2270 Highway 133 Carbondale, CO 81623 March 2015 Volume 8 Issue 6

The RampageThe road less traveled:Alternative post-high school paths-Emily Bruell

Stress is practically tangible for seniors all over the country this time of year. For many, the college acceptance letters they receive–or not, as the case may be–will determine the

course of their future, at least for the next four years. However, four years of high school followed by immediate college enroll-ment isn’t the only option for students.

Tony Landy, a relative of Roaring Fork Student Beymar Sil-va, graduated early from his Mexico high school, and says it was defi nitely the right choice. Because he wasn’t feeling challenged enough in school, he decided to gather credits as quickly as pos-sible. Putting in extra effort to gain more credits was defi nitely worth it, Landy says. By the time he graduated, he was two years ahead of schedule with many more than the requisite number of credits. After graduation, Landy moved to the United States and entered the workforce. It was there that he learned English, which he counts as one of his most valuable experiences to date. It’s opened up numerous employment opportunities, in-cluding the future possibility of becoming an English teacher back in Mexico. Although Landy hasn’t been able to go to college, his early graduation has, he believes, kept that door open for him should he ever wish to go back to school. “If colleges see that you have more credits than needed and graduated at sixteen, they can see that you’re determined,” he said, adding that this impressive aca-demic track record could pave the road to scholarships.

Roaring Fork 2014 graduate Ticah Burrows wanted to make the most of her time right after high school. “I was honestly kind of sick of school,” she admitted, adding that “I really had no idea what I wanted to study.” Rather than wasting time and money in college fi guring out what she wanted, she chose to take a gap year and fi ll it with new experience and adventure. In the summer, she spent fi ve to six days a week in a local internship for permaculture, or sustainable ecology and agri-culture. This internship pushed her to open herself up to more experiences, Burrows said, such as sculpting a giant face using a mixture of clay, water, sand, and cow manure. “Once I was knee-deep [in the mixture], I kind of got over it,” Burrows said, adding that it ended up being one of the

highlights of her experience. Ul-timately, this internship inspired her to go to college, majoring in a similar fi eld. “I got to experience my pas-sion fi rsthand,” she recalled, “and I fell in love with it. So much so, I’ve decided to major in biology.” Her internship is over, but Burrows is still knee-deep in ad-venture, making the most of her time before college. She’s trav-eled to Europe (highlights in-cluded watching a Shakespear-ean play in the Globe Theatre, exploring abandoned castles in Ireland, and fi nding an elf school in Iceland) and has further plans to visit friends in Uganda and Nova Scotia. What advice would Burrows give for other students in her

situation? She would say, “If you are unsure about what path you want to take, wait, search out real-life experiences, do ev-erything you can because you will never be less tethered in your life than you are when you graduate high school.”

Foreign places, eager students-Kristin Page

Many students have taken the opportunities the foreign ex-change program, Rotary International, has offered. Among other things, the Rotary Club funds exchange programs and offers scholarships to help improve the lives of others in many different countries. Although many members of the RFHS community benefi t from Rotary’s foreign exchange program, a few have been person-ally transformed through the experience. Junior Manuel Cortina,

who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, enrolled in RFHS in February. He will live with junior Chloe Brand’s family while he studies here for a year. Junior Megan Webber will jet off to New Zealand in August. Cortina chose to study abroad in Colorado partly for its mountains, which are known around the world. So far, he enjoys Carbondale because it is “safer here than where I come from” and the U.S. is “fancy,” just like it appears in the movies. Not everything is what Cortina expected here. For instance, the education system in the U.S. has many different qualities than schools overseas. “Schools in Argentina are very small and only have around seven classrooms and not a lot of students” described Cor-tina. Fortunately, Cortina knew how to speak English fl uently before he moved to the U.S. because he had taken four years of English in Argentina. (Continued on page 2)

What’s Inside:

Burrows looked into alternative options after high school and ended up having great experiences that gave her clarity in terms of her future plans. This photo of Burrows was taken during her travels in Iceland.

