Eagleeye.2010-2011.no.4

Vista

Mountain Vista High School 10585 Mountain Vista Ridge

Highlands Ranch, Colo. | 80126 Issue 4 | Vol. 10 | March 18, 2011

www.vistanow.org

HONKHONK

Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Good Curlin’Curlin’Good

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2 eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org

table of c ntents

EditorialWelcoming our new principal: Mike Weaver

12

Living | withoutVista students who have lost parents share experiences and how life has changed

14-15

Locks | of | loveMountain Ridge teacher encourages hair donation

21

Peace | corpsLinda Hammerton-Morris shares her time in Ecuador

8

Energy | drinksThe dangers of the drinks you love

28-29

YoutubeInvestigating students’ channels

22

Unifi edWrapping up another successful season

31

FacebookSeparating your friends from the frauds

10

Swing | danceTaking a closer look at clubs you may not know

16-17CritiqueVista’s “Honk” produc-tion is given a grade

20

Ian Hohsfi eldThe crazy experiment of a sleep-deprived senior

23

BaseballVarsity team sets goal: state championship

27

Curling | clubSeniors try to make club offi cial

25

3

FormspringWhat do people want to know about you?

5“A” | obsessionStudents who just can’t deal with less than perfect

6-7

Downfall | of | MTVThe disappointing path the teen channel has traveled down the past decade

11

Photo by Sierra Thornley

| Senior Nicole Chan hits a serve during varsity practice for women’s tennis. “We are all really close and have a good time together,” Chan said. “We’re all there for each other.”


Tech TangoGerardo Lopez, sophomore, and Sonia Klamo, freshman, watch a video of Klamo’s new puppy and play a game of Angry Birds on the iPod. “(Technology) can be helpful in times because we can get information quickly,” Lopez said, “but it’s also a distraction because we were supposed to be in class at that time.”

Photo by Alex Hill

4

Jacob Large, junior

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

Photo by Amy Markowski

eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org

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think it is great for students to


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


??Formspring, the anonymous issue

“Formspring lets you share personal and interest-ing responses with people you know,” claims the homepage of one of the newest social networking sites.

Junior Ashley Sigler said

she signed up for Form-spring because “I saw a bunch of people posting questions from it on Face-book, and I wanted to see what it was.”

However, it has already become clear that some high school students are taking advantage of the

“Photo by Alex Hill

Maggie | Williams

It was like a

war.” ?Jacob Large, junior?Jacob Large, juniorsmiles?smiles at Brady O’Donnell ? at Brady O’Donnell during the Hero Week as-?during the Hero Week as-sembly Jan. 31. He gave a ?sembly Jan. 31. He gave a dollar to Roses of Charity ?dollar to Roses of Charity in order to support orphans ?in order to support orphans with AIDS in Zimbabwe. “I

?with AIDS in Zimbabwe. “I think it is great for students to

?think it is great for students to give back to people since we

?give back to people since we

site’s ability to post questions anonymously.

What makes Formspring different from other social networking sites? “People can write things either anonymously or with their name on your page,” said Sigler. “You are supposed to ask ques-tions, but people just say ‘I hate you, go die.’”

While not all people who use the site say hateful things, enough people do say mean comments to create some unnecessary drama. “My friends have been asked sexual things on Form-spring,” Sigler said.

In Sigler’s case, the mean comments were pretty con-sistent. “I’ve been cussed out so many times,” she said.

“People asked me personal questions, and they say they don’t like my friends or they miss my friendship. It makes me mad because I wonder why they don’t just say it to my face. It just kept coming,

and then my friends came on and

defended me. It was like a war.”

One solution to this online bullying

is to just avoid the site

altogether. “I don’t care anymore,”

Sigler said. “I don’t really check my account.”

While online interactions can affect life in school, most schools cannot take any disciplinary action against cyberbullying.

“As a counselor I can talk to somebody, but because it does not happen in

school, we cannot really do anything,” counselor Terry Gerba said.

However, if anyone needs help or advice on cyberbul-lying, Gerba said “there’s a bunch of stuff on Naviance about cyberbullying you can look at.”

Formspring may be a useful tool for connect-ing with others, but Sigler demonstrates that there are downsides to giving people an outlet to say things anonymously. “It makes you depressed and sad because people say things and you don’t know who it is,” Sigler said.

While Formspring is intended for fun online interaction, users should know what they are getting themselves into when open themselves up to anonymous comments. As Sigler said, “You don’t get to know people. It’s a gossip fest, that’s what it is.”?

enough people do say mean

?enough people do say mean comments to create some ?comments to create some unnecessary drama. “My ?unnecessary drama. “My friends have been asked ?friends have been asked sexual things on Form-?sexual things on Form-spring,” Sigler said.?spring,” Sigler said.

In Sigler’s case, the mean ?In Sigler’s case, the mean comments were pretty con-?comments were pretty con-sistent. “I’ve been cussed out ?sistent. “I’ve been cussed out so many times,” she said. ?so many times,” she said.

?don’t like my friends or they ?don’t like my friends or they miss my friendship. It makes ?miss my friendship. It makes me mad because I wonder ?me mad because I wonder why they don’t just say it to ?why they don’t just say it to my face. It just kept coming, ?my face. It just kept coming,

and then my friends ?and then my friends came on and ?came on and

defended me. ?defended me. It was like a ?

It was like a

However, if anyone needs ? However, if anyone needs help or advice on cyberbul-?help or advice on cyberbul-lying, Gerba said “there’s a ?lying, Gerba said “there’s a bunch of stuff on Naviance ?bunch of stuff on Naviance about cyberbullying you can ?about cyberbullying you can look at.”?look at.”

useful tool for connect-?

useful tool for connect-ing with others, but Sigler

?ing with others, but Sigler

?“?“site’s ability to post questions

?site’s ability to post questions anonymously.

?anonymously.

What makes Formspring ?What makes Formspring different from other social ?different from other social networking sites? “People ?networking sites? “People can write things either ?can write things either anonymously or with their ?anonymously or with their name on your page,” ?name on your page,”

“name on your page,”

“?“name on your page,”

“said Sigler. “You ?said Sigler. “You

“said Sigler. “You

“?“said Sigler. “You

“are supposed ?are supposed to ask ques-?

to ask ques-

???check my account.”

?check my account.”

While online interactions ?While online interactions can affect life in school, most ?can affect life in school, most schools cannot take any ?schools cannot take any disciplinary action against ?disciplinary action against cyberbullying.?cyberbullying.

“As a counselor I can talk ?“As a counselor I can talk to somebody, but because ?to somebody, but because it does not happen in ?it does not happen in

??spring because “I saw a ?spring because “I saw a bunch of people posting ?bunch of people posting questions from it on Face-?questions from it on Face-book, and I wanted to see ?book, and I wanted to see what it was.”?what it was.”

However, it has already ?However, it has already become clear that some ?become clear that some high school students are ?high school students are taking advantage of the

?taking advantage of the

“Ur a babe!”

“So, light sa-ber battle?”

“If you could teleport

to any place right now,

where would you go?”

“Pandora or iTunes?”

“Is a Snuggy a backwards

robe or a great evolution of

the blanket?”

“Do you fi nd any of your

teachers attractive?”

“Have you ever farted so super loud during a fi nal exam?”

“how many times have you

picked your dog’s nose then fed it to your cat and then ate ur

cat?”

What do people really want to know about you?

??“If you could teleport

to any place right now,

where would you go?”

“Is a Snuggy a backwards

robe or a great evolution of

the blanket?”

“Do you fi nd any of your

teachers attractive?”

“Have you ever farted so super loud during a fi nal exam?”

