure would eliminate that lovely fluorescent light that makes us all look oh-so-attractive.

2 Sell all desks and replace them with pillows or bean bag chairs. This would be cheaper as well as more comfortable.

1 Eliminate CSAP testing. Those big, heavy test booklets must cost a fortune to reproduce and distribute.

Students work diligently in math teacher Mr. Tadlock's class. Many classes will undergo changes next year due to large budget cuts. photos by grace padilla

Top 5 Alternative Ways to Reduce Spending

4 march 24, 2010

the buzz news

Weighted Grades Starting next school year, grades for honors world language classes will be weighted. The weighting applies to freshman and sophomores.

Graduation PlansA new Jeffco policy requires students in 7th, 8th and 9th grade to

complete a graduation plan. The goals of the plan are to help students identify of a career goal, identify a post high school educational goal, and understand the Jeffco Schools graduation requirements and the Higher Educational Admissions Requirements (HEAR) for four-year in-stitutions of higher education in Colorado.

Website Revamp The Columbine High School website got a makeover! The new site now includes daily RNN broadcasts, letters from Mr. DeAngelis, photo galleries, and several other new features. Stories written by The Cou-rier staff will be updated weekly along with sports and activities sched-ules.

Meal Price Increase Starting 2010-2011 school year, food prices in Jeffco schools will increase. Students who eat in the cafeteria will have to pay slightly more for a meal. A regular priced breakfast will cost $1.50 and lunch will cost $2.50. Those who are on reduced priced meals will pay $0.30 for breakfast and $0.40 for lunch.

Coffee Jam On Wednesday March 24th, Unity in Action club will be hosting its annual Coffee Jam in the commons. There will be an open mic where students are allowed to read poetry and play music. Food and Coffee are provided. Entry fee is 5 dollars per person with all proceeds going to Children of Peace International, an organization dedicated to helping orphanag-es, hospitals, and clinics in Vietnam.

Spring Break Spring Break begins Monday, March 29. School resumes Tuesday, March 6.

compiled by lauren elder

News in BriefNews in Brief

PROM SPECIALFull Set of Acrylics

for $25.00. Regular price $37.00

Taking the stage last Tuesday in the auditorium, students involved in the Columbine Instrumental Music Program displayed their tal-ents playing the songs which they have been working on since nearly the beginning of the semester in one of the few concerts that takes place each year. On Tuesday, March 16, the Columbine Instrumental Music Program hit the stage for the Spring Concert, displaying a va-riety of pieces which exemplifi ed the hard work which each musical ensemble and individual musician. The concert featured the musical talents of both band and orchestra, and while the sounds of the differ-ent pieces of music varied, they were all united under the under-standing that each piece had been work on intensively. Kicking off the night of perfor-mances was the Jazz Band, with the pieces “Shoot the Sherbet to

me Herbert” by Les Taylor, “Chil-dren of Sanchez” by Chuck Man-gione, arranged by Victor Lopez, and “Shazam” by Larry Barton. Like all of their performances, the Jazz Band performed with contagious energy, and their upbeat tunes had nearly every person seated for the performance tapping their feet. Next up on the stage was the Symphonic Band, playing “Swords of Stavanger” by Robert Sheldon, “Portrait of Australia” arranged by Roy Phillippe, and “Shackelford Banks” by Jay Bocook. The Sym-phonic Band also performed with great energy, and each one of their pieces was exciting and held on to the audience’s attention. Then, the Concert Orchestra hit the stage, with “March (From Suite No.1) by Gustav Holst and ar-ranged by Deborah Baker Monday, “Themes from The Merry Widow” by Franz Lehar and arranged by Robert D. McCashin, and “Sym-phony No.3- ‘Eroica’” by Ludwig van Beethoven and arranged by

Andrew Dabczynski. The Concert Orchestra played all of their melod-ic pieces wonderfully and provided a harmony of light sound to delight the ears of the audience. The next performance on stage was by the Chamber Or-chestra, with the pieces “Variable Stars” by Almon C. Bock II, “’Sum-mer’ From the Four Seasons” by Antonio Vivaldi and arranged by Brendan McBrien (which featured soloists Casey Roark on violin and Elise Davis on cello), and “Lion City” by Soon Hee Newbold. The Chamber Orchestra performed all of their music with lovely melo-dies, producing a sound that was not only polished, but wonderful to listen to. Last to perform and wrap up the concert was the Symphonic Winds, playing “Marche Des Parachutistes Belges” by Pierre Leemans, “Alligator Alley” by Mi-chael Daugherty, and “Into the Joy of Spring” (which featured three parts: Winter’s Fury, Spring’s

Awakening, and A Celebration of Joy) by James Swearingen. The Symphonic Winds showed a great amount of energy in their pieces, and provided a sound that was en-gaging for all audience members. “The best part of our band concerts is being able to fi nally see what the other classes are performing and hopefully doing better!” Sophomore Trevor Ogborn said.

On the other hand, Sopho-more Kim Goddard said, “The best part of our band concerts is the dif-ferent kinds of music the different groups play.” The Instrumental Music Pro-gram has many exciting activities awaiting them in the future, such as a trip to New York City in the spring of 2011.

Symphonic sound of successColumbine Instrumental Program’s Spring Concert showcases orchestras, jazz band, and symphonic winds heidi roberts

Members of Jazz ensemble prepare to play at the music program’s Spring concert. The concert showcased Jazz and Symphonic Bands, Concert and Chamber Orchestras, and Symphonic Winds. photo by heidi roberts

What is happiness? On the surface, this question seems simple enough. Once posed, however, the answer can be quite elusive. The questions in life with the most complex and sometimes completely inexplicable answers are the ones which linger in the minds of most people. Trying to answer this ques-tion, one might set about classifying and analyz-

i n g d a y -to -day realities: relat ion-s h i p s , educational d e m a n d s , e c o n o m i c hardships, and m u c h more. It seems like the more one tries to understand something like happiness, the farther one gets from the core of the issue.

Yet even as indefi nable as such a question may seem, there are still those who wish to defi ne it. A prime example of working for such a defi nition is the ranking of the happiest states in the United States of America, a ranking on which the state of Colorado

scored num-ber four.

In November 2009, the Uni-versity of Cambridge in England conducted a study which deter-mined and ranked the happiest states in America. According to “The Huffi ngton Post,” the Cam-bridge researchers analyzed data

which was collected from over 350,000 people who were inter-viewed in 2008. They based the gathering of their data on things such as physical and emotional h e a l t h , overall evaluation

of their lives, job satisfaction, and healthy behav-iors. Later, it

was taken into account by the re-

searchers the rela-

tionship w h i c h e x -

isted b e -

t w e e n levels of happi-

ness and other factors in life, such as personality factors, educational levels, and economic indicators. According to “USA Today,” the city of Boulder, Colorado, was ranked as the happiest city in the United States, based off of a rank-ing system consisting of factors such as life evaluation, emotional health, work environment, physi-cal health, healthy behaviors, and basic access. “USA Today” also stated that large cities with populations of one million people or more seem to report more optimism about the future and higher states of well-being than small or average-sized cities. As stated by the website Live Science, the states which have the highest levels of well-being are lo-cated in mountain states and west coast states, then eastern seaboard states, then midwest and southern states. Such information could be an indication as to why Colorado scored so high in the ranking of happy states. Live Science also did an analy-sis of the study and provided rea-soning as to why certain states were happier than others, and what the happiness of the states is based on. The analysis stated that the two main factors which cre-ated happy states were wealth and

tolerance. Live Science elaborated on these factors, stating that wealth-ier states could provide more infra-structure which would allow more residents of the state to have their needs met, and that more tolerant states would allow residents more

freedom to express themselves. Yet just because Colorado was rated as having a high level of well-being, does not mean all of its residents are happy. "I can't breathe here. Is that happy?" said Sophomore Kim God-dard.