RFHS Alumni (Page 2)

Healthy Eating with Hentschel

(Page 6)

Baseball: New Field, Team,

and Year(Page 6)

Achievement Gap

(Pages 3 & 4)

Feature2 Rampage | March 2015

-Edgar Reyna

How far have RFHS alumni made it in life? Do they do what they said they wanted to do, or are they stuck doing something they never thought of pursuing? No matter how unex-pected their paths may have been, many former Rams seem to be living happy and successful lives. Dan Self (Class of ‘94) said he enjoyed his time at Roaring Fork:

“RFHS had a big im-pact on me...It helped me figure out the per-son I was meant to be.” Dan explained that the mentors he had helped him succeed to his fullest potential. “They prepared me be-yond my expectations,” he said. Self grew up know-ing what he wanted to pursue, and that’s ex-actly what his career is based on: psychol-ogy and biblical stud-ies. Self loved what his

father preached on the weekend. Now, he has followed in his father’s footsteps and become the new pastor at local church, The Orchard. Janae Huck, another graduate (Class of ‘99), is also satisfied with the outcome of her life. Not only is she grateful for RFHS, she also thanks the mentors she had throughout her high school experience. “It amazed me how Roaring Fork had a huge impact on who I

am today... [my peers and teachers] showed me the way of right from wrong,” Huck said. Huck is now the Di-rector of Nursing at Grace Health Care in Glenwood Springs, and has three kids of her own, whom she calls “my motivation to suc-ceed in life.” Beyond supporting her family, Huck plans to enjoy every single minute of her life. “I don’t want to look back

and regret anything,” she said. Other RFHS gradu-ates, like Monica Gri-jalva (Class of 2012) are still working towards where they want to be in life. In an interview through Facebook, she said her plans in-clude “being done with school, and having my Master’s degree.” After receiving her degree in Sociology and Crimi-nology, Grijalva wants to work in a field of so-cial science.

Grijalva considers her Roaring Fork High School education an important step toward her future. “RFHS made me the person I am today,” she said. “It also showed me the value of networking and finding the right people to talk to.” Advice these past graduates have for cur-rent RFHS students include being yourself, refusing to be discour-aged and not being afraid to ask for help.

(continued from front) To continue practicing his English, Cortina is living with Chloe Brand’s fam-ily, who has hosted exchange students in the past. Brand shared that “it’s hard sometimes” getting to know the students she welcomes into her home. Although Cortina just began his experience here, Brand has already noticed that “he’s funny, easy-going, and nice to be around.” Her favorite part about hosting exchange stu-

dents is “sharing pieces of our town and culture” because she believes “our valley still has interest-ing things to show others, even when we’re used to them.” Webber is on the other side of the journey, as she will be traveling as part of Rotary International to New Zealand for 11 months of her senior year. She is “looking forward to meeting people from all over the world.” Webber is excited to experience a different edu-cational system, to live mostly on her own, and to “have experiences that most of my friends won’t have.” The application process was long and te-dious but worth it in the end for the opportunity to study abroad, which many students never have

the opportunity to experience. International exchange programs give students opportunities to make once-in-a-lifetime memo-ries. Cortina would recommend the program to other students because “it’s very nice [that] you get to know a lot of different cultures.” Brand “would love to go” in the future and hopes to have the op-portunity in college. Former exchange student, Anika Klemmer, studied at RFHS during the 2013-2014 school year. She lived with two families during her stay in Carbondale, and she refers to them as her “second family.” Klemmer misses all the friends she made here and plans to visit Carbondale for a few weeks this summer.

Foreign places, eager students

-Eryn Doherty

Some adults may think that Roaring Fork students don’t have much of a life outside of school, yet some students have alter egos and secret passions that hold their attention more than most classes. The Rampage wanted to see if Diana Prince or Clark Kent roamed the halls at Roaring Fork with secret lives as Wonder Woman or Superman. Here is a look into two students’ alter egos... Lyle Luckett: There is much more to junior Lyle Luckett despite that he may appear like only a Colorado skier who does well in school and runs the sound system dur-ing school assemblies. Luckett is very involved in music and plays drums for two bands.. Here’s his story: Luckett has been a musician from an early age. When Luckett was grow-ing up, his parents always played music like Santana and Bruce Springsteen. “My parents finally got me a drum set because I kept banging on anything and everything that was in the house,” Luckett says. He started playing the drums when he was six years old. Luckett is now the drummer for two bands: Big Dog and the Midnight Bad-gers and The No Joes. The No Joes began when he was 10 years old when his friend and her dad formed a little band and asked Lyle to join as the drummer. Three years ago, Lyle’s friend from CRMS met another band member from school and recruited Luckett to play the drums for their band, Big Dog and the Midnight Badgers. “We clicked -- that’s how it started,” Luckett said. Luckett loves the adrenaline of performing in front of people and says it is a way of expressing himself and his creativity. “I also love the whole community aspect of music and how you can bring together a total group of strangers by just playing a couple of songs together.” Playing the drums helps Lyle escape from stress and allows him to focus on something other than school.