“T“Formspring lets you “T“Formspring lets you share personal and interest-“Tshare personal and interest-ing responses with people “Ting responses with people you know,” claims the “Tyou know,” claims the homepage of one of the “Thomepage of one of the

Photo Illustrationby Alex Hill and Riley McCloskey

Source: Questions taken from four Mountain Vista students’ Formspring accounts

What do people really want to know about you?F rmspringF rmspringF rmspring


AThePRESSUREof an

Throughout high school, many teens deal with social pressure, stress from school and grades. However, junior Samantha Lichtin, a prospect for valedictorian next year, is one student who said she does not let the pressure of grades get the better of her. Lichtin said she is taking four A.P. classes, but she balances them out with classes that are less stressful. “The nice thing is that I’m taking a lot of classes, but a lot of them aren’t as crazy,” she said. “I’m taking a choir class, an orchestra class and a theater class, so those are nice breakups in my day.’’ Lichtin said she is not as concerned with getting perfect grades and being the top of her class. “A lot of times your class rank changes, like if you’re taking the same amount of A.P. classes as someone, but you’re taking actual fun classes as well and someone else is doing the stressful A.P. classes, then their class rank is gong to be higher,” Lichtin said. “Class rank shouldn’t be as important as doing well in the classes you take.” Many students aspire to be valedictorian for their graduating class

Pamela | Shapiro

Students struggle with the stess of good grades and high expectations

and that is their goal in life, said Terry Gerba, school counselor. He said the thought of being valedictorian should not be a student’s long-term goal in life, because there are bigger goals to strive for. “(GPA) gets you on the playing fi eld (for highly selective colleges), but that’s not what gets you in the door,” Gerba said. “Impress them with your behaviors in high school. Show them what you have contributed to other people’s lives.”Lichtin said she does not obsess over being valedictorian, but simply tries her best. “As long as you put forth effort, your class rank is not important,” Lichtin said. “It’s an honor to be able to say ‘I was top of my class,’ but really I feel like your class rank doesn’t really matter as long as you’re doing the best that you feel you can.” Lichtin’s older sister, Rebecca, a graduate of the Class of 2010, is currently attending Brown University in Rhode Island. Lichtin said she does not feel an enormous amount of pressure to get straight A’s and attend an Ivy League school like Rebecca. Lichtin said she knows her family will support whatever decision she makes about her future.

“I’m sure my parents would be happy wherever I end up. I am looking at the same type of schools my sister did,” she said. While preparing for college can be exciting, it can also be stressful for students who feel pressure to get straight A’s. “There are some students who have never had anything but A’s and they get panicky if they get any other grade,” said Gerba. “My parents wouldn’t be extraordinarily disappointed (if I got a B),” Lichtin said, adding her parents are the kind of parents who expect her to do well and to do her best. Lichtin said she remains optimistic about her future, even though she may not be valedictorian when it comes down to the end of her senior year. “The goal in life shouldn’t be to be the top or to be the best because in life there will be someone better than you, or smarter than you, or faster than you, or more skilled than you at your sport,” Lichtin said. “There’s always going to be someone better, so what’s the point of trying to be the top? Just try to improve yourself more than beating other people.”

7

Word

MVHSEagleEye

1Allow yourself to have specifi c times to do things that are enjoyable.

2Try to plan ahead if you know things are coming up.

3Know how to use technology well and recognize when it is becoming a distraction.

4Do something to make you feel good about yourself.

5Try not to compare yourself to others.

ManagestheSTRESSHow Samantha The Race to Nowhere

their students on tests that may not follow the teacher’s curriculum. Teachers, as well as students, fi nd stress within the education system because of the emphasis on student test performance instead of teacher performance to determine pay. The fi lm portrays the competitive mentality of American nature as the downfall of today’s education system. As parents — and teachers — push their kids to perform better and know more, the system plunges into a downward spiral of repetition and memorization to get a good grade rather than much needed critical thinking for the real world issues. “Race To Nowhere” encourages educational reform to prevent the stresses placed on students within school. Although there are many viable options for reform, the movie challenges viewers to form their own solutions, offering a website to create a group within the community to advocate reform.

The American education system, as depicted in the documentary “Race to Nowhere,” encourages success without failure. Students

pressure themselves to maintain that 4.0 GPA, leadership position on the sports team and fi rst chair in their band. Yet constantly students encounter stress and make mistakes in their journey to perfection. “Race To Nowhere” faces the issues of stress and physical health in students’ academic lives. Challenged by the college application, students and their parents in the documentary prepare themselves to appeal to the college admissions offi ce, often fi nding little or no time for personal growth or development outside of academics and extracurricular activities. Vicki Abeles, the director of the movie, fi nds the stress and suicidal thoughts her children encounter to be a refl ection of their academic pressures to fi nish the massive piles of homework every night. Faced with preparing for college, students often crack under the stress of doing well on a test or getting the “A.” But how important should that “A” be? There was a showing of the movie at MVHS for an Eagle Eye news magazine fundraiser March 10. Many adults in attendance voiced concerns for the necessary improvement of the education system constantly pushing and pushing students to do their best, but to no avail. In a discussion after the showing, many different opinions arose in certain fl aws within today’s academic system. A math department chair here in Douglas County fi nds trouble teaching with passion, because of the necessity to make sure kids do well on tests instead of making sure they know the content thoroughly. In fact, the teacher pay increases are based on performance of

Trevor | Zalkind

Film documents pressure of school and potential damage it may induce

STRESS by the numbers

| Source: survey of 40 Vista students

38% 65%68%spend more than 10 hours a week on homework

stay up past midnight at least once a week

feel stressed more than three times a week

For more information about the movement and movie viewings around the nation, visit www.RaceToNowhere.com

Photo permission from Josh BaranGraphic by Trevor Zalkind

Commentary

IIIIIIIIIIII

Word


Hammerton-Morris was transported by a rickety old bus—a bus, she said, that people in America would condemn to the scrap heap. On that, Hammerton-Morris said, “Peace Corps policy is that you do not live better than the people you are serving.” Hence, Hammerton-Morris lived in conditions that were less than ideal for her two-year commitment to the Peace Corps, a governmental organization that offi cially started March 1, 1961 when President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10924. The Peace Corps would send trained Americans to foreign nations in order to assist in development efforts. Hammerton-Morris said that working for the Peace Corps taxes both one’s physical health and mental health. In a three-month-long pre-Peace Corps training requirement in the states, Hammerton-Morris started off with 45 fellow volunteers. However, at the end of two years living in a different country, only 33 remained. “One’s health is a great concern,” she said. “Several

people left because it’s hard. You are living in such poverty.” However, Hammerton-Morris did divulge that the food in Ecuador was great.“I ate a lot of rice and beans, and I loved the fresh fruits. It tastes like we (as Americans) cannot even imagine. “The fruit was allowed to ripen on the tree, the bananas tasted like candy,” she said. Even more, Hammerton-Morris enjoyed the people of Ecuador. “The people were so sweet, very grateful for any suggestions I gave them,” Hammerton-Morris said. “Meeting one of my hosts was my most memorable moment. Her name was Yolanda, and she is my lifelong friend. She was my sister away from home, and we still keep in touch today.” “(The Peace Corps) made me realize that not everybody grew up with the same advantages I had. But not having money does not make those people unhappy. These people live in some of the most impoverished conditions I’ve ever seen, and yet they are very happy.”