march 24, 2010 5

the buzznews

In a state of well-beingColorado rated 4th happiest state in United States

heidi roberts

1. Utah: 69.22. Hawaii: 68.23. Wyoming: 684. Colorado: 67.35. Minnesota: 67.36. Maryland: 67.17. Washington: 67.18. Massachusetts: 679. California: 6710. Arizona: 66.811. Idaho: 66.8

12. Montana: 66.713. New Hampshire:

66.7 14. Vermont: 66.6 15. Virginia: 66.5 16. Nebraska: 66.417. New Mexico: 66.318. Oregon: 66.319. Connecticut: 66.320. Alaska : 66.2

HPY 2 B NHPY 2 B NHPY 2 B N

TOP TWENTYHAPPIEST

STATES

The newly-instigated attendance policy in the math department has been the cause of much controversy

among students, parents, and teachers. The policy, committed to memory by most students at this point, states that stu-dents who ditch class, resulting in an unex-cused absence, must attend a mandatory one hour detention after school. Students who rack up three unexcused tardies, con-sidered the equivalent of one unexcused ab-sence, must also serve a one hour detention. Those who manage to avoid any unexcused absences or tardies are rewarded with an ex-tra three percent added to their final grade, but there is one stipulation–students must not have any excused absences or tardies either. Perfect attendance, in this case, truly means perfect attendance. The punishments instated by the atten-dance policy are meant to discourage stu-dents from ditching or coming to class late, and the rewards are meant to encourage consistent and punctual attendance. How-ever, the negative side effects of the policy

are not worth the marginally increased at-tendance. Many students who struggle in math have few reservations about what they will do to maintain their grade, myself included. Math is not my strongest subject–often my final grade is on the borderline of where I want it to be. This means that the extra three percent that has been dangled in front of me will not easily be let out of my reach. If that means I have to come to school for sixth period when I should be at home getting over a cold, that’s what I’ll do. If that means I have to delay my family in leaving on our annual trip to Arizona this Spring Break, that’s what I’ll do. It’s unfortunate, but I think a lot of students would do the same. The problem with this is that not only are students being encouraged to come to class, they are being encouraged to come to class

when they absolutely should not. When stu-dents should be at home recovering from an injury or illness, when students should be with their families in a time of tragedy or hardship, when students should be enjoy-ing their vacations, they will be in their math

classes, trying des-perately to hold on to that pretty little three percent that could mean the difference in their grade. In imple-menting this atten-dance policy, the math department has clearly defined

their priorities for students: math comes first, while family, health, and other impor-tant parts of life come second. I concede that good attendance is es-sential to the learning process, and it should absolutely be enforced. I understand that this is what the math department is trying to do, and so far, it appears to be working. Several times since the policy took effect I have heard students commenting on how

they have to get to class on time, or can’t afford another tardy, or have decided not to ditch anymore because they don’t want de-tention. It is an effective policy, but it is also one that needs a serious adjustment. I strongly encourage the math depart-ment to consider the removal of the stipu-lation that an excused absence or tardy counts against a student’s otherwise perfect attendance. It is unfair to everyone involved, from other students who do not want to get sick to teachers who do not want to deal with classrooms full of sick students, from parents who want to leave a little early to beat the traffic on their way out of town to students who are so preoccupied with other school activities that they barely have time to spend with their families anyway, from students who need to go to the doctor to parents who don’t have time to take their kids at more inconvenient hours of the day. I understand the math policy, and I can even see its positive effects. I would just like to ask that the math department cut us all a break and see that it is unreasonable to pun-ish us for excusable circumstances we can-not control.

rebel yellyour views

opinionvoice

. . . American car horns beep in the tone of F . . . Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes . . .

6 march 24, 2010

abbey borchers

I would just like to ask that the math department cut us all a break and see that it is unreasonable to punish us for

excusable circumstances.

Crime and punishmentNew math policy is unfair to all parties involved

“Don’t it always seem to go, that you don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” Joni Mitchell had the exactly right idea with that one. Day after day, the more we acquire, the more we take it for

granted. For a while, I had to live without technological entertain-ment. I had no phone, no TV privileges, and no computer except for homework. There were no late night textfests, no four hours of sitting mindlessly watching Cake Boss on TLC, and no Facebooking for what seemed like ten minutes, but was actually three hours. And, for the first week, I was miser-able. Regrettably, I became a champ at whining that week. But, with not being able to sit in front of the TV, I had more time to do other things. I read two books in one week-end, and I loved it. I developed a new love for tea. And I even started enjoying walking to school. I was so bored for a while, I had to think of ways to pass the hours without using technology. And as much as I hated it for a time, I came to really enjoy it. And biggest of all, I came to notice things so much clearer. I also learned how to appreciate things again. Taking things for granted is so typical in this day and age. New technology appears nearly from mid-air right in front of our faces daily, and it forces itself into our lives using

temptation and rationality. It has come to a point that the only way people can wish to be associated at all with soci-ety is to possess a certain amount of technology which has come to be relied upon for communication, and even further, our survival. With that being said, some technology is essential for survival, such as machines used in hospitals. But such tech-

nology is not what I am speaking of. It is the technology we use for our entertainment. The technology we seem to rely upon for our happiness in today’s society. In American History class, we are currently learning about the dawning of the society which revolves around mass advertising. It is a time of great change for America, seeing as it was the time that entertainment started shaping

up to what it is today. This time in history was regarded by many writers of the era to be shallow and selfish. And some-times I think that they had the exactly right idea. Yet, saying I resent technology would be an absolute lie and would make me an unfathomable hypocrite. But we are all hypocrites. As much as we talk about how horrid it is that technology controls our souls, we will still be texting or Facebooking later in the day. My purpose and my point to all my ranting is not that technology is disgraceful, or that it should be done away with. I just think that there are so many other things which can bring a person happiness, and a lot of those things don’t depend on the functionality of a technological device. Take a walk once in a while. Look at everything around you, and especially in a state as beautiful as Colorado, you may be surprised at how much there is to see and appreci-ate. Beauty surrounds us. Even on the cloudiest, dreariest day, there is some form of nature sprouting somewhere, spreading positivity and adding a splash of color into our world. In such a fast world, it is difficult to slow down and smell the flowers. But once you do, you will notice so many things which are so commonly ignored. And it is those things that make our world pretty.

heidi roberts

Take a break and take it all inFor all its triumphs of connectivity, technology severs people from their world

Even on the cloudiest, dreariest day, there is some form of nature sprouting somewhere, spreading positivity and

adding a splash of color into our world.

“Yeah, I think sports at Colum-bine are more important than academics at Columbine. If you are an important part of a team, a teacher might bump one of your grades up.”

- Adam Hokit, 9

“No, sports keep students involved ad more aware of their academics. I think sports and academics are equally shared and are well balanced throughout the school.”

- Allison Harcarik, 10

“No, because for you to be able to play any sports you have to have at least a ‘C’ in your classes, so they are more important but evened out.”

- Victoria Martinez, 12

?Do you think sports take

precedence over academics at Columbine?

SPEAK OUT

SPEAK OUT

“No, because sports are lame.”