Hannah Bingaman: Hannah Bingaman may seem like a quiet, hard-working, and patient stu-dent. Who would have ever thought that she rides horses after school and on

RFHS alumni: Where are they now?

weekends? Bingaman participates in jumper and equestrian shows and has been riding horses since a very young age. Here’s Bingaman’s story: A freshman at Roaring Fork, and a horse enthusiast, Bingaman continues to feed her passion of riding horses. Bingaman rides English and competes in jumper and equestrian shows and also enjoys trail rides and “riding outside the ring.” Bingaman says she has always been interested in horses but never fulfilled her interest until she got old enough to ride one at age five. When asked how riding horses affects the rest of her life she replied, “It defi-nitely takes up a lot of time, but I don’t mind. Sometimes during the school year gets harder.” As for her parents, Bingaman says it’s hard on her family at times when they’d rather go camping or spend the weekend doing something else, they have to take her to shows and practice. In addition, shows, gear, horses, and

lessons cost a lot, but her parents are always there to support and watch her compete no matter what. Despite her passion, even Bingaman has mo-ments of doubt. “There are definitely days where I am not very motivated, and I doubt myself, but it’s really the only thing [outside of school] that I put effort into and want to continue doing,” Bingaman shared. Bingaman plans to im-prove and keep showing horses for as long as she can. She may even pur-sue a career in it.

The secret lives of Roaring Fork students

Feature2 Rampage | March 2015

-Edgar Reyna

How far have RFHS alumni made it in life? Do they do what they said they wanted to do, or are they stuck doing something they never thought of pursuing? No matter how unex-pected their paths may have been, many former Rams seem to be living happy and successful lives. Dan Self (Class of ‘94) said he enjoyed his time at Roaring Fork:

“RFHS had a big im-pact on me...It helped me figure out the per-son I was meant to be.” Dan explained that the mentors he had helped him succeed to his fullest potential. “They prepared me be-yond my expectations,” he said. Self grew up know-ing what he wanted to pursue, and that’s ex-actly what his career is based on: psychol-ogy and biblical stud-ies. Self loved what his

father preached on the weekend. Now, he has followed in his father’s footsteps and become the new pastor at local church, The Orchard. Janae Huck, another graduate (Class of ‘99), is also satisfied with the outcome of her life. Not only is she grateful for RFHS, she also thanks the mentors she had throughout her high school experience. “It amazed me how Roaring Fork had a huge impact on who I

am today... [my peers and teachers] showed me the way of right from wrong,” Huck said. Huck is now the Di-rector of Nursing at Grace Health Care in Glenwood Springs, and has three kids of her own, whom she calls “my motivation to suc-ceed in life.” Beyond supporting her family, Huck plans to enjoy every single minute of her life. “I don’t want to look back

and regret anything,” she said. Other RFHS gradu-ates, like Monica Gri-jalva (Class of 2012) are still working towards where they want to be in life. In an interview through Facebook, she said her plans in-clude “being done with school, and having my Master’s degree.” After receiving her degree in Sociology and Crimi-nology, Grijalva wants to work in a field of so-cial science.

Grijalva considers her Roaring Fork High School education an important step toward her future. “RFHS made me the person I am today,” she said. “It also showed me the value of networking and finding the right people to talk to.” Advice these past graduates have for cur-rent RFHS students include being yourself, refusing to be discour-aged and not being afraid to ask for help.