Jake | Smith

Photo by Kyle Waters

Ecuador| Literacy Rate: 91%| Population: 15,007,343| GDP perCapita: $8,000Source: CIA World Fact Book

| Established in 1961 | The three goals of the Peace Corps are: 1. Help the people of interested countries to meet their need for trained men and women. 2. Help promote a better understanding ofAmericans on the part of the peoples served. 3. Help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. | The Peace Corps had more than 200,000 volunteers that hadserved in 139 host countries since the organization started. | The majority of volunteers work ineducation and healthcare. | The Peace Corps provides volunteers withlanguage, cross-cultural, and technicaltraining. | Volunteers work with a community overseas for 27 months. | The fi scal 2011 budget is $400,000,000.

Source:www.peacecorps.gov

| What to know about the Peace Corps

Imagine living in a city with water that must be hand-purifi ed before drinking and in an apartment that does not have consistent electricity. The apartment is so poorly built that the connection between the walls and the ceiling does not exist everywhere, so plenty of birds drop in to visit. This was reality for Spanish teacher Linda Hammerton-Morris, who joined the Peace Corps immediately after earning her bachelor’s degree in both business administration and Spanish from Bowling Green State University in 1984. “I was extremely motivated to join the Peace Corps,” Hammerton-Morris said. Her expected living conditions did not deter her from pursuing one of her dreams: to work in a country where she could utilize her Spanish-speaking skills for the good of the people of Ecuador. Hammerton-Morris said she was assigned to a site in Quito, the capital. In this site, she worked as a technical adviser to small businesses in the Small Enterprise Development program. “At any given time I had more than 50 clients, who I had to see at a minimum of two times a month. “I taught them very basic bookkeeping, operations management and some marketing,” Hammerton-Morris said. To get around to all her different clients,

“The toughest jobyou’ll ever love”Spanish Teacher Linda Hammerton-Morris describes her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer

(The Peace Corps) made me realize that not everybody grew up with the same advantages I had.

Linda | Hammerton-Morris

“before drinking and in an “before drinking and in an

her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer

“her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer

(The Peace Corps) “ (The Peace Corps) made me realize that “made me realize that

eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org

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9

YOU FORGOT TO GET A YEARBOOK. WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES.TO MAKE SURE YOU GET ONE IN MAY, BRING $80 TO U328 AND GET ON THE OFFICIAL WAIT LIST.

OOPS

eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org10

TTWith potentially fake Facebook pages now everywhere,

do students really know who their friends are?Who is really watching?

The name “Courtney Lancaster” brings up very heavy resentment for a number of high school Facebook users. Mostly due to the fact that the truth of her nonexistence is now out in the open.

Through investigation of her photos and friend records, several students fi gured out that not only was Courtney Lancaster’s page made by someone other than her, but that she was not a real student at Mountain Vista.

Fake Facebook pages requesting to be friends with real students. Your personal information being shared with whoever may be behind that screen. The instantaneous rumor that came up through

the vicious wildfi re that is high school gossip, was of course, that administration creates these pages to keep tabs on what kids are up to.

Assistant principal Alan Long responded to the accusations with heavy cynicism. “Believe it or not, our lives do not entirely revolve around busting kids,” he said. “We actually have lives outside of school.”

Long added that school administration does not have the jurisdiction to act on student dilemmas that take place off school grounds. However, if a confl ict takes place off school grounds and then makes its way into the educational environment, then administration can take action. That does

“Administration does not have time nor motivation to use Facebook to check up on students”

Alan | Long

Caleb | Williams

NOT mean, Long says, that they discover these confl icts through Facebook.

Most confl icts or activities that administration acts in as disciplinarian are discovered through parental tips.

Administration’s assurance that the fake pages are not their spawn however, does not entirely solve the mystery.

According to a news story from the University of Kentucky, local police have and continue to utilize Facebook as a way to gain information on potential crime. They claim to not use it to discover the location of student parties, but they did not confi rm nor deny the usage of a fake page or pages.


Graphic by Sierra Thornley

Our own Douglas County Sheriff ’s department did not return requests for comment on whether or not they knew anything about the fake pages.

“I think the police must use it in some way to check up on kids,” said Cody Corbin, senior. “I remember last summer people started talking about some party [or something] on Facebook and then the cops showed up right around when it started.”

“I feel like if they are doing something like that, it’s really just wrong,” said Lauren Stapleton, sophomore. “That’s someone with no relation keeping up on a minor.”

Other names of

potentially fake pages have surfaced over the past few months, including Jenny Roberts, who claims to be a senior at Mountain Vista, yet has no enrollment records here.

Students are receiving friend requests from these, and several other pages, without knowing who these people may truly be.

“I get friend requests from people I don’t know on a daily basis,” said Makayla McGivern, junior. “I just accept it.”

| See more on police Facebook usage at:www.kykernel.com/2011/02/10/the-social-media-police/

fakebook

11MVHSEagleEye

“It has gotten worse for society. I watch Teen Mom, but shows like Jersey Shore send bad messages and is worse for younger kids to watch.”| Alaina Gilbert, 10

“Now it doesn’t fi t the name MTV because now the shows have nothing to do with music.”| Kelsey Cisarik, 11

“I like it better now because it is more entertaining. It’s bad, but fun to watch.”| Luan Silva, 9

Has MTVgotten better or worse than it once was?

Photos by Alex

Vista

TheRyan | WinterCommentary Let’s take a trip down ol’ memory lane. Remember, back in the day, when you would go home after a gru-eling elementary school day, turn on your analog cable television set and watch the music video countdown on MTV’s “Total Request Live?” Remember Carson Daly, the greatest TV personal-ity/reality show host until Ryan Seacrest came along? He would interview such icons as *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Blink 182 and Limp Bizkit, while a hundred caterwauling adolescents on the New York City street pretended they could actu-ally see their idols 30 stories above. Wait, can anyone even remember Limp Biz-kit? Remember when shows like “Room Raid-ers,” “Next” and “Date My Mom” were the most scandalous programs on…TV really. Don’t you miss when MTV actually showed music more than just dur-ing the wee hours of the morning? Nowadays, the pro-grams on MTV just don’t compare to what they were fi ve or ten years ago. Perhaps we should petition to have the station renamed: Music Television is kind of absurd. Maybe “Mistaken Teen Values” or “Maddeningly Trashy Viewing” would do the acronym more justice. Of course, it doesn’t help when the channel actually shows something music related — the Video Music Awards — but all you remember is seeing Lady Gaga wearing a dress composed of animal

innards or Lil’ Mama in the audience sucking on a pacifi er. OK, I know a bunch of people can’t get enough of the wonderfully educational programs “16 and Preg-nant” and “Teen Mom,” but really? Come on! It’s kind of sad, and rather bizarre, that we adolescents fi nd so much enjoyment in these inane programs. I don’t really know what to say, though. I’ve fallen victim myself to some of these shows, regrettably. “The Challenge,” for example, a riveting produc-tion featuring a bunch of high-strung manimals and ill-tempered women com-peting in physical battles to win a cash prize. Yes, Golden Globe material. I haven’t even men-tioned “Jersey Shore.” I won’t insert my opinion here because it seems like every other person in the school is hypnotized by the antics of these “Italian” celebrities, but it is rather sickening to consider the amount of money they make for doing…whatever it is they do. The naysayers will argue and say “just change the channel!” and that is mostly what I do. I just wish the quality of content directed at my age group was more like the old days, when I wasn’t ashamed to be watching.

of

Photo used under Creative Commons licensing/courtesy of university.union, Rachel’s Secret and fi reballk2588

Graphic by Jamie Woodward

Music

Telev

ision

Room Raiders

DownfallDownfall

Vista


Eagle Eye staffCO-EDITORS-IN-CHIEF

Kyle Tosch

Ryan Winter

EDITORS

Val Buccio

Joanie Lyons

Macy Morgan

Erica Rasquinha

Zack Smith

Caleb Williams

Caitlin Young

PHOTO EDITOR

Amy Markowski

ADVERTISING

Jordan Laeyendecker

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

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

REPORTERS

Taylor Blatchford

Riley McCloskey

Megan Oberg

Jack Reeves

Brad Richardson

Pamela Shapiro

Jake Smith

Theland Thomas

Maggie Williams

PHOTOJOURNALISTS

Alex Hill

Sierra Thornley

Jordan VanNote

Kyle Waters

Trevor Zalkind

ADVISER | Mark Newton, MJE

Editorial

Dear Mountain Vista Students!

