27soundtrack: “The sound of Salvation Army bells” Salvation Army Santas 12•09•09editorials

The goals of The Rock, the student newspaper of Rock Canyon High School, are to inform, educate, and entertain readers as well as to provide an educational opportunity for the students who produce it.

Jagzone.us, a website and partner of , is up and running. There is “Diary of Anne Frank” cover-age, opinion pieces, and more is going up every day.

Check there soon for the winners of the coloring contest.

So for your source for all things Jag, enter the Jagzone.

Got a minute?

You so don’t Rock!

• 8 days until winter break, not that we’re counting.

• November, the month of seconds for gamers. I think we’re set until FOREVER thanks to Modern Warfare 2, Assassin’s Creed 2, and Left4Dead 2.

• Spending Black Friday at home.• The Highlands Ranch holiday banners on the

light posts, the holidays make everything seem nicer.

• The small class sizes due to the absent “New Moon” premiere goers. Stay home vamps.

• Christmas is in 16 days! Wait, are we even allowed to say Christmas anymore?

• Basketball’s blowout against Castle View. We doubled their scores in five of six games.

• Seniors can have as many snow days as we want, because we graduate early no matter what. Bummer, underclassmen.

• Teachers who decorate their rooms for the holi-days. Somehow taking a test just feels better when you’re surrounded with holiday cheer.

• Seeing “New Moon” with all of your friends.

•Being forced to see “New Moon” with your girlfriend.

• Broncos vs Colts on Sunday. Might as well chalk one up in the loss column.

• Turkey overload the week after Thanksgiving – turkey noodle soup, turkey quesadillas, turkey sandwiches. How many combinations can you think of?

• Fire alarm malfunctions. We don’t care about safety, we just don’t want to stand in the cold.

• Not having a Spanish book to study for finals with. Thank you, budget cuts.

• The new pre-game basketball clothing. Are they supposed to be ghost busters?

• New CHSAA rules that say sports can have of-ficial practices over Christmas break this year.

• Santa is not real.• Having to go in for Access at seven because of

teacher meetings.• Having another snow day equals school going

into summer.• Texting during ‘Anne Frank’ prompting a lecture

from Ms. Rauh the second night. It’s moments like this that make us doubt our Jaguar pride.

• Finals being so very close – looks like its time to load up on energy drinks.

You so Rock!

Tis the season, to make up for our lazinessThe yuletide cheer often lends itself to community

service and good will to the common man. Just as we give to a fat man in a fluffy suit ringing a bell, and the real fat man gives presents to the world, Rock Canyon stu-dents get out in full force, along with most of America, to help the less fortunate during the holiday season.

The National Honor Society has posted an angel tree in the Castle Pines King Soopers.

The lesser fortunate can post their needs or desires, and others shopping in King Soopers can pick a wish, and act as an angel to the person by fulfilling their wish.

While selecting a wish from the tree, one person said of the idea, “It’s an honor to be able to do something that’s bigger than ourselves ... to show a little humility to others regardless of their stature in life.”

Melissa Rosati’s advisement students are taking turns helping out at a homeless shelter.

Both the Culinary and Spanish Honor Society clubs have plans to do some volunteering of their own.

But more generally, soup kitchens, clothing drives, and roadside pan-handlers see a remarkable spike in aid during the holidays.

“We definitely see more volunteers this time of year,” said Holly Skinner, director of the Salvation Army of Somerset County. “I think once the holidays come around it makes people open their eyes and realize that

there are families that might not be able to afford dinner or buy gifts. Our food donations also pick up a lot during this time of year.”

It is both uplifting and heart-warming to see this yearly flood of generosity. It is equally troubling to see the drop-off at the end of the yuletide.

Wouldn’t it be nice, just one year, for the Santa’s to lose the outfits, and ask of people their loose change every day of the year?

What if the boxes sat out every day, reminding us that even if it isn’t the biting cold of winter, there is still some-one out there in need of a coat. Would it be offensive to anyone if there was an Angel Tree sitting in the entryway to King Soopers all year long?

The need is no less any other time of year, the dona-tions are no less appreciated, and undoubtedly, the rewards are still just as great on both ends.