- Chris Mills, 11

march 24, 2010 7

rebel yellopinion

Anyone who plays a sport knows that a sig-nifi cant level of commitment is required to participate on a team at Columbine. All ath-letes have missed a class period or two to go to a game, or blown off a homework as-signment to go to practice, or been late to school having overslept the morning after a late game. These are the sacrifi ces that regularly athletes make. And in our opinion, they are absolutely inappropriate. It’s a well-known fact that sports are heavily-emphasized at Columbine–so much that they seem to have become more impor-tant than academics. Considering that Col-umbine is a school, not an Olympic training facility, this is ridiculous. Examples of such reversals of priorities are not hard to come by. Coaches often miss multiple days of school to take their teams to tournaments or playoff games in other cities or even other states. Teachers have been known to disrupt their own or others’ classes to talk to an athlete. It is not unusual for students to be excused from their sev-enth hour class early to go to a game. Many

times, teachers cannot give help to their students after school because they have to get to practice on time. Athletes are harshly chastised when they miss practice to make up a test or get extra instruction in a class. All of these occurrences are so com-mon that most of us do not think twice about them. This, if nothing else, should be an indicator of how grave the problem is. Allowing athletics to take priority over academics is only hurting our student ath-letes. The reality is that most athletes who pass through Columbine will not become professional athletes, or even collegiate ath-letes. But all of them will need the knowl-edge a good education can provide, and as a school, this is something that should be a greater focus at Columbine. The term “student athlete” is worded as such for a reason. Those who participate in sports should always be considered students fi rst, then athletes. Their needs as students should always be placed before their needs as athletes. It is highly disappointing that this even needs to be pointed out–it should be a given. Columbine is a school, fi rst and foremost, and we believe that it should stay that way.

staff editorial

According to Stop the Traffi k, an orga-nization dedicated to stopping human traffi cking, there is one person sold into

human traffi cking every minute. One person every minute is the same as fi ve jumbo jets fi lled with people per day. This would be equivalent to 500,000 to 600,000 people a year. Also according to Stop the Traffi k, the business of selling people into human traf-fi cking makes twice as much income as the Coca Cola Company. Hearing that makes my heart fall to the ground. I sit here in freedom taking my life for granted while there are many peo-ple who are victims of human traffi cking. There are children and adults who would give anything to have just one day in any of our so-called “diffi cult lives.” With the af-termath of the re-cent earthquake in Haiti, human traffi cking is even more of a growing problem there. Human traf-fi cking results in slavery used in sweat shops, sexual exploitation, sacrifi cial worship, and many other travesties. It is a growing problem, especially right now in Haiti. The earthquake has left people homeless and/or lost from their families, causing them to be wider targets for human traffi cking. It is very upsetting to think about how this hap-pens. I do not understand how anyone in this world could be the cause of continu-ously selling people and children as young as age two into slavery. So many times as Americans we sit here and take our lives for granted. Having to do homework, having to go to a sports prac-tice, or even having to just wake up in the morning are some of the things we often complain about on a daily basis. We spend so much time complaining about the rela-tively minor things that we have to face. What we don’t tend to realize is that there are many people in the world who do not have the opportunities and freedoms that we have and often take for granted. People all around the world wish that they could complain about the things we com-plain about. Human traffi cking leads to abuse a lot of times. The thought of a two-year-old child being the victim of exploitation kills

my heart, and I would think that it would hurt everyone inside. What often happens in less fortunate countries such as Haiti is that families are either forced into selling or choose to sell their children into human traffi cking. The devastating state of Haiti, has made families unaware of the people around them and therefore more vulnera-ble to human traffi ckers. Often times, fami-lies all around the world are persuaded to sell their children to human traffi ckers who have said that they are only keeping their children temporarily. Sometimes families sell their children simply to have enough money for things such as food and things necessary for living. We keep sitting here not caring about the people across the world who need our help desperately. If we think about it, last year there were approximately 1,700 kids at Columbine. If each student gave just one dollar, then we would end up having

$1,700 which would, given that some victims of human traffi ck-ing are sold for as little as 20 dol-lars, save about 85 lives from slavery. That may not seem like a lot, but it would if

it was your life that was about to be taken by human traffi cking. The Haiti earthquake’s negative infl uence on many people may not be overcome within a single day. The whole idea of hu-man traffi cking and the stopping of sexual exploitation, sweat shops or the selling of two-year-old children can also not be done in a day. Yet, with the help of people who are more fortunate, lives can be changed and people can live another day without having to be abused because of human traffi cking. I encourage you to live like you know you are fortunate and know how you should spend your time and money. It may seem like you are just a small person in the world, but with even just twenty dol-lars you can change the world of someone. Instead of going out to buy a 20 dollar pair of shoes every time, you can make a differ-ence. I am not saying that I do not spend my money on myself sometimes, because I do, but once in a while it is good to give some to a good cause. Giving to someone in this way will not only make the person happy but it will make you happy as well.

justine renfro

Traffi ckingCrisis in Haiti highlights growing problem

There are children and adults who would give anything to have just one day in any of our so-called “diffi cult

lives.”

8 march 24, 2010

rebel yell opinion

We’ve all seen them–the couple in the hall attempting to suck out each other’s souls through the mouth and the cou-ple staring into the deep abyss of night within the other’s eyes. We’ve all heard the blaring profanities that burst our ear-

drums as we walk to class. All of this is absolutely disgusting and disgraceful to our school. Honestly, who wants to see a couple slobbering all over each other’s faces like a couple of animals? Personally, if I walk by a couple that’s all over each other on my way to class, it triggers my vomit gland. What a couple does on their own time is their own busi-ness–no one at school wants a preview of what happens later. Perhaps even more disturbing than the licking of each other’s faces is when I walk by a couple and they act as if they are seeing right into the other’s soul. While the public making-out is just nasty, the public staring is just plain embarrassing. I feel like I’m intruding on some sort of pri-vate moment; in reality, those couple are intruding on my comfort zone. How is this soul-staring really meaningful? I could understand if they did it once in a while if they were alone. But in the middle of a crowded hallway, staring every sin-gle day–there’s no meaning to that. At that point, they are just trying to keep up their image as a couple and put on a show for others. Another revolting trend with couples in the hall is walking together. I’m not talking about walking side-by-side or holding hands–I’m talking about when a guy is behind a girl and the girl is walking on his feet. This doesn’t even look slightly com-fortable. They can’t even walk normally; they have to waddle! Besides, there is absolutely no point to walking like that. It cre-ates a nuisance for the other hallway commuters, slows the couple down, and just looks gross. I’d bet that any couple who does that would be just as happy walking next to each other and holding hands. This sort of hallway behavior is simply an open invitation for judgment and ridicule. There is no reason for it except to embarrass yourself and the people around you. These couples need to start spending more time together outside of school so they can act like civilized human beings at Columbine High School.