During the lengthy process involved in being named your new principal, I had the opportunity to talk with the superin-tendent of DCSD, present (myself) to the Director of Schools, complete writ-ing prompts and interview with district, school and community leadership. With no disrespect intended to any of those groups, the most fun I had during the selection process was talking to the MVHS student interview team! That particular conversation confi rmed to me that this was going to be a great fi t. I cannot explain how excited I am about the opportunity to represent the students, staff and community of Mountain Vista High School! This is my 24th year in education. After a year teaching middle school in Longmont, I spent the next 15 years teaching social studies and coaching football and track at Overland and Grandview High Schools in Cherry Creek. In 2003, I started my adminis-trative career in Douglas County as the assistant principal at Summit View. Some of the seniors of the Class of 2011 were my last group of sixth graders at SVE. The past six years I have been the principal at Bear Canyon Elementary and a proud and involved member of the Mountain Vista feeder. I went to school and played football at

the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley (Go Bears!) and received my master’s degree in education adminis-tration from the University of Phoenix. Our family has lived in the commu-nity for 12 years. My wife Susan is an interior designer and I have three kids: Matthew, Emily and Wesley Ann. I can’t wait to get started! I am committed to bringing a positive sense of energy and enthusiasm to school everyday. I feel that a shared vision of high achievement and excellence should exist in everything we do and also believe that every member of the Mountain Vista student body, staff and community should have an opportunity to be a part of that vision. I have an optimistic goal that each of you will have a great day every day and will graduate from Mountain Vista having had an amazing high school experience! Over the next couple of months I will get to spend a few days at Vista and look forward to getting to know everyone. Thanks for the already incredible wel-come I have received! I am so proud to be the principal of Mountain Vista High School. Go Golden Eagles!

Michael Weaver

Last week, Mountain Vista appointed Michael Weaver as our new

principal. Weaver is currently the principal at Bear Canyon Elementary

School, and is very familiar with the Douglas County School District. He

was kind enough to write a letter introducing himself to the student body.

Welcome Welcome to Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vistato Vista

Brooke Mackay, sophomore, is in her fourth running season at Vista. Last season Mackay beat the school record by three seconds in the 5K cross country race; she won a two-mile race in track last year. To Mackay, running requires both mental and physical effort. “When I’m at the wall, I’ve got to push through,” said Mackay who runs with her sister. “I love running with Brittany. She pushes me. All that matters in the end is that I can look back and know that I gave it my all,” Mackay said with a smile.


No Sweat. No Regret.

13


Valerie | Buccio and Megan | Oberg “I didn’t know what to think without him around,” senior Chris Tantillo said. Tragedy struck Chris along with seniors Leah Hase, Kayla Blood and CJ Fallahi when each of them experienced a parent passing away within the last four years.

Different incidents, but all equally devastating on the inside. Chris said the summer of 2008 after his fresh-man year, his dad, Jerry, died from colon cancer in his liver. “I had to come home early from a school trip in Paris,” Chris said. “My mom said my dad wanted to see me and Michael (his brother), one last time.” He said the cancer was caught too late and spread too quickly. Leah said, in 2009, a few days into her sum-mer, her dad Robert, died from diabetic shock without warning. He was taking medicine for bronchitis, making him unable to take his insulin for his diabetes. After battling colon cancer for two-and-a-half years, in November 2010 Kayla said her dad, Michael, passed away laying in his favorite mas-sage chair at home. CJ said, no one expected the outcome of the standard surgery his mom, Kathleen underwent

would pass away within the last few months of the year, it was sudden. “I was completely shocked and didn’t know what to say,” Kayla said. Everyone had school off Tuesday, the day after her dad passed. She said she went back to school Wednesday so her routine was not messed up. “If I had stayed home, I would have been upset because I would just be thinking to myself, ‘he would normally be here with me,” Kayla said. CJ said his dad called him that morning say-ing, ‘You need to come now, your uncle is com-ing to get you.’ His mom was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for four days before the passing. “I knew it was bad, but didn’t break down until I saw the sign on the closed ICU door that read ‘Please speak with a nurse before entering this room,’” CJ said. He said he was out of school for a week and after coming back his grades were not as good as

at the start of second semester this year. “She was in and out of the hospital becoming more and more sick,” CJ said. He said doctors overlooked a problem that led to an infection from not having the necessary medication, resulting in a blood clot in her lungs. Unexpected or not, all four seniors said they were shocked in some way that all this could happen to them.

Each student had their own way of reacting to the incident that occurred in their lives. Chris said he got to the hospital, only able to talk to his dad. “He was at a stage where he could not talk back to me and my family. He could only listen and understand,” Chris said. He said even before the trip, him and his family knew it was coming, just not when. “We prepared for it, but like losing anyone, it was tough,” Chris said. Leah said she woke up to her dad’s girlfriend walking out of his room crying. It was sudden, she did not see it coming. “I didn’t break down crying until the para-medics said he was gone,” Leah said. “I was shocked and cried right away.” Kayla said she was having a great day and even had lunch with her dad before it all hap-pened. Even though her and her family knew he

08’ 09’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’08’

Four seniors experience the

Initial BlowInitial Blow Chapter One StrugglingStrugglingChapter Two

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Chris and Jerry Tantillo

Michael and Kayla Blood

Photo courtesy of Chris Tantillo, Leah Hase, Kayla Blood and CJ Fallahi

09’09’09’09’09’09’09’09’

4 years, 4 losses

Scope

15 MVHSEagleEye

they had been. “It’s hard to focus on school,” CJ said. “I think about it everyday.” Even though it was a life-changing experi-ence for all four of them, they all said they found a way to get through it and live their lives.

In the midst of all the diffi culty, each said they had friends and family close by their side for support. Chris refl ects how his friends and family re-ally helped him through everything. “I had to step up for my mom and younger brother,” he said. He took on the role of a fa-therly fi gure and set an example for his younger brother. “I just wish he was here to see me graduate, but he has given me the inspiration to be the best I can be and enjoy life to the fullest,” Chris said. For Leah, her way of coping with the situa-tion was “doing things to keep (her) mind off of it, like being with friends and staying busy.” Although she said it is something she will never forget, she has grown from the experience. “It is a situation where you have to grow up and learn to deal with things yourself,” Leah said. She said her best memories with her dad were trips to a lake and going out on their boat. “I miss that,” Leah said. “He was the most

kind and gentle person I’ve ever known and he always made sure to put others before himself.” She said that is something she hopes to follow in her life. Kayla received care and support from her closest friends for the entirety of the week after the death. “They knew exactly how to make me feel bet-ter without talking about it,” she said. She said she became really close with her mom and they were able to look at the bright side of the situation, since Michael was no lon-ger suffering from cancer. She also said the loss of her father led her to realize the path of her future. “I want to be in the health care profession be-cause I want to help people in similar situations (as her dad),” she said. Kayla said one of her favorite memories with her dad was last June at her cousin Sarah’s wedding. Her dad, uncle and aunt’s two sorority

sisters started singing in the hotel at 11 p.m. so loud that the manager came and said they were disturbing the guests. They all moved to the library of the hotel and sang till 3 a.m. “He was so happy and had a great voice,” Kayla said. “It was a blast!” CJ said he is still trying to cope with the recent passing of his mother. He said he lived with his mom full time before the incident. Now his dad lives in his mom’s house with him and his brother, Reza. To help the boys deal with the circumstances, CJ said his entire family fl ew to Colorado from Maryland and West Virginia. “If they hadn’t been here, I don’t know what I would have done,” he said. While struggling with the pressures of school, work and taking care of his 12-year-old brother, CJ said he still fi nds a reason to smile. He said he remembers the happy moments he shared with his mother, such as playing their favorite board game, Scrabble. “I’d come home from school and we would watch Jeopardy while playing Scrabble,” CJ laughs.