(continued from front) To continue practicing his English, Cortina is living with Chloe Brand’s fam-ily, who has hosted exchange students in the past. Brand shared that “it’s hard sometimes” getting to know the students she welcomes into her home. Although Cortina just began his experience here, Brand has already noticed that “he’s funny, easy-going, and nice to be around.” Her favorite part about hosting exchange stu-

dents is “sharing pieces of our town and culture” because she believes “our valley still has interest-ing things to show others, even when we’re used to them.” Webber is on the other side of the journey, as she will be traveling as part of Rotary International to New Zealand for 11 months of her senior year. She is “looking forward to meeting people from all over the world.” Webber is excited to experience a different edu-cational system, to live mostly on her own, and to “have experiences that most of my friends won’t have.” The application process was long and te-dious but worth it in the end for the opportunity to study abroad, which many students never have

the opportunity to experience. International exchange programs give students opportunities to make once-in-a-lifetime memo-ries. Cortina would recommend the program to other students because “it’s very nice [that] you get to know a lot of different cultures.” Brand “would love to go” in the future and hopes to have the op-portunity in college. Former exchange student, Anika Klemmer, studied at RFHS during the 2013-2014 school year. She lived with two families during her stay in Carbondale, and she refers to them as her “second family.” Klemmer misses all the friends she made here and plans to visit Carbondale for a few weeks this summer.

Foreign places, eager students

-Eryn Doherty

Some adults may think that Roaring Fork students don’t have much of a life outside of school, yet some students have alter egos and secret passions that hold their attention more than most classes. The Rampage wanted to see if Diana Prince or Clark Kent roamed the halls at Roaring Fork with secret lives as Wonder Woman or Superman. Here is a look into two students’ alter egos... Lyle Luckett: There is much more to junior Lyle Luckett despite that he may appear like only a Colorado skier who does well in school and runs the sound system dur-ing school assemblies. Luckett is very involved in music and plays drums for two bands.. Here’s his story: Luckett has been a musician from an early age. When Luckett was grow-ing up, his parents always played music like Santana and Bruce Springsteen. “My parents finally got me a drum set because I kept banging on anything and everything that was in the house,” Luckett says. He started playing the drums when he was six years old. Luckett is now the drummer for two bands: Big Dog and the Midnight Bad-gers and The No Joes. The No Joes began when he was 10 years old when his friend and her dad formed a little band and asked Lyle to join as the drummer. Three years ago, Lyle’s friend from CRMS met another band member from school and recruited Luckett to play the drums for their band, Big Dog and the Midnight Badgers. “We clicked -- that’s how it started,” Luckett said. Luckett loves the adrenaline of performing in front of people and says it is a way of expressing himself and his creativity. “I also love the whole community aspect of music and how you can bring together a total group of strangers by just playing a couple of songs together.” Playing the drums helps Lyle escape from stress and allows him to focus on something other than school.

Hannah Bingaman: Hannah Bingaman may seem like a quiet, hard-working, and patient stu-dent. Who would have ever thought that she rides horses after school and on

RFHS alumni: Where are they now?

weekends? Bingaman participates in jumper and equestrian shows and has been riding horses since a very young age. Here’s Bingaman’s story: A freshman at Roaring Fork, and a horse enthusiast, Bingaman continues to feed her passion of riding horses. Bingaman rides English and competes in jumper and equestrian shows and also enjoys trail rides and “riding outside the ring.” Bingaman says she has always been interested in horses but never fulfilled her interest until she got old enough to ride one at age five. When asked how riding horses affects the rest of her life she replied, “It defi-nitely takes up a lot of time, but I don’t mind. Sometimes during the school year gets harder.” As for her parents, Bingaman says it’s hard on her family at times when they’d rather go camping or spend the weekend doing something else, they have to take her to shows and practice. In addition, shows, gear, horses, and

lessons cost a lot, but her parents are always there to support and watch her compete no matter what. Despite her passion, even Bingaman has mo-ments of doubt. “There are definitely days where I am not very motivated, and I doubt myself, but it’s really the only thing [outside of school] that I put effort into and want to continue doing,” Bingaman shared. Bingaman plans to im-prove and keep showing horses for as long as she can. She may even pur-sue a career in it.