While making-out and soul-staring in the halls is despi-cable, perhaps an even bigger problem in the halls is vulgar language. Every single time I walk through the halls, I hear at least two F-bombs, along with some other disgusting words. There are friends calling other friends terrible names, as well as kids who seem like they are just yelling things out at ran-dom. I realize that most kids use inappropriate language these days, myself being one of them. However, there is absolutely no need to scream these words in the halls. Though there are many problems within the halls, the number one problem is people blocking the hallways. I know I absolutely hate it when I’m walking to class in our already too-crowded halls, and I run into a wall of boys and girls that refuse to move. These sort of people just may be the biggest nuisance in our school, and it definitely makes my list of top five pet peeves. Come on, people, can’t you just move? If you really need to

talk to your friends that badly, move off to the side of the hall or text them, don’t stand in the middle of the hall in a huge group! If you attempt to push your way through these people, they either give you a dirty look or yell some-thing extremely sarcastic and rude at you. These groups of kids need to learn that the world does not revolve around them, which actually may sur-

prise them. There are other kids in the hall, in case they didn’t notice. Honestly, I’m surprised they even make it to school! Judging by their behavior in the halls, I would assume that they would either sit in the middle of an intersection or just stop in the middle of the street altogether. The animalistic making-out, the gruesome language, and the traffic-blockers will probably always be present within the halls of Columbine. The people that engage in this behavior obviously do not care about other people’s comfort or feelings, as they force their annoyances upon us, the people who are merely trying to get to class. So, unless these rude people ex-perience an epiphany and change their ways, we will always be stuck with their ignorance and foolishness. It is time to improve the behavior within our halls, so please, if you are one of the people who engages in these ac-tivities, stop acting as if you were raised by cavemen.

emily partida

Hallway troublesA look into hallway behaviorsTo Whom It May Concern:

The CHS Poms are writing this letter to put a stop to all of the negativity coming from the staff and students at Columbine High School. As a team, we have come together to let our thoughts be heard. A lot of controversy is occurring over our most recent assembly and the Poms team has become involved in the mix for no reason at all. Staff members and students have compared the Man Poms and their routine to be something like us, when really these two teams are not comparable. The Man Poms are a group of senior boys whose goal is to make us laugh, whether or not they did is beside the point. The goal of the Poms team is to encourage school spirit and provide entertainment at various games and assem-blies and also to compete. We put much of our time and effort into our routines to make them clean, to-gether, and entertaining to watch. Dance is not as easy as it may look and we are tired of our efforts to represent and support our fellow students being un-derestimated and looked down upon. We feel that our faults, which are very little, are recognized and discussed, rather than our successes. Our team is a group of twelve girls that are in-telligent, hard-working, respectable and driven. We would like everyone to know that in spite of how much time we spend doing various activities, none of us have been benched or gotten into any sort of trouble this year. We have done many community service events, including Emily’s Parade and the Breast Cancer walk, as well as volunteering at a charity golf tournament. Every team at our school, in one way or another, is supported by the Poms. We do this not only because that is our duty, but because we feel that it is necessary for the suc-cess of CHS sports. What we give, however, is not returned to us; we are constantly shoved aside by other teams and organizations when it comes to our practice space and our performance time. Contrary to popular rumor, we work long and hard all year round to give our school a good reputation. Yes, we do make mistakes occasionally, but the majority of what we do is careful and well-thought out. For be-ing under the microscope as much as we are, it is puzzling that only our mistakes, fair or unfair, are discussed. The Man Poms and real Poms have nothing to do with each other. The two are completely sepa-rate from one another, with the exception of the name. The fact that the Man Poms controversy has turned into what the Poms do wrong is absolutely absurd. Had someone written about any other team in our school in the manner that the Poms are writ-ten about, it would be unacceptable and would not be tolerated. This letter is not intended to attack anyone, we have just had enough. It is hurtful that we are treated unfairly and are disrespected after all the hard work and success we have had this year. Thank you for taking into consideration all that we have said. With Love, The CHS Poms Team

letter to the editor

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Send your opinion to The Courier.

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At that point, they are just trying to keep up their image as a couple and

put on a show for others.

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march 24, 2010 9

rebel yellopinion

Agreed upon1) Partial birth abortions should nev-

er be allowed2) Abortion should be allowed in the

case of incest/rape or if the life of mother or child is in danger.

3) Abortion is a decision that one should not take lightly

WHERE WE DISAGREE

1) Where life begins2) If abortion is solely the mother’s

decision 3) If abortion for reasons other than

rape, incest, or health complica-tions should be allowed

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tEssentially abortion is the killing of

an innocent child often times to en-sure the convenience of an irresponsible mother, so absolutely not. In the United States, rights and freedoms are granted to individuals, but only if someone else’s rights are not being infringed upon. In the case of abortion, you are granting the

freedom of choice to the mother, how-ever giving no voice to the person whose life is in the balance. Each year approximately 46 million babies worldwide are denied the right to live due to abortion . Of these, only two percent are due to rape/incest or fatal risk to the mother or child. Ninety-eight percent are simply because the birth of the child would pose some sort of in-convenience. Of course, a woman should be granted freedom with her body, but not if that means the ending of an innocent life. It is true that there are many situations where having a child would be extremely inconvenient and diffi cult, but it was the mother’s actions that brought on the preg-nancy and, therefore, she must take responsibility for her actions rather then take the easy way out. The woman should exercise her rights to her freedom of choice before she becomes pregnant. I am by no means suggesting that every pregnant woman is in a situation where she can properly raise a child. However, adoption is a great alternative that will allow the child to be given opportunities in life to thrive.

Abortion is a disgusting and morally repulsive practice, and the United States should be ashamed that it is so commonly practiced here. It is interesting to me how several liberal individuals seem very concerned with morals when it comes to torturing terrorists or holding them in

Guantanamo Bay, but when it comes to ending the life of an unborn child, morality does not seem to be such a big deal.

Yes, a woman has a right to choose. While abortion is not

something one should take lightly, considering it’s the termination of an existing pregnancy, legally a women has the constitutional right to privacy that includes making de-cisions about her reproductive health without government

interference. This legal standard was upheld after the 1973 case Row v Wade

which established that until an embryo could live outside its mother’s body, it was technically not yet a person. A whole variety of factors go in to making the decision to have an abortion. Oftentimes a woman is not equipped to raise a child she did not expect; she could be too young, emotionally distressed, or have fi -nancial problems. A woman could have been raped, or she could have pressure from others not to have the child. In certain cases the baby could pose a danger to the mother’s life, or the child could potentially have a genetic disease. Regardless of circumstances, abortion is a pro-cedure that is not done without consideration. Another issue to consider is that the law cannot prevent abortions from happening. The World Health Organization reports that 68,000 woman a year on average will die from unsafe abortions performed in unsanitary conditions by unqualifi ed people. These are mostly per-formed in countries who have outlawed abortion. Making the proce-dure illegal does not stop it from happening; it only makes it unsafe for those desperate to get out of the situation.

What one may personally feel about this issue is irrelevant in terms of policy. Abortion is a personal decision that every woman should be aloud to make should she fi nd herself in a situation involving an unplanned pregnancy. It is her choice alone because she is the only person who can understand her own situation. If a woman does not believe in abortion, then she should not have one; if a woman decides that it is the right choice for her, then she should legally be able to proceed.

ever giving no voice to the person whose

ssentially abortion is the killing of an innocent child often times to

sure the convenience of an irresponsible mother, so absolutely not. In the United States, rights and freedoms are granted to individuals, but only if someone else’s rights are not being infringed upon. In the case of abortion, you are granting the

freedom of choice to the mother, how-

ssentially abortion is the killing of an innocent child often times to en-

sure the convenience of an irresponsible mother, so absolutely not. In the United States, rights and freedoms are granted to individuals, but only if someone else’s rights are not being infringed upon. In the case of abortion, you are granting the

freedom of choice to the mother, how-

Ysomething one should take lightly, considering it’s the

termination of an existing pregnancy, legally a women has the constitutional right to privacy that includes making de-cisions about her reproductive health without government

interference. This legal standard was upheld after the 1973 case Row v Wade

which established that until an embryo could live outside its mother’s

Ysomething one should take lightly, considering it’s the

termination of an existing pregnancy, legally a women has the constitutional right to privacy that includes making de-cisions about her reproductive health without government

interference. This legal standard was

FACING OFFShould abortion be legal? ? TH

E

:

The child growing inside the mother has a heartbeat within the fi rst 18 days, so abortion is stopping a beating human heart. That is outright murder, no matter how you look at it. I fi nd the irony to be that liberals bash the death penalty, reserved for the most heinous criminals, and call it an infringement on

human rights; however, they are not as deeply concerned about the rights of unborn children. It seems to me that their priorities are out of line.