Tears and emptiness come with the initial blow of the death, but is followed by the love of family and friends to get through the disas-ter. The ultimate outcome is a stronger, more independent person with the inspiration of their loved one always in mind.

10’ 11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’11’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’10’

Finding StrengthFinding StrengthChapter Three

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Leah and Robert Hase

CJ andKathleen Fallahi

Photos by Alex Hill

devastation of a parent passing

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4 years, 4 losses

17 MVHSEagleEye

Scope

If your gift is speaking your mind, you are in good company in Speech and Debate. Speaking Out

Swing Dance Club

Eagle Eye: How and why did you fi rst get into swing dancing?CJ Simonet: “My mom was actually cleaning the house one day and she was listening to Elvis on the radio. I was listening, and she showed me the basic swing step. I was in sixth grade. After I moved from Idaho, I found out we had a swing dance club here and got involved after football. Been doing it ever since.”

EE: What is the purpose of having partners for swing dance? How are they necessary?CS: “Usually partners are guy/girl because it’s easier and swing is a very intimate dance.”

EE: What is your favorite part about swing dancing and why?CS: “I love the actual dancing part. I don’t get to dance often. My favorite part about the club is the people. They are all very nice and accepting.”

EE: What would you like everyone to know about swing dancing?CS: “If you can walk and chew bubble gum, you can do it.”

EE: If someone wanted to join swing, how would they go about doing it? What does a normal swing practice look like?CS: “Come join us every Wednesday during SOAR. Well, we teach the beginners the basic step which are alternating steps towards each other so anyone can be apart of it. We practice in the back of the 300s.”

From left to right: Junior Ryan Shepherd, freshman Maya Thornley, sophomore Chayenne Therberg and senior Jonathan Metheny.

Swing Dance is a club for Vista students of all ages and all skill levels to come out and dance.Junior CJ Simonet dances with freshman Maya Thornley.

CJ Simonet, junior, has been a part of the Swing Dance club since his sophomore year. Vista’s Clubs Uncovered: Here are some of the unseen clubs in our school. Remember these faces: these are students

who are doing what they love through one of the many organizations our school offers.

eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org 16

Calvin Lee, sophomore, has been involved in Speech and Debate for one year with his coach Chris McCallum.

Eagle Eye: How did you get involved in speech and debate?Calvin Lee: “I mostly got in because peers told me about it. It’s not all debate stuff. That’s a common misconception.”

EE: What are tournaments like?CL: “Tournaments are really big. I get to meet people from different schools and it’s a lot of fun.”

EE: Who would be the best people to join speech and debate?CL: “If you’re into acting, it’s good. There’s something for everyone to do or be interested in.”

Calvin Lee, sophomore, has been involved in Speech and Debate for one year with his coach Chris McCallum.

Eagle Eye:speech and debate?Calvin Lee:peers told me about it. It’s not all debate stuff. That’s a common misconception.”

EE:CL:meet people from different schools and it’s a lot of fun.”

EE:join speech and debate?CL:There’s something for everyone to do or be interested in.”

Speaking Out

Swing Dance Club

From left to right: Junior Ryan Shepherd, freshman Maya Thornley, sophomore Chayenne Therberg and senior Jonathan Metheny.

Swing Dance is a club for Vista students of all ages and all skill levels to come out and dance.

Vista’s Clubs Uncovered: Here are some of the unseen clubs in our school. Remember these faces: these are students who are doing what they love through one of the many organizations our school offers.

Photos by Sierra Thornley


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Riley Romano, sophomore, is involved in Vista’s junior varsity poms. “I’ve been in poms on and off all of my life,” said Romano, who started dancing when she was eight or nine. “I figured I’d try out and see how it went,” Romano said. “(The team) is like a family, and there’s not lots of drama.”


Dancing Rays

19

On the down side, this play was too long for me and the plot pretty predict-able. However, it says a lot that the cast was decidedly enchanting through the storyline that I expect was hard to work with. Many fl edgling actors tied together singing and acting very well. The impressive main character Derek Driggs rocked the role of “Ugly.” Driggs has not taken a theatre class but, after watching him act, I couldn’t have told you that! Senior Kathleen Newman won my adoration and I loved her stage presence as the mother duck. Overall, I am glad I went to this cute play and I’d say it was worth the money.

On the down side, this play was too On the down side, this play was too long for me and the plot pretty predict-long for me and the plot pretty predict-able. However, it says a lot that the able. However, it says a lot that the cast was decidedly enchanting through cast was decidedly enchanting through the storyline that I expect was hard the storyline that I expect was hard to work with. Many fl edgling actors to work with. Many fl edgling actors tied together singing and acting very tied together singing and acting very well. The impressive main character well. The impressive main character Derek Driggs rocked the role of Derek Driggs rocked the role of

theatre class but, after watching theatre class but, after watching him act, I couldn’t have told you him act, I couldn’t have told you that! Senior Kathleen Newman that! Senior Kathleen Newman

mother duck. Overall, I am glad mother duck. Overall, I am glad I went to this cute play and I’d I went to this cute play and I’d

| It smells like a butterfl y pavilion.

| Maybe if I were dead, I would enjoy it.

| He had to shoot his wife because she had rabies and the Courts were like: “Oh, likely story.”

| There are wheelchairs all over that book.

| If you say one more cool thing, you’re in!

| Why would I go on a date with him? He looks like Frodo.

| Monday, Tuesday, WTF.

| The horrendous price of AP tests.| The iPad 2 selling out so quickly.| Undeserved attention on Charlie Sheen.| No toilet paper or soap in girls’ bathrooms.| The Colorado Avalanche for only winning one game since the All-Star game.

| CSAP week for giving juniors and seniors well-deserved time off. | “Race to Nowhere” for identifying student angst.| New principal Mike Weaver stepping into Steve Johnson’s shoes.| Generous aid to Japan after the tsunami. | Egypt trip longer than Spring Break.

Props

Flops

| Maybe if I were dead, I

| It smells like a butterfl y pavilion.It smells like a butterfl y

pavilion.It smells like a butterfl y

|


hallwayhallwayhallwayhallwayhallwayhallwaytalktalktalk

, Honks and Breakfasts.

Sitting down in class, there is always that one person whipping out his or her iPod to use this popular app. A conversation starter, kids can pass the time and even hash out some old rivalries—fi nally met in a battle of words. The game allows direct competition in a convenient form be-cause you can play when you are not with the other person and can take your time choosing your own word. I have yet to decide if the game serves the betterment of our spell-ing and knowledge of words or just another distraction the teachers must fi ght to have our attention. Warning to the teachers, you might hear the excuse, “Well this is educa-tional!” If you haven’t checked this app out, you are in the minority, but there is still time to join the free fun.