The secret lives of Roaring Fork students

Roaring Fork Choir teacher Shanti Gruber gave some very good advice to high school students about how to express yourself through art, fi nd your passion and use it, and sing, dance, and en-joy your youth. Gruber, who grew up in the Valley and attended Glenwood Springs schools, has had a passion for music since she was very young. “Music is one of my earliest memories.” Gruber said. “I would strum along on my mini-guitar while exploring my father’s wonderful record collection.” She fell in love with music in her early years, and continued throughout middle and high

Feature 3Rampage | March 2015

-Carley Moravek

“Music is a world within itself.” That’s a quote from Stevie Wonder and is certainly true in my ex-perience. Since I was young, I have loved to sing, but I had a diffi cult time expressing myself through music, especially when I moved to a new school where all of my friends were very athletic. As I approached the end of eighth grade, I fi -nally started to realize that music was a great way of expressing myself and using my energy. When I entered high school, I joined the RFHS Choir, and I began to feel more confi dent singing in front of groups. Now, I’m a sophomore, and I love to sing the Na-tional Anthem at sporting events, and to perform at community meetings. But I’m not the only student at Roaring Fork High School who has found joy in music. Junior Emily Mata describes how she couldn’t picture her life without music, even though she doesn’t think she will make a career out of it. Mata explained how her family, friends and cello teacher are immense supporters of her music. Her sister, 2014 graduate Izzy Mata, has been especially mo-tivating because she’s always encouraging her to practice. Mata has also been a member of Choir since her freshman year.

school. She couldn’t have made it to where she is now without her mentors and inspirations. This year, more students have joined Choir, and more students are dedicated to singing with passion. Gruber explains that they have an adept group, with a particularly strong group of boys.

To come support RFHS Musical Programs:- Watch the annual Kiwanis Stars of Tomorrow Tal-ent show at GSHS on March 20. - Stop by the RFHS Auditeria on May 7-9 at 7pm and May 10 at 2pm to watch our musical, “Flapper.”

Musicians, not misfi ts

-Caitlin O’Gorman

According to the American Psychiatric Association, domestic violence is “the con-trol by one partner over another in a dat-ing, marital or live-in relationship.” Domestic violence includes sexu-al and emotional abuse and occurs in every cul-ture, country and age group, including right here at RFHS and in Carbondale. The recently re-leased 2013 Healthy Kids Colorado Survey sheds light on RFHS students who have been affected by domestic

violence. 7.6% percent of the 273 students who took the survey have ex-perienced domestic vi-olence fi rsthand in the last 12 months. 4.3% percent of students at RFHS have been pres-sured into having sexu-al intorcourse. In Carbondale, the police reported 57 do-mestic calls in 2014, 26 of which resulted in cases which led to ar-rests. Mental health thera-pist Andrea Pazdera explained how fam-ily violence can affect teenagers in the short term with symptoms of depression, sleep

problems, hypervigi-lance, and some forms of post-traumatic stress disorder. Long-term ef-fects include a greater chance of the teen growing up to be in an abusive relationship. Pazdera, who works at RFHS fi ve days a week as part of the As-pen Hope Center, has worked with teenagers who have experienced abusive relationships or have family members who are abusive. Paz-dera works to ensure students in abusive situations do not stay silent. “Silence is the tool of the perpetrator,” Paz-

dera explained. In other words, if Pazdera doesn’t report the abuse, then the stu-dent could continue be-ing harmed by a family member or partner. If a student tells Pazdera he or she is being abused, Pazdera has to report it to help end the cycle of abuse and help the fam-ilies rebond. “We contact Child Protective Services (CPS) when it is a fam-ily member, but I call law enforcement when it is someone else that is hurting them,” said Pazdera. CPS tries to keep the family together and

work with the parents to resolve or release stress. To help them feel safe, CPS interviews teens without their par-ents around. When a student has brought to her attention that they are getting abused at home, she tries to make them feel safe and to make sure that they un-derstand the abuse is not their fault. Local offi cer Michael Zimmerman shared his perspective on how to deal with situations of domestic violence. When the police re-ceive a call that there is a domestic situation, the dispatcher either

lets them know if it is a domestic violence call or a disturbance call, so the police offi cers are able to prepare them-selves for either case. At the scene, the offi cers immediately attempt to separate the parties to calm the situation. “We speak calmly and quietly most often to help them react the same, but sometimes there is no other way to break through some-one’s agitation than to get loud and direct” Zimmerman said. When police offi cers respond to a domestic violence call, they fi rst-make sure all are safe.

Uncovering domestic violence

Remember:- If you fi nd out you that one of your friends has been a victim of abuse, remember that s/he has a right to stand up against how people treat him/her and to understand that what the abuser is doing to them is not okay. Encourage them to speak up, no matter what the consequence is. - Whether you call law enforcement or Child Protective Services, their systems are designed to protect you, make you feel safe, and to let you know that you’re not alone. - There are safe people in the world. You have a road to get there.