It also seems ironic to me that conservatives can so adamantly defend the death penalty, which can also be construed as a violation of the right to life, and yet call all women who choose to have an abortion irresponsible and immoral. Just like the death penalty, Abortion is not a black and white issue; there

are a number of factors that contribute to a women’s decision to have one.

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GracePadilla

LaurenElder

GracePadilla

LaurenElder

Yes, i strongly believe the government should stay out of health care issues. However, this is not a typical health care issue. It is an issue of life or death, of America being okay with the termination of a child’s life with the only excuse being a woman’s convenience.

The law does not recognize a fetus as a human being until it is able to survive outside its mother’s body. This means that the mother’s medical rights are the ones that matter. Abortion is a private issue that should be considered between a patient and their doctor. You wouldn’t want the government inter-

fering in your health care decisions in any other situation. This one should also follow that same expectation.

Lau

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10 march 24, 2010

rebel yell opinion

My home-town is Bei-jing, which is a big city as well as

the capital of China. In China, we cannot drive until 18. However, it is easy for us teenagers to go some-where by ourselves due to the fact that there are lots of transportation choices. Living in Colorado, I feel it is hard to go somewhere without being given a ride. The modern metropolis of Bei-jing has total area reaching 16,808 square kilometers, which includes 735 square kilometers of city area that has become a shinning star and attracts the eyes of the world. In Beijing, the system of the public bus is developed and ad-vanced. In order to decrease the pressure of traffic jams by millions of private cars, government de-creased the price of public buses 3 cents. As a result, a lot of people in Beijing take public buses even though some of them have cars at home. There are many buses with many stations, and we can see what each route and destination each bus takes based on the signs at each station. Each bus comes

frequently, so people do not have to check bus schedules online be-fore they go; they just go to the bus stop and wait for the bus. The subway is also popular in Beijing. The cost is only 50 cents, and you can go to any station by changing subway lines. Compared with the bus, the subway is much faster and it is easy to change a line. But in the subway, it is always crowded. Additionally, there are a lot of taxis in Beijing. The fare to take a taxi is about 2 dollars at the be-ginning, and the price goes up depending on the distance. Not many people take the taxis often, but they are good to have in case of an emergency or in order to get somewhere quickly. In Littleton and most of Colo-rado there are no taxis, no subway, and fewer public buses, so it is kind of hard to go somewhere for stu-dents who cannot drive like me. But there is a big traffic prob-lem in Beijing. That is TRAFFIC JAMS. With lots of people living in Beijing (about 20 million people), you can imagine how many cars are on the road, and there are also many buses and taxis. As a result, traffic jams cannot be avoided,

and they happen every day, espe-cially in the afternoon in the week days when people go home from school and work. I hate that. It al-ways takes a long time to get back home. It helps to have many dif-ferent options for transportation, however. In Colorado, if you have a car, it is much easier to go somewhere. Here, if you walk for 30 minutes to go somewhere, you just need 3 minutes to drive there. In Beijing, if you drive 30 minutes, you only need 3 minutes to walk there. Overall, public transportation and city layout in China is more ef-ficient than in Colorado.

chufan (jerry) deng

East meets West 东方 碰撞 西方Comparing life in the United States with life in China: Traffic

In my opinion, music is pos-sibly the most beautiful art to be created. Depending on the style of music, and a person’s musical preference, music can convey a wide range of emo-

tions. For me, music makes me happy or thoughtful, excited or happy, it makes me everything, and while I am not a fan of all types of music, I like a lot of it. But never before have I listened to a song and felt as full of rage as I did when I discovered the most disgraceful interpretations of music I have ever heard in my life: Beatles Kidz Bop. Kidz Bop in general is quite an interesting way of interpreting music. It takes children of young ages and thrusts them into the popular music created to-day by artists who are, for the most part, adults. Not only would it be difficult for young children to iden-tify with such artists, but even if they are talented, it would be difficult for someone who has not yet hit puberty to hit some of the notes sounded from the vocal chords of famous musicians. Needless to say, Kidz Bop is a joke. Yet as harmful to a person’s ears as it may be, no one can blame the actual young singers, for even while they are singing, they are not the one picking the songs, or deciding how to sing them. While I do not know this for a fact, I am pretty sure that the children’s direction for Kidz Bop comes from parents and producers and other adults who are telling them what to do. And to those adults, shame on you. So really, Beatles Kidz Bop is the result of, in my

opinion, mindless adults trying to recreate popular music. And I must admit, that never really bothered me, in fact as mean as this may be, I was actually quite amused at the attempts. But as soon as Kidz Bop decided it was upon them to recreate the clas-sics, that is absolutely where I draw the line. In fact, not even draw the line. CARVE it. Whether you like them or not, it cannot be ig-nored that the Beatles are a legendary band. Their music is known across the universe-- and they were one of the hugest groups to ever rock the Earth. The sounds of the Beatles are classic, and even now,

their albums continue to be remastered and restored, because even after more than 40 years, people are still listening to them. The originals, in my opinion, reflect musical genius, and it is the kind of music that, even when years pass, is still there.

Which leads me to ask, what in the world were the Kidz Bop people thinking? How on Earth did they hope to recreate songs which have been listened to for over 40 years when they can’t even effectively recreate music which has been around for a year? Honestly! I guess the invention of things such as Beatles Rock Band can have an impact on the urge which hits many people to recreate the music of the Beat-les. But to me, the difference between the two is completely immense. For one, Beatles Rock Band uses original songs, while Beatles Kidz Bop just butchers the songs. And I’m sorry, but if I wanted to hear butchered Beatles songs, I would just sing them myself.

heidi roberts

Please, help! Kidz Bop recreating Beatles music a complete disgrace

Advertise in The Courier

For information (dates, rates, sizes)

contact us at chs.courier

@yahoo.comBE SEEN

So really, Beatles Kidz Bop is the re-sult of, in my opinion, mindless adults

trying to recreate popular music.

march 24, 2010 11

top tenkizzle & tizzle

rebel yell

radicalebel

REBEL YELL: Spring Break is fi nally here!

REBEL HELL: Daylight savings time = even less sleep than usual.

Mysteries of the Universe: Why does CSAP take 6 days of testing when ACT takes only one?

Quote of the Month: Grace: “What just hap-pened?” Heidi: “There was a lot of fl ailing.”

Columbine Salutes: Rob Blagojevich for proving that one can in fact stoop lower than a political scandal by appearing on “Celebrity Apprentice.”

On this day: National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day

Who did you take to your high school prom?

K: I never went to prom. I know, right?

T: My smokin’ hot wife. Well, she wasn’t my smokin’ hot wife back then (that would be weird; she was just my smokin’ hot girlfriend.)

What is your favorite Shakespeare quote?

T: “Me thinks thou art a ratcatcher.” I use that one all the time with my mother-in-law.

Kizzle & Tizzle

How would you want to get asked to prom?