Words With Friends A+

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Liz

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Although the parents who volunteered were thoughtful to prepare the breakfast for our senior class, I am sorry to say I didn’t have an overall great experience that morning. Perhaps it was because of my high expectations—looking forward to this since freshman year I was stoked to eat muffi ns and chocolate milk. Those were there, but that was about all I got by the time I went in line. Also, I heard from the performers and last wave of students during the breakfast and they were quite bummed they didn’t get burritos. We appreciate your efforts parents, and the thought was there. There was a lot of variety of food and the sing-ers were impressive, even over a diffi cult sound system. Hanging out with our class was great, but I just hope the next breakfast supplies more food.

First Senior Breakfast C


HONK! B-


21

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MVHSEagleEye

S Seventh grade teacher Kristin Swartwood is in charge of the Locks of Love donation day at Mountain Ridge Middle School. “I have donated my hair before and I think that this is an easy way to get involved with something bigger than ourselves,” Swartwood said. The event is scheduled for May 7 and will most likely take place in the gym.Locks of Love is a non-profi t charity that takes hair donations to provide hairpieces to children with long-term hair loss. The charity also accepts fi nancial donations. Last year Swartwood spread the word about the charity at Mountain Ridge and had one student cut ten inches of her hair for Locks of Love. Eigth-grader Maureene Malabanan said that donating her hair means a lot. “I have a cousin who was diagnosed with cancer. Giving hair to kids with

cancer gives them a head of hair to look at instead of none,” Malabanan said. Swartwood said although some people signed up and became scared, her goal for this year is to get more people to donate than the two who donated last year. “I start with my Relationships, Advisement and Mentoring (RAM) class and have them learn about the charity, then they will go teach other RAM classes about the cause,” Swartwood said. “After they get the hype up, we will broaden our efforts out.” Swartwood also said she has contacted all schools in the Mountain Vista feeder area. As for what is happening right now, she said her RAM class is handing out business cards with the charity’s information. Dee Riggs has agreed to be the donation day stylist, and she said she hopes that the Consumer Family Studies class will make

baked goods to raise more money. “I don’t want to get my hopes up yet, but I think as more people talk, more people will know about it,” Swartwood said. She said that anyone who has 10 inches or more to give can sign up at www.sites.google.com/a/dcsdk12.org/locks-of-love-mrms/ by May 1, and that anyone who has questions about volunteering can email her at [email protected]. Swartwood said she plans on donating again in May of 2012 when her hair grows out to the appropriate length. But when it comes to the interaction of Mountain Ridge and Locks of Love, she said, “This is something that many kids have heard about and it is an easy way for them to get involved. It is defi nitely something I hope to continue here (Mountain Ridge).”

| Pantene Beautiful LengthsReal hair wigs are created and are distributed for free through specifi c AmericanCancer Society wig banks.Pantene Beautiful Lengths alsopartners with HairUWear.

“An easy way to get involved.” Mountain Ridge teacher Kristin Swartwood plans a Locks of Love hair donation dayErica | Rasquinha

Photos courtesy of Josh Brandt

“I donated my hair because I felt that it was the right thing to do. I chose (Pantene Beautiful Lengths) because they accepted the shortest length. I am considering donating again when my hair is long enough.”

How to donate1.Hair RequirementsHair must be a minimum of 10 inches to donate and put into a ponytail or a braid before it is cut.

2.Packaging the hairPlace the ponytail or braid inside a plastic bag and then into apadded envelope. To receiveacknowledgemnt for thedonation, fi ll out a hair donation form or write your name and email address on a separate piece of paper to be mailed with the hair.3.Mail it inMail the envelope to:Locks of Love234 Southern Blvd.West Palm Beach, FL33405-2701

Malabanan and Swartwood stand together after their has slightly grown out from last year.

Before | AfterJosh Brandt donated his lengthy locks

Brandt donated his hair in November of 2008 toPantene Beautiful Lengths


YOUtubeexpression

Username: tazpoleMember since: 2007Most popular video: New Mexico GhettoMost views: 100

“ I get to show people how I express my humor.

“

Tyler Greene

Username: SACAJAWADMember since: 2010Most popular video: Buddy the ConeMost views: 700

I like making movies and I like my friends, so it makes sense to make movies with my friends.

““

Will Mustin

Username: funnyairsoftreviewsMember since: 2007Most popular video: M16 A4 ReviewMost views: 46,000

I have no shame anymore because I got to that point where once you put up a video, you learn to laugh at yourself.

“

“

Keenan Mueller

Photos courtesy of Tyler Greene, Will Mustin and Keenan Mueller

expression

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MVHSEagleEye

ATo explore the underpinnings of sleep, senior Ian Hohsfi eld is completing a

project where he naps for only two hours a day. Is it working?

At 4:30 a.m. on a Tues-day morning, while most Mountain Vista students are sleeping, senior Ian Hohsfi eld is getting his shopping done at the gro-cery store. You’re probably think-ing: Why would someone do such a thing? “It started as research for my senior project,” Hohsfi eld said of a sleeping pattern he researched that involves sleeping for 20 minutes every four hours. However, after following

Kyle | Toschthe sleep schedule for sev-eral weeks Hohsfi eld made the decision to permanently follow the schedule. “I feel like I’m a battery,” Hohsfi eld said. “I recharge every 20 minutes.” Hohsfi eld’s schedule starts at roughly 7 a.m. every morning, when he sleeps for 20 minutes before going to school. Four hours later during lunch, Hohs-fi eld can be found taking a 20-minute nap for part of lunch before fi nishing off his school day. Even though Hohsfi eld does not appear to be

From 7 – 11 a.m. Ian attends classes and eats lunch, taking a quick nap in between.

Graphic by David Orser

Ian sleeps in intervals of 20 minutes throughout the day in roughly four-hour intervals.

From 12:20 – 4:20 a.m., Ian gets his shopping done while nobody is on the roads.

The majority of Ian’s night (8 p.m. – 12 a.m.) is spent writing and fi nishing up homework.

getting a suffi cient amount of sleep, certainly not the recommended nine hours and 15 minutes that experts say an 18-year-old should receive, he says he does not feel the lack of sleep is hurt-ing him. “I don’t feel super groggy and I feel less tired,” he said. “Also, I feel like I’m having more vivid dreams.” In fact, Hohsfi eld said he feels like he is more effi cient than ever under his new sleep schedule. The way he fi gures, if he were to follow this schedule until he is 85-years-old he will have

extended his time awake by nearly 11 years. “It’s the closest a person can get to attaining immor-tality,” he said. Hohsfi eld says he enjoys staying up late at night doing homework, playing video games or doing his shopping. “At fi rst I had no idea what I was going to do since no one else is awake,” he said, “but it has been easier than I thought.” When Hohsfi eld fi rst started the schedule he would go to the grocery store and people would be

puzzled as to why he was up so late/early. “I told them I stay up this late all the time,” he said. “Actually, I really enjoy driving around late at night.” Hohsfi eld believes the whole world would ben-efi t from trying his sleep schedule. “I would recommend (the sleeping pattern) to all people,” Hohsfi eld said, “so we can advance society at a much quicker rate.”

Ian Hohsfi eld believes his new sleep schedule has paid off already.“It’s the closest a person can get toattaining immortality,” he said.

Photo courtesy Ian Hohsfi eld

Matt Miller, sophomore, plays defense on the junior varsity lacrosse team. “I think (the team) will have a good season, but we need more practice,” Miller said.

Photo by Kyle Waters

LAX for Life

24

Pulse

25eagle.eye march.18.2011 www.vistanow.org

S

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Seniors Curl to WinCurling seniors try to make the sport a club at MVHS

Several seniors have come together with one goal in mind: a curling team at Mountain Vista.