Andrea Pazdera RFHS counseling offi ce

The Aspen Hope Center

(970) 925-5858

Helping Survivors of Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault

Crisis: (970) 925-7233Admin: (970) 920-5357

picture her life without music, even though she doesn’t think she will make a career out of it. Mata explained how her family, friends and cello teacher are immense supporters of her music. Her sister,

RESOURCES:

FOCUS4 Rampage | March 2015

Throughout the United States, a stark disparity in academic achievement exists between white students and students of color. Unfortunately, the achievement gap at Roaring Fork High School and in the Roaring Fork School District is consistent with national trends. Although the achievement gap negatively affects all of us, many students do not acknowledge or discuss this academic discrepancy.

RFHS (2014) National (2011)

FAC

TORS

Latino

Native American

Anglo

Black

Asian

Enrollment in AP classes

broken down by race

RFHS Enrollment: 350 Students Racial Breakdown: 57% Hispanic and 43% Anglo

Students enrolled in

ONE Advanced Placement

class

Students enrolled in

TWO OR MORE Advanced Placement

classes

1.5%1.5%

1.5%4%

4%

4%

All you have to do is peek inside classrooms at RFHS to observe that while half our student body is Latino, almost every one of our teachers is white. � at the teaching and administrative sta� is mostly white at RFHS—and throughout RFSD—re� ects national trends. � e Center for American Progress released a study in 2014 showing that students of color make up 44% of the school-age population while teachers of color comprise only 18% of the workforce. Despite this disparity, many teachers make little to no e� ort to understand their students’ di� erent cultural backgrounds. Pair distant teachers with curricula and textbooks that may ignore, com-partmentalize, or otherwise negate their cultural and familial con-texts, and many students of color become wary of buying into an education that requires adopting unfamiliar, and sometimes hostile, cultural values and beliefs. Regardless of race, all teachers and sta� members can work to respond to their students’ cultures instead of ignoring them. In “Closing the Culture Gap,” the National Education Association’s Tim Walker describes cultural competency as “helping students make the link between what they learn in the classroom and the life they know outside of the classroom.” Culturally responsive teachers and sta� members work to understand the strengths of their stu-dents, instead of looking at students of color, or academically strug-gling students, as lacking in some way. For instance, an English teacher may ask a bilingual student to use his knowledge of Spanish to understand new vocabulary words based on Latin roots. � e stu-dent’s home language becomes an asset, rather than an impediment, to his second-language growth. Teachers should remember that they are learners, too. As Devon Alexander told Walker, “Educators have to learn about their stu-dents’ culture—from their parents, from the students, from their peers and, yes, books can help too.”

Across the nation, students of color are disciplined more harshly than their white counterparts. According to Teach-ing Tolerance, although black children constitute 18 percent of students in the U.S., they account for 46 percent of those suspended more than once. Similarly, the Southern Poverty Law Center revealed that 70 percent of all students who were involved in “in-school arrests” or referred to law enforcement were black and Latino. � e punishment for o� enses at school often involves a removal from the classroom (e.g. going to the principal’s o� ce, in- or out-of-school suspension, and expul-sion), which can result in a student falling behind academically and feeling further alienated from school. Padres y Jóvenes Unidos, based in Denver, released their “School Discipline Report Card” in March of 2014. � e report card highlights the di� erent school discipline policies in the state and scores schools based on how equitable their disciplin-ary procedures were for the 2012-2013 school year. One of the scores they give is the “Racial Inequality Index,” which indi-cates how many times more likely students of color are to be suspended, expelled, or referred to law enforcement, compared to white students. According to the report card, RFSD is one of the 25 districts with the highest racial disparities in Colo-rado with a Racial Inequality Index of 2.3. What this means is that in 2012-2013, students of color were more than twice as likely as white students to be suspended, expelled, or referred to law enforcement. Changing the inequitable discipline referrals and procedures in high schools could help students of color feel more accepted by, and less alienated from, teachers, administrators, and fellow students.

Compared to white students, black and Latino students are disporpor-tionately disciplined in school.

Teachers and staff members some-times lack the cultural competency needed to reach—and challenge—students of color.