K: I have a theory. The guys here always have these elaborate plots for asking a girl to prom because they are afraid she’ll say, “NO!” if it isn’t a big plan. So, she gets a note that says go to the top of Rebel Hill, then arrives there to fi nd a shovel that says, “I dig you!” and a note that says DIG HERE. She digs there, and there is a map directing her to the “Vicki S.” store, She arrives and the salesgirl says, “Someone left this for you.” It’s a bath fi zzy ball with a note inside. So she goes home fi lls the bathtub, drops in the fi zzy ball, and waits for it to dis-solve. There is a note with a bunch of quarters that says, “You smell clean! Dirty Dance with me! Meet me at the car wash!” She drives to the car wash and a butcher paper banner is hanging there and it says, “Drive through.” She puts in quarters and drives in. As she pulls out, four out-of-shape jiggly boys in Speedos dry her car with towels. As they fi nish the windshield, she sees a hunk on a horse. He sits shirtless upon the horse with a sign that says, “Look at them, now look at me, look at them, now back at me.” And she does look back at the Speedo boys and she has mouth vomit, but when she looks back at him, he is now a Merman holding a ruby red trident, and he sings to her like a Siren, “I have two tickets to that thing you love! Come swim with me.!” And she cries tears of joy as she screams, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” And they spend fi ve hundred dollars each on a clothes, shoes, a limo with the perfect group, dinner, and breakfast at Waffl e King. And they lived happily never to-gether, but she said Yes.

What would be your dream spring break?

K: Sleep. Coffee. Beach. Read. Eat. Sleep.

T: Kizzle and I hangin’ out in Salina, Kansas, at a Jonas Brothers concert.

Stare deeply into your significant other’s eyes - “It’s like I can see into your soul!”

Air out your shoes - “What in the world smells like a dying animal?”

Block the hallway - “If I wanted to take ten minutes to get to class, I would crawl.”

Unnecessary touching/arm brushing - “Would you like an elbow to the face, sir?”

Have loud, strange conversations - “This one time . . .”

Smash into other people’s bags and backpacks - “It’s okay, I’ll just buy another pair of designer sunglasses.”

Push the people in front of you - “Mosh Pit!”

Make out - “I’ve been without you for a full 53 minutes!”

Reject your friends’ waves and greetings - “I wasn’t waving . . . I was just . . . uhhh . . . fixing my hair.”

Top Ten

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9

8

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Ways to make your classmates feel Top Ten Ways to make your classmates feel Top Tenuncomfortable in the hallways . . .

Awkward teacher moments - “ Must avoid eye contact! I was sup-posed to take a test last period!”

and the number one most uncomfortable Hallway moment is . . .

HOROSCOPE: ARIES MARCH 21TH - APRIL 19TH

CHARACTER PROFILE:ARIES ARE NOT KNOWN THEIR SUBTLETY OR THEIR ORIGINALITY, IF YOU KNOW AN ARIES, CHANCES ARE YOU KNOW MORE ABOUT THEM THEN YOU WISH YOU DID. IN FACT, 90% OF GUESTS ON THE “JERRY SPRINGER SHOW,” “REAL WORLD,” AND “THE HILLS” ARE ALL ARIES. COMMON TALENTS OF THIS PARTICULAR SIGN INCLUDE HOPSCOTCH, THE ABILITY TO PREDICT THE WEATHER AS IT IS HAPPENING, AND THE GIFT OF PREDICT-ING TWIST ENDINGS FROM REALLY BAD M. NIGHT SHYAMALAN MOVIES.

MONTHLY PREDICTION:ALL OF THOSE NEW YEARS RESOLUTIONS YOU MADE ABOUT BEING A BETTER PERSON AND STAYING OUT OF JAIL WILL INEVITABLY BE BROKEN SOMETIME THIS MONTH, WHICH WILL SURPRISE NO ONE. DON’T WORRY, YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY ARE USED TO BEING DISAPPOINTED BY YOU. THINGS WILL LOOK UP ON MARCH 32ND, HOWEVER, WHEN YOU WIN THE LOTTERY AND “AMERICAN IDOL” AT THE SAME TIME.

What do you think of Columbine’s new web-site?

T: It’s awesome and Friesen is a webmaster. Most people don’t know this, but he was once a hacker for the CIA and is also the guy who rescued Neo from the matrix. Don’t believe me . . . Call him Morpheus and watch him throw a roundhouse your way.

Grab your basketball, lace up your shoes, and be ready for a thrill of hope within just a single sport. The Unified Basketball program was started at Columbine in 2006, and the pro-gram continues to succeed. The program was started by a teacher at Chatfield. The teacher, Clark Stukey, brought it to different high schools through-out Colorado, including Columbine. It start-ed originally as a community service project but then increased to an outreach program throughout many high schools. It is a spon-sor-free program in which the parents pay for the funding. The idea of the outreach came from a young man who often played basketball with his neighbor who had special needs. Getting

out to play basketball, ended up helping his neighbor in many ways. The program, now active in 16 different high schools in Colorado, has affected the students involved in it immensely. "I think it [the Unified Basketball Pro-gram] has been great for them it's just an-other way they can be a part of the school," said head coach of the program, Mr. Ortiz. "Anytime they can be apart of the student body, it's an awesome thing," Ortiz said. Mr. Ortiz is dedicated to the Unified Bas-ketball Program as the head coach. When asked what his favorite part about coaching was, he said, “Watching the kids and see-ing how excited they are about getting the chance to play.” According to the website Kid's Exercise, sports help special needs kids because "movement offers numerous benefits, not

only physical but emotional, as well." "Most kids,” the site states, “even those with considerable re-strictions, can partici-pate in some type of physical activity." When asked how he thought the basket-ball program helped the kids involved, Se-nior partner Tyler Loen-dorf said, "It teaches them more discipline and responsibility, and they can run around and have fun with their friends." Senior partner Kev-in Richards said, "I think it's really cool for them to hang out together." "I think my favorite part [of being a partner] is watching the kids having a blast with ev-

erything they do," said Loendorf. "The kids actually teach us a lot,"

"My favorite part is definitely prob-ably just hanging out with them; they are fun to connect with," said Richards. The season for the Unified Basketball Program is now at an end. The last game was the weekend of March 5. This year's season is over, but next year it will continue and more partners are needed for the coming year. Any students who would be interest-ed in participating in the Unified Basketball Program as a partner

should contact Mr. Ortiz.

GIRLS lacrosseThe girls varsity lacrosse team will be playing at Ralston Valley on Thursday, March 25. They will play again versus Golden on Thursday, April 8 and at Dakota Ridge on Saturday, April 10.

GIRLS soccerThe girls varsity soccer team will play at Wheat Ridge on Thursday, March 25 against Green Mountain on Wednesday, April 7.

BaseballThe boys varsity baseball team will play in a Varsity Tournament on Wednesday, March 31 through Saturday, April 3. They will also be playing at Fort Collins on Thursday, April 8.

Track & FieldThe coed varsity track team will be participating in the Mullen Invite on Saturday, April 10. They will also be competing in the Littleton Championships on Friday, April 2.

BOYS swimmingThe boys varsity swim team will be competing against Arvada West on Friday, March 26. They will also be participation in the Jeffco League Relays on Tuesday, April 6, and then facing off against Englewood on Friday, April 9.

GIRLS TennisThe girls varsity tennis team will be facing off against Dakota Ridge on Thursday, March 25, then against Standley Lake on Tuesday, April 6, and against Chatfield on Thursday, April 8. The JV girls will also be participating in the Heritage Invitational on Saturday, April 10.