Bryan Smith, the found-er of this curling team, said the team is currently a part of the Denver Curling Club and are attempting to make curling an offi cial club at Vista as well.

Curling is a team sport originat-ing in the 16th century in which stones are slid across a sheet of carefully prepared ice towards a target area. It is a game for all ages and genders and is comparable to shuffl eboard on ice.

“The goal is to to get the stones in the house which is

like three rings on the ice,” senior Jake Foote said.

The team has been practicing and playing at Littleton’s Ice Ranch, 841 Southpark Dr., since 2009. They were third in their league of 10 and won four out of fi ve games last season.

“We’d really love people to come support us,”

Foote said. “Though

we aren’t an offi cial Mountain Vista sport, our team is

still made up of Vista students

and we play against other schools like Valor.”

The team’s next season begins in March, and Bryan Smith asks any students interested in joining or sup-porting the team to contact any member: Bryan Smith,

It’s like chess on ice.”

Graphic used with permission from usacurl.org

Riley | McCloskey

POSITIONSJason Smith | Skip

Photo by Chelsea McGuire

Bryan Smith | Vice SkipBrian Clark | Second (right)

Jake Foote | Lead (left)Mason Shurley | Lead

Photo Illustration courtesy of Bryan Smith

Jason Smith, Brian Clark, Jake Foote, or Mason Shur-ley, or go to usacurl.org.

They play against a vari-ety of players, from younger teams to a Valor Christian High School team.

Smith and his teammates have yet to fi nd a teacher to sponsor their club, and he asks any teacher who is interested to contact him.

“I like (curling) because it’s different,” said senior Brian Clark, another mem-ber of the curling team. “It

isn’t a mainstream sport.”“I like the strategic

aspect of curling,” Foote said, “like knocking your opponent’s stones out of the house and planning an end.” An end is an “inning” of the game where one team curls three stones.

“I like it because it takes so much strategy and skill,” Smith said. “It’s like chess on ice.”


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Ready for a Breakout SeasonJunior Cody Nelson shares hisexpectations, goals for season

Brad | Richardson and Jake | SmithBrad | Richardson and Jake | SmithBrad | Richardson and Jake | Smith

After a disappointing 11-10 season by all accounts last year, varsity relief pitcher Cody Nelson, Head Coach Ron Quintana and the rest of the Mountain Vista baseball team believe they are heading towards a championship season. “We put a lot of work in this offseason to help us become better — more than other teams,” Nelson said. Nelson also said new Head Coach Ron “Q” Quintana is helping the varsity team move towards its goal of winning the state championship. “He (Quintana) is a really good guy and he’s pushing us to become

A After a disappointing A After a disappointing 11-10 season by all accounts A11-10 season by all accounts last year, varsity relief Alast year, varsity relief pitcher Cody Nelson, Head Apitcher Cody Nelson, Head Coach Ron Quintana and ACoach Ron Quintana and

the best that we can be,” Nelson said. “He’s got a lot of past experience that he’s bringing to the table.” Quintana, an assistant strength coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers for six years before becoming a high school coach, said he expects the team to compete for the Continental League title. “If we play like we are capable of playing, we could go a long way in state,” Quintana said. “My goal for the team is to be playing our best baseball at the end of the season. If we do that, it will be a successful season for (the) Golden Eagle baseball program.”

As for how they are going to play their best, Quintana’s formula is simple: hard work and team leadership. “I want to push these guys harder than they have ever been pushed before,” Quinta said. “(I want to) make sure we are the hardest working baseball team in the state. I expect all of (the varsity players) to lead this ball club at one point this season. Since we are a team, I would rather have 18 guys lead than just one guy.”And Nelson expects this hard work to pay off. “We have 19 games in the regular season,” Nelson said. “We expect 19 wins.”

“We put a lot of work in this off season to help us becomebetter; more than other teams.”Cody | Nelson

| Eagle Eye: What are your individual and team expectations for this season?| Tommy Strunc: “I want us to compete, give it 100 percent, and leave everything on the fi eld. We plan on winning theContinental League and then winning state.Individually, I want to go 7-0 on the mound.”

| Eagle Eye: What are your individual and team expectations for this season?| Tommy Clouthier: “We’re looking to win a state championship this year. We (the varsity team) had an off year last year so we’re looking to rebound this year. Indi-vidually, I look to take more of a leadership role. We have a lot of newcomers to the varsity team this season, and I want to help everybody get in the swing of things.”

Photos by Kyle Waters


Energy drinks are giving teens across the nation health problems, students at Mountain Vista are now realizing the consequences

The Monsterous DEATH TOLL

Brendan Parsa, freshman used to drink an energy drink every day. He has since quit drinking them completely. “I saw an ad that said they give people heart at-tacks, so I stopped,” Parsa said. In many teen hangouts, you will see adolescents consuming drinks such as Monster, RedBull, Amp, and Rockstar. There are over 500 different energy drinks being sold across the country today, and more and more young adults are starting to drink them. Mountain Vista athletic trainer Jeff Sirovatka said he thinks energy drinks are overused by teens. “They don’t really do much for performance in sports and other things,” Sirovatka said. “The sugar, caffeine and other substances are a little too much to put in your sys-tem. They are no different than drinking soda once in a while; the problem is when athletes use them

as a supplement before a performance instead of hy-drating and eating healthy meals.” Recent surveys published in the online medical journal Pediatrics show that energy drinks are con-sumed by between 30 to 50 percent of adolescents and young adults. These drinks contain massive amounts of caffeine; anywhere from 6 to 2352 milligrams per ounce. In comparison, a Mountain Dew soda contains 4.5 milligrams of caffeine per ounce. These drinks also include sugars, artifi cial sweeteners and herbs that act like caffeine with similar effects. The various chemicals and additives cause many effects in teens like heart palpitations, anxiety, sei-zures, nervousness, strokes, insomnia, nausea, pacing, diarrhea, restlessness, dia-betes, high blood pressure and even sudden death. All these things can be a result of consuming too much caffeine. “When you drink too

much caffeine you also run the risk of dehydra-tion, because caffeine is a diuretic,” Sirovatka said. Parsa said the main negative effect he noticed was that he had trouble focusing, even though he never drank more than one at a time. Parsa also said that eventually if he didn’t drink an energy drink he would always be tired. “If I hadn’t started drinking them I wouldn’t be so tired in the fi rst place,” Parsa said. So, what can tired teenagers do to get energy, other than drinking energy drinks? There are multiple things that can help. If teens can get eight to nine hours of uninterrupted qual-ity sleep in a dark room every night, eat real food about four times per day, drink plenty of water, eat a mineral rich diet and get enough rest after exercis-ing, these things promote natural energy with no side effects.

Taylor | Blatchford

What Are YouReally Drinking?We surveyed 50 Mountain Vista students to fi nd their favorite energy drinks. Here are the top fi ve results, with nutrition informa-tion (size in ounces, caffeine, sugar, calories, taurine) according to energyfi end.com.

1Monster

Ounces | 16Caffeine | 160 milligramsSugar | 54 gramsCalories | 200Taurine | 2,000 milligrams

Votes: 32%Red Bull Votes: 28%

Ounces | 8.4Caffeine | 80 milligramsSugar | 27 gramsCalories | 110Taurine | 1,000 milligrams

1Monster

160 milligrams

| 2,000 milligrams

Ounces | Caffeine |Sugar |Calories | Taurine |

2

Pulse

29MVHSEagleEye

Sydnie Wingate, soph-omore, has a Monster drink once a morning. She said she drinks them to get energy and wake up, and also be-cause they taste good. “They work for like 30 minutes, then I get jittery and crash,” she said. “My heart races, I feel like I’m going to get sick, and I get dizzy.” Wingate said she has seen the commercials and ads that tell about the negative effects of energy drinks. “I know that I should listen to them and they are probably true,” Wingate said. “I just think that those things won’t happen to me, but

they defi nitely could.”