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FOCUS Rampage | March 2015 5

College Readiness as Determined by ACT Scores

English: 18 and aboveMath: 22 and above

Reading: 22 and aboveScience: 22 and above

Anglo students achieving college

readiness

71.1%

Students of color achieving college

readiness

28.7%

Total students achieving college

readiness

49.0%

Total students achieving college

readiness

39.0%

Anglo students achieving college

readiness

49.0%

Students of color achieving college

readiness

23.0%

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Throughout the United States, a stark disparity in academic achievement exists between white students and students of color. Unfortunately, the achievement gap at Roaring Fork High School and in the Roaring Fork School District is consistent with national trends. Although the achievement gap negatively affects all of us, many students do not acknowledge or discuss this academic discrepancy.

National (2011)

1629 EAST DOLORES WAY CARBONDALE CO, 81623 (970) 948-8989 kids@sopriscrossfit.com

CrossFit Teens Monday, Wednesday, Friday @ 4:15pm

RFHS Enrollment: 350 Students Racial Breakdown: 57% Hispanic and 43% Anglo

Students enrolled in

AT LEAST ONE Advanced Placement

class

Teachers have different ex-pectations for different students which causes a gap in levels of achievement.

Many studies that have shown how a teacher’s expectation of a student can shape how successful the student will be. One reason expectations are so signi� cant is because they a� ect a person’s behavior. � is can be explained through the idea of a self-ful� lling prophecy which is de� ned by Wikipedia as “an expectation that directly or indirectly causes itself to become true due to positive feedback between belief and behavior.” � is means that expectations, however high or low, placed on stu-dents will become reality because the student will behave how s/he is expected to, con� rming the expectations of the teacher. For example, if a teacher expects a student not to perform well in their class, the teacher will give them less attention and support, which will lead to the student not doing well in their class, then con� rming the expectation. In a study conducted by Robert Rosenthal, he found that “expectations a� ect teachers’ moment-to-moment interactions with the children they teach in a thousand almost invisible ways. Teachers give the students that they expect to succeed more time to answer questions, more speci� c feedback, and more approval: they consistently touch, nod and smile at those kids more.” A teacher’s expectations of a student can a� ect their behavior to-wards the student, which, in turn, a� ects how successful a stu-dent will be.

At Roaring Fork High School, 25% of Anglo students are enrolled in Advanced Placement classes while only 12% of stu-dents of color are enrolled in AP classes. � ere could be many reasons for this discrepancy, but two major reasons are tracking (the separation of students based on academic ability) and ste-reotype threat (a fear of con� rming negative stereotypes about one’s own group). Tracking at RFHS causes students to be with the same people for many of their classes. For example, when students are placed in everyday math classes or English Lab classes, it limits their scheduling options, and many times they end up in all of the same classes and travel as a group. It is the same with AP classes. � e tracking of students prevents people in everyday math class-es and English Lab classes from enrolling in AP classes because many of the classes do not work with their schedules. It is also hard for these students to integrate themselves into a group di� erent than the one they are usually in classes with due to stereotype threat. According to the American Psychologi-cal Association, “group stereotypes can threaten how students evaluate themselves, which then alters academic identity and in-tellectual performance.” � ere is the stereotype that students of color don’t perform as well in school, and the fear of con� rming this stereotype can deter students from enrolling in higher level classes especially when the majority of students in these classes is white.

• Create an Ethnic Studies class that empowers stu-dents of color and increases conversation around issues of equity.

• Provide training for teachers and staff to increase their cultural competency and provide spaces for teachers to acknowledge their own privilege.

• Research high schools that have narrowed the achievement gap, and implement their teaching practices in our district.

• Recruit more culturally responsive teachers and/or more teachers of color.

• Allocate more funding, training, and time for teach-ers to increase the academ-ic achievement of students of color.

• Research more equitable ways of disciplining students, including restorative justice and positive behavior modi-fi cation.

What Can We Do to Narrow the Achievement Gap?Tracking and stereotype threat

can prevent some students from enrolling in higher level classes.

Sports6 Rampage | March 2015

As teenagers, our bodies are growing and changing, which makes healthy eating and ex-ercise habits important in creating and maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle. These are the years when we are creating habits, both good and bad, and some of these habits can stick around for the rest of our lives. What we eat--and if we eat--affects not only our bodies, but also our brains and performance.