BOYS LACROSSEThe boys varsity lacrosse team will be playing at Douglas County on Friday, March 26. They will be playing again on Wednesday, April 7 against Evergreen.

girls golfThe girls varsity golf team wil play in a tournament on Wednesday, April 7.

12 march 24, 2010

in motionyour teams

healthenergy

. . . Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise . . . In an average lifetime, a person will walk an equivalent of five times around the equator . . .

compiled by heidi roberts

IN COLUMBINE SPORTS . . .

Sports unitySpecial-needs students get chance to compete

justine renfro

Senior Katherine Moore takes a shot in the Unified Basketball game against Arapahoe. photo courtesy of Patti Kurz

How long have you been swimming? How long have you been swimming for Columbine?

I’ve been swimming since I was eight. I’ve swam for Columbine every year that I have been in high school.

What is the best part of swimming? The hardest part?

The best part is how good you feel after practice or a meet. The hardest part is waking up every day at 4:30 a.m.

How do you balance swimming with school, friends, and other activities?

I try to get all my homework done as early as possible so I can have time to sleep and hang out after practice.

How do you prepare before a swim meet?

I usually eat a lot of carbs and drink as much water as possible.

Any plans for college yet?I am trying to go to college in Canada, but if that

doesn’t work, out I will go to CU.

What advice do you have for the freshmen swimmers?Go to practice and put the time in to get better. You

won’t get faster staying in bed.

Favorite motivational quote: “Asoy.”

Favorite pre-game meal: Power Bar and Gatorade.

Favorite pump-up song: Something fast with a good beat.

How long have you been playing golf? How long have you played for Columbine?

I began playing when I was nine years old at the Foothills junior camp. I played at CHS my freshman, junior, and now senior year.

What is the best part of playing golf? The hardest part?

Best part is being outside all the time and playing on beautiful courses. The hardest is the mental part of the game. One has to stay calm and move on after a bad shot.

How do you balance golf with school, friends, and other activities?

Having a schedule helps during golf season. I know my priorities, but there is always time to do things I want to do.

How do you prepare before a tournament?

The night before I look over my course notes and notes from lessons, then the morning of I listen to my country music and stay relaxed. Coach Capra always keeps me laughing.

Any plans for college yet?I am trying to get a spot on the Northern Arizona

University golf team. I got accepted to NAU and University of Arizona, so my decision is one of these.

What advice do you have for the freshmen players this year?To the freshmen: golf is a game for life. When you

are playing, have fun, make friends with other players, and enjoy the game.

Favorite motivational quote:“Stick to the fi ght when you are hardest hit, it’s when

things seem worst that you must not quit!”

Favorite pre-game meal:Night before: Mexican feast with an Arnold PalmerMorning of: Honey Nut Cheerios or a breakfast

burrito

Favorite pump-up song:“It Happens” by Sugarland

in motionsports

march 24, 2010 13

She said He saidathleteprofi le

bryan wilson

compiled by abbey borchers

alesha estrada

bryan wilson

alesha estrada

How’s your

bracketlooking?

culture shock. . . On average there are 178 sesame seeds on a Big Mac bun . . . The word “nerd” was fi rst coined by Dr. Seuss in “If I Ran the Zoo” . . .

14 march 24, 2010

your stylescene

idea of fun

APRIL 10–APRIL 17Dress CollectionsJoin us for a look at the hottest dresses and accessories of the season.

REGISTER TO WINOur exclusive prom-package giveaway will ensure you have one enchanted evening. And with the help of NM fashion experts, you’ll make an entrance that’s truly grand.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE 50 UNITED STATES (DC) 18 YEARS OR OLDER. Winners under 18 years must have parent or guardian accept prize package. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED. Sweepstakes Dates: _________. See store for offi cial rules, prize package descriptions and odds disclosure.

NMDenver

When I entered the movie theater to go and view the new movie “Remember Me,” I came expecting to see the recurring heartwarming aspects of a stereotypical romantic drama. The movie I saw was nothing like that. In fact, it was a clear opposite; it was a heart wrenching tale about love, loss and forgive-ness. While there were a few heartwarming parts here and there, most of the fi lm was based on bitter reality. Nevertheless, such a take on a romantic movie was incredibly re-freshing to me, and it made the entire story as a whole seem very real. It didn't sugarcoat things, and it didn't base the entire fi lm on a romance. To me, it seemed the balance was just right, and it made for a very impressive

movie. The fi lm had a unique way of intertwin-ing all of the characters together in subtle ways, and it was a very effective way of keeping the entire movie interesting. I was not bored for even a second, but at the same time, I did not fi nd it diffi cult to understand what was currently happening in the plot. There were many different twists in the direction of the plot, but none seemed un-realistic or overdramatic. There were also many shocking moments in the fi lm, and it was in those moments that emotions were pulled. While I am slightly ashamed to admit that I was getting just as emotional as every-one else in the theater, I will say it was hard not to. Although they are heart wrenching, I believe that such moments in the movie is

what really gave it meaning and reality. I must confess, when I entered the theater, my hopes were not exactly high in favor of Robert Pattinson's acting abilities, seeing as I was quite unimpressed with his portrayal of famous vampire Edward Cullen in the “Twilight” series. While I tried to stay objective, I couldn't help but think about the previously conceived notions about his act-ing derived from “Twilight.” As the movie began, however, I com-pletely forgot about his portrayal of Edward Cullen, and I was immediately pleasantly surprised at how convincing Pattinson was in the role of the troubled young writer, Ty-ler. The more I watched, the more I was con-vinced that Pattinson was Tyler, and that the rumors were not true–he can act. Overall, I was incredibly impressed with “Remember Me.” It was a movie that was very well made, and it carried a lot of mean-ing. The only thing I would change if I could would be the rating. Considering much of the content in the movie, I think PG-13 is a little too light. Other than that, I wouldn't change anything; I was very glad I went to

see it. While it may be regarded as incredibly sad, it truly is a movie with meaning. I give “Remember Me” an A.

New movie with Robert Pattinson proves a heart wrenching taleI’ll remember “Remember Me”heidi roberts

Prom 2010Classes of 2010 and 2011,

You are cordially invited to Columbine High School’s annual Prom

When: April 17th from 8:00 to 11:30 p.m.

Where: At Invesco Field at Mile High

Theme: Firefl ies (inspired by the Owl City song)

Colors: Black, dark purple, and ice blue

Attire: Formal, semi-formal

Tickets: Tickets will be sold at the fi nancial offi ce following Spring Break

Cost: 40 dollars for singles, and 75 dollars for couples

Ye olde spring play

In the past few years, designer la-bels have become extremely popu-lar among the general population of both men and women. Designers such as Coach, Louis Vuitton, Cartier, Marc Ja-cobs, Chanel, Dooney and Burke, Juicy Couture, Gucci, Cole Haan and Kate Spade have cashed in on a newfound desire to own design-er clothes and accessories. Reality television shows follow families around that have mansions, beau-tiful cars, and extremely nice and expensive things; in short, these people are living the life that the collective American population now strives for: the New American Dream. All around the world, there are people who live this sort of life-

style. Much of the time, the case is that these people are some sort of celebrity or somehow famous. Americans in particular idolize these people, and some even be-come obsessed with obtaining their goal of becoming rich and liv-ing a life of luxury. In order to do this, some peo-ple will go to extremes to buy de-signer purses, shoes, sunglasses, even keychains, sometimes spend-ing thousands of dollars. The cost of designer items can be exorbitant. A small keychain from Coach is, on average, about $38.00. A passport cover from Dooney and Bourke is $50.00. A bag from Juicy Couture runs from $98.00 to $500.00. When asked about paying so much for designer things, English teacher Mr. Pruett said, ”They’re really, really cool but really, really

expensive. The question is, how-ever, are they expensive because they’re cool or are they cool be-cause they’re expensive?” When someone buys a de-signer item, he or she often pays for the label, not the quality. “All those people who are determined to wear only designer clothing are just trying to impress other people with their fashion sense, rather than their personality. Why spend so much money impressing people who will turn on you the second you aren’t cool?” Freshman Rhian-nin Bunney said. “People use designer brands to try to fi t in and gain approval from peers. If someone admires only what is draping over the ex-terior of your body, you shouldn’t have to go through all that trouble just to impress them,” Freshman