There is no one forcing people to donate. No guns stuck to anyone’s heads telling them to give to their fellow man. People give during Christmas because the joy of the holidays seems to lift people’s hearts and drop their hands into their wallets.

But recessions and dire need know no season. So just once, let this be the year when the giving doesn’t stop when the holiday jingles do.

Editorial BoardAlex Rowe-Editor in ChiefConnor Dozois-Online Editor Logan Thompson-Online AssistantDaniel Wheeler-News Editor Ade Eichie-News AssistantMeghan Long-Sports Editor Zach Tornabene-Sports AssistantPaige Newman-Culture Editor Alex Tuccy-Culture AssistantRachel Curtright-Visual Editor Paige Hesen-Visual AssistantLaura Romer-Community Editor Alyssa Jones-Community AssistantThe Couch-Copy EditorJack Kennedy-Non-voting Adviser

Reporting and Photography StaffEvan AlmonZach AndersonAmanda BeckerJensen BliesmerDanielle BurrageJennifer BurtonMichael DempseyDrew DoddsSkyler DraperAustin EnterlineMadelyn FalkErika GuilbaultEmma Kate FittesAustin FrankelLacy HardawaySara HeynMaddie Jones

Sean KovacsMackenzie MarkeySean McGavinLauren PackerCaley PavillardAlexandra PedrinanTaylor PettawayMatt RabonKate ReadyRebecca RuhLauren ScheirmanCourtney SchellengerBrooke SkinnerCurtis StuckMyles WallingfordMax Wellman

The Rock invites your comments. Letters to the editor and commentary submissions are encour-aged. You are also encouraged to submit coverage ideas, cartoons, photos, or anything else you want to see in The RockOpinions of the staff of The Rock are presented as editorials. All editorials are at least the majority view of the editorial board. We also feature a number of columnists and commentary writers. Their opinions are their own.

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Rock Canyon High School5810 McArthur Ranch RoadHighlands Ranch, CO 80124Phone 303.387.3060 / Fax 303.387.3001

Congress shall make no law respecting an estab-lishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exer-cise therof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment2008-09 NSPA All-American

B-Semester one report card

ACA

C-BBF

First period: healthy decisions

Second period: team sports

Third period: community involvement

Fourth period: administrative dismissal After school: spirit

Seventh period: performing arts

Sixth period: public speaking

Fifth period: RCTVOtherwise known as student decisions. Despite the majority of students behaving well – there have been few problems with tardiness and the Commons haven’t closed because of fighting – there are still several students practicing idiocy with incidents like pulling the fire alarm.

Fall sports were fantastic. Despite a disappointing post-season, football still made the playoffs with a win-ning record, and soccer almost repeated at state. Poms just became state champions, and the winter athletics have all begun with victories. Congratulations, Jags. We are no longer just an academic school.

Our charitable contributions have been seriously lacking this semester. The Invisible Children club was going to return, but to no avail; the same with the Key Club blood drive. There is plenty of charity now, but we shouldn’t wait until the end of the semester to save our grade.

The students, teachers, and administrators all handled the changes to the schedule beautifully. There have not been any serious open campus incidents, and off periods have been used productively by everyone. No fights, pregnancies, or drug busts? Surprise!

After switching to one broadcast a week – which meant that there is only mass communication to the student body for 15 minutes a week – it was expected that every week would be a brilliant extravaganza. Now we are left wishing for Laisyzer.

This relates to communication from the administration. Rumors have been flying around constantly this year, from the homecoming dance policy, to teachers leaving. Communication has been okay, but with the diminished presence of RCTV, there needs to be another way to reach the students.

The theatre program has put on three productions, and there have been multiple concerts. Julia Dale has breathed new life into the choir program, marching band was great this fall and orchestra and band are top notch. Now start finding ways to reach out to the student body.

At the beginning, it looked like there would finally be some hope for Rock Canyon spirit, but those hopes were quickly demolished. Spirit was appalling this semester. Fans don’t even show up for playoff games anymore, and we hardly dressed up for spirit week. Seri-ously, are we that busy that we can’t support our peers?

Shouldn’t we care about the less fortunate 365 days a year?