4Amp Full Throttle Hour EnergyVotes: 20% Votes: 15% Votes: 5%

Ounces | 16Caffeine | 142 milligramsSugar | 58 gramsCalories | 220Taurine | 20 milligrams

Ounces | 8Caffeine | 140 milligramsSugar | 58 gramsCalories | 200Taurine | not applicable (did not provide amount)

Ounces | 2Caffeine| 138 milligramsSugar | 0 gramsCalories | 14Taurine | not applicable(did not provide amount)

3 4Sugar |Calories |Taurine |(did not provide amount)

Ounces |Caffeine|Sugar | 0 gramsCalories | Taurine |(did not provide amount)

Junior Tyler Cussins drinks an energy drink, usually Amp or Nos, every morning. “I drink them to help wake up in the morning, and because they taste good,” Cussins said. “It helps when you have to get up at 5:30 in the morning.” Cussins said the only negative effect he has noticed is feeling very tired or “crashing out” after drinking them. He said he has heard about the negative effects of drinks from people, but not commer-cials “I have heard that they give you high blood pressure, high blood sugar and all this bad blood stuff,” Cussins said.

5

| The fi rst energy drink was created in 1905-a Scottish drink called Irn-Bru.

| Red Bull has been banned in France for its role in a sports-related death. A young athlete died after drinking four cans of the beverage before playing a basket-ball game.

| Red Bull is also banned in Denmark.| Energy drinks mask the effects of alcohol, but they do not mask the blood’s alcohol level.| The average en-ergy beverage con-tains roughly the same amount of caffeine as a cup of brewed coffee.| Red Bull contains as

much caffeine as two cans of Coke or Pepsi.| In 2005, energy drinks earned more than three billion dollars in retail sales in the United States alone.| Guarana, a popular in-gredient in energy drinks, is an extract from a South American plant that contains caffeine.

| Energy drinks also in-clude dissolved oxygen as an ingredient.

| Energy drinks are very different from sports drinks such as Gatorade or Powerade. Energy drinks contain lots of caffeine and sugar, while sports drinks pro-vide electrolytes, water, and other nutrients.

Despite thenumerous amountsof health risks teens can suffer while drinkingenergy drinks, sophomore Sydnie Wingate and junior Tyler Cussins still love their energy drinks.

Did You Know? Interesting facts about energy drinks and their history

“Those thingswon’t happen to me.”

Photos by Jordan VanNote

Junior drinks an energy drink, usually Amp or Nos, every morning. “I drink them to help wake up in the morning, and because they taste good,” Cussins said. “It helps when you have to get up at 5:30 in the morning.” Cussins said the only negative effect he has noticed is feeling very tired or “crashing out” after drinking them. He said he has heard about the negative effects of drinks from people, but not commer-cials “I have heard that they give you high blood pressure, high blood sugar and all this bad blood stuff,” Cussins said.

won’t happen to me.”

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Unity on the Basketball Court

The Unifi ed basketball team at Mountain Vista fi nished a very successful season with a record of 10-2-1.

“Some get competitive, some play just for fun,” said Lexi Seibel, an assistant for the team.

Unifi ed basketball is a program that works with students with disabilities and gives them the oppor-tunity to play sports for the

school.Between the players and

volunteers, there are 30 people on the team. At the beginning of the season all 10 players set goals.

Jay Spain plays for the Mountain Vista Unifi ed basketball team. Whenever he makes a basket he said he feels “happy.” He said he really enjoys playing with his teammates and his favorite part of playing the game is getting to shoot hoops.

PLAYERS#0 .... Adam “The Flash” Scheuerman#1 .................. Bailey “Big Shot” Roby#3 ........................Alex “Prince” Drake#10 ............Jon “Sole Eater” Pinkney#12 ..Mike “Lightning Strike” Sabraw#15 .....Nicole “Hot Wheels” Vasquez #23 ........... Tommy “Red Wing” Ryan#24 .......................Jay “J-Man” Spain#44 .................. Tony “Tonzilla” Barela#45 ..Anabel “Dancing Diva” Casillas#50 ..........Devon “D-Von” McFarland

Eileen Hernley is the woman in charge of the Unifi ed Basketball program and Mountain Vista. Hern-ley really enjoys working with the players.

“This is my passion,” said Hernley. “I feel lucky that there are students that want to do this.”

The players also got to work with basketball legend, Irving Johnson, throughout the season.

“It’s so cool. This is his 3rd year with us,” said

Hernley. “He’s beginning to personally know some of the students.”

The best part of working with the kids is seeing their faces after they make a basket, Seibel said. “They get so excited,” she said.

Tommy Ryan said his experience playing for the team was “great.” It makes him feel very happy when he scores a basket and said it’s “defi nitely something I want to do next year.”

Jordan | VanNote

REFEREESKaaryn DahlquistANNOUNCERSMaddy WickorenCOACHESTess GoldingMax JohnsonAndrea LarsenDavid MurphyBrady O’DonnellMackenzie SmithJosh Racz PEERSJesse ApplehansNick BarryCaitlin BennethumMike Collins

PEERSDanielle CushingKaaryn DahlquistKarissa DahlquistJohn EtochioMariah GoldKristen GonzalesMegan HahnTanner HumannMax JohnsonAndrea LarsenBrooke MackayBrittany MackayLake McGillNicole MerchantStephanie MerchantGabbi MirandaDavid MurphyKathleen NewmanAlexis O’ConnorBrady O’DonnellKayla OlsonMaddy PayneLexi PerardiAlex PetersKari PiloneJosh RaczMelissa SalinasIbrahim Sawaged

Another exciting season comes to a close for the Unifi ed basketball team

Photo by Kate Hernley

PEERSLexi SeibelDani ShearonMichael SheedyMason SimmonsBrooke SmetankaSusie WhiteMaddy WickorenRachel ZalkindLauren EslingerKenzie SmithKristen EmbreyMadison YountTaylor PhillipsSarah JonesMaggie LuehrsKortney HixAnder AretakisKassidy SilvaLaura LondonoKarlee SchwartzkopfJustin MillerSavannah ShoemakerLauren CorderoBrooke SmithAshley ThomasEmily StarrHailey GeeslinLisa Smith

Anabel “Dancing Diva” Casillas

Photo by Christine Voigt

Unity on the Unity on the UnityBasketball Court

Another exciting season comes to a close for the Unifi ed basketball team



Jay Spain plays for the Mountain Vista Unifi ed basketball team. Whenever he makes a basket he said

program that works with

he feels “happy.” He said he really enjoys playing with his teammates and his



UnityBasketball Court

TThe Unifi ed basketball

TThe Unifi ed basketball

Tteam at Mountain Vista Tteam at Mountain Vista Tfi nished a very successful Tfi nished a very successful Tseason with a record of Tseason with a record of T10-2-1.T10-2-1.T“Some get competitive,

some play just for fun,” said Lexi Seibel, an assistant for the team.

Unifi ed basketball is a program that works with



Jay Spain plays for the Mountain Vista Unifi ed basketball team. Whenever he makes a basket he said he feels “happy.” He said he really enjoys playing with his teammates and his

Jordan | VanNote



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Mr. VistaAdmission: $3- Students $5- Adults

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March 30th 7:00 p.m.

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Eagleeye.2010-2011.no.4

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