Nicholas Kruse said. While many students within Columbine are opposed to buying designer things, many students do, in fact, own a few designer items. When asked why she would buy such expensive brands. Jenni Robinson, a sophomore, said, “They’re really cute and I usu-

ally get a lot of compliments when I wear them. They’re also expensive, which makes them sort of unique because not everyone has them.” “Everyone wants to have nice things,” Senior Nikki Bell said. “It just depends on if you fi nd nice things for $300 at Coach, or for $5 at Savers.”

march 24, 2010 15

culture shockentertainment

Designer cultureStudents weigh in on pros and cons of buying designer brands

emily partida

The bard is back. This year's spring play will be Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado About Nothing.” The 73 students who tried out went through a pretty vigorous audition. They were required to memorize a 14-20 line Shakespeare piece and, seeing as Shakespeare can be extremely diffi cult to under-stand in these modern times, the students also has to sub-mit a translation of what they were saying. Lauren Marsh, 10, com-mented on her audition: “It’s really nerve-wracking and its hard to get ready. You stress about it for quite a while but if you release your negative en-ergy it’s fun and easy.” Initial auditions were closed, with just the student, Ms. Schwartz, and the stu-dent director. However, call-backs were open, so each student could see what the others were doing. Forty-fi ve students made callbacks, and from those, 28 were selected to be in the actual play. At the callbacks, auditioners were required to read both a cold script and perform an improv skit. The play is set in Messina, Italy, a large city on the island

of Sicily. Leonato, the main character, is a respectable noble-man who lives with his niece, Beatrice, and his older brother, Antonio. At the beginning of the play, Leonato is preparing to welcome home a few friends from war: Don Pedro, Claudio, Benedick, and Don John. Arriving at Leonato's home, Clau-dio quickly falls in love with Hero, and Benedick and Beatrice

continue their war of witty in-sults at each other; they are in love, and everyone but them knows it. Hero and Claudio pledge their love and decide to be married. While anx-iously awaiting their wedding date, the lovers decide to play a game- to get Beatrice and Benedick to stop arguing and realize they are in love. They succeed, and Beatrice and Benedick come to terms with their love. However happy all four couples are, Don John decides to disrupt everyone's happiness. He plots and plans and frames a few people, and in the end, something amaz-ing happens. The production will be

performed on May 6, May 7, and May 8, all at 7:00 p.m. The 28 student-actors will, by that time, have been practicing re-lentlessly for weeks. Be sure to check out Columbine’s ren-dition of “Much Ado About Nothing” and support the hard-working students of the school.

Cute Clothes on the Cheap

sults at each other; they are in

Hero and Claudio

to be married. While anx-

date, the lovers decide to play a game- to get Beatrice and

succeed, and Beatrice and

their love. However happy all four couples are, Don John decides to disrupt everyone's

and frames a few people, and

CASTDON PEDRO Stephen Mirabito DON JOHN Stephen Kuhn CLAUDIO Henry Domonic Morton BENEDICK Will Jones LEONATO Ian Weber ANTONIO Travis Tucker BERNADETTE Lucy Harris CASSANDRA Jillian Sheehan BORACHIO Kurt Tocci FRIAR FRANCIS Kyle Mangels DOGBERRY Gina Holden VERGES Donald Ford COUNTY CLERK Julia Jenks HERO Darla Pruit BEATRICE Cristina Williams MARGARET Katie Anderson URSULA Janelle Urban DEPUTIES Cody Thomasson,

Patrick Tidwell, Lauren Marsh

SOLDIERS Ryan Potter, Zach Lubline,

Kyle Harris LADIES IN WAITING Alex Miller,

Molly Geoghegan, Christine Madsen,

Rachel Whaling

Shakespeare’s comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” hits Columbine stage

emily partida

16 march 24, 2010

culture shock entertainment

OUTTHISWEEK

NEW

RELEASES 3/23 - 3/27

IN THEATERS

Hot Tub Time Machine

How to Train Your Dragon

ON DVD

The Blind Side

The Men Who Stare at Goats

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Brothers

Mad Men: Season 3

ON CD

Black Rock - Joe Bonamassa

Sting the Tail - Scorpions

Volume Two - She & Him

Still Standing - Monica

My World 2.0 - Justin Bieber

Now 33: That’s What I Call Music

CLUB OF THE MONTH

WHO: NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY

WHAT: A NATIONAL COMMUNITY SERVICE BASED CLUB FOR STUDENTS WHO DEM-ONSTRATE SCHOLARSHIP, LEADERSHIP, SERVICE, AND CHARACTER

WHEN: MEETINGS EVERY MONTH AT 8:00 A.M. ON THURSDAYS AS POSTED

WHERE: MEETINGS TAKE PLACE IN THE AUDITORIUM; COMMUNITY SERVICE IS DONE THROUGHOUT THE SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY

WHO: JUNIORS AND SENIORS WHO HAVE BEEN INVITED TO JOIN FOR THEIR HIGH GRADE POINT AVERAGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW: CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS FOR STU-DENTS WHO WISH TO BECOME MEMBERS WHO HAVE RECEIVED AN INVITATION

MADPHOTOGRAPHY

SHOW THEM OFF AS A NEWSPAPER STAFF MEMBER

CONTACT MR. FRIESEN FOR MORE INFORMATION

SKILLS?

The Poms team hit the stage, rocked the auditorium, and pleased the crowd on Friday evening, showing Columbine the spirit of their dance. When asked how she would define the Poms Spring Rally performance, Sophomore Kinsey Gonza-les said, “[It] shows the school what we are here for, to show the school what Poms is about.” As Freshman Pom Emily Ryan said, “[We get to] showcase what we love to do.” During the hour-long performance, the Poms put on many dances to a variety of different songs. Some of their performances involved all of the Poms, while the others involved only some. The Poms also made a tribute to the Unified Basketball Program by including two additional girls to one of their dances. Offering a mix between calm and slow dance mu-sic to up-tempo beat music, the audience applauded the performances as a success. Coach of the Poms Alice Bowman was pleased at the effort. “It was a way to wrap up all that we have done throughout the year,” Bowman said. Coach Bowman also said that “watching the girls grow from when they first start on the team until it ends” is her favorite part about being the coach. When asked what her favorite part about dancing was, Senior Laura Bowman said, “It just comes natu-rally and it’s the perfect way to just express myself and be who I am.”

Sophomore Sophia Shetterly agreed. “I get to ex-press myself and have a lot of fun”, she said. The Poms demonstrated their burning passion for dance and showed the school a little bit of what they do. “[The performance] shows all the hard work we put into the year,” said Shetterly.

Poms performancejustine renfro

Poms squad rocks the auditorium during their spring rally

The Poms’ Spring Showcase featured a num-ber of solo and group performances, highlight-ing the talents and hard work of its members. photos by justine renfro