Better eating equals better thinking-Bella Bailey

Skipping meals: If you are one of the many high school stu-dents who doesn’t eat breakfast or lunch, you are not alone. RFHS recently took the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, and only 44.9% of students said they ate breakfast all seven days of the week. You may be skipping meals for one of two rea-sons: you don’t have time to eat or to prepare a meal before you leave for school, or you are skip-ping meals because it is one of the newest and most popular forms of losing weight. Skipping meals is a lot more unhealthy than you might think. An anonymous student at Roaring Fork High School, who has been struggling with skipping meals, admits, “When I’m with bigger groups I’ll eat, but when I’m alone, I don’t find an interest in eating. Even though I realize it’s bad, I still do it.” She confessed that she has been skipping meals to try to lose weight. She shared that what helps her “is surrounding yourself with people who will help you.” The biggest reason skipping meals is so bad for you is its results on your blood sugar. “When you eat a meal, your body breaks up the food. Some of this food is stored as fat, while other parts of it en-ter your bloodstream as sugar, and work to provide you with energy throughout the day. When you skip a meal, your blood sugar drops dramatically,” Fit Day states. Skipping a meal can make you feel “sluggish and tired, and can further cause problems with your body.” If you are trying to lose weight by skipping meals, you are actually doing the complete oppo-site. Skipping meals can wreck your metabolism. Your metabolism works to break down the food you consume into smaller usable parts. When you are not eating, your metabolism has nothing to do, and it begins to slow down. Then, when you actu-ally eat something, your metabolism is not able to break down the food as quickly, so it is then stored as fat.

Unhealthy eating habits: Hot Cheetos, popcorn chicken, Munchies, Dr. Pepper: these are some of the things RFHS stu-dents regularly buy for lunch at 7-11 or City Mar-ket. Although you should be eating regularly, you should also be paying attention to what you’re eat-ing. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, unhealthy food can result in effects such as poor brain function. In order for your brain to run, it needs glucose, vitamins, minerals and other essen-tial chemicals. If you are not consuming the right nutrients, your brain will not work properly. Another outcome of unhealthy eating habits is mood problems. The chemicals in your brain that give out “positive moods” depend on food and nu-trients for proper function. Junk food consists of large amounts of fat which can accumulate in your body, resulting in weight gain and, perhaps, obesity. As you gain more weight, you are at greater risk for having chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Also, high levels of sodium in processed foods can cause high blood pressure or hypertension.

Mr. Hentschel’s Exceptional

Eating Habits

Hadley Hentschel, RFHS sci-ence teacher, told The Rampage via email about his daily eating and exercise habits. “I eat a lot and pretty regularly. Breakfast around 7 [is] a pretty set rou-tine,” he explained.

Breakfast:Monday = Cereal Tuesday = PancakesWednesday = EggsThursday = OatmealFriday = No set scheduleWeekends = Whatever he feels like making

After Breakfast:“I then have some kind of breakfast-y snack between first [period] and second [period] (either banana bread, fruit or yogurt).”

Lunch: “Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before, and I try to make it my biggest meal of the day.”

Snacks:“I’ll snack on a nut mix throughout the afternoon.”

Dinner: “We have dinner around 6:00. It’s always home-cooked and typically heavier on vegetables than meat and carbs.”

Dessert: “I typically finish off with a bowl of ice cream just before bed.”

RFHS baseball started another season on Monday, Febru-ary 23. The team is young in age, but head coach Marty Madsen is very optimistic and believes that they “will surprise people with their abilities.” He said that although the team is still de-

veloping their skills, they are eager to learn. Many key players on the team graduated last spring leaving a lot of room for un-derclassmen on varsity. Al-though the team is primarily freshmen and sophomores (with the exception of a few seniors) many of the other teams in the 3A league are

made up of underclassmen as well. Teams like Gunnison

and Olathe, however, have many returning seniors, so Roaring Fork may need to “step up,” in order to play at their level. The program received a new field and Booster booth that was set up by players, vol-unteers and coaches last fall in hopes of attracting more spectators to the games. “We are hoping that these changes will make the ball games more enjoyable -- so that [fans] will come back,” Madsen said. Make sure to come out and support your Rams this baseball season.

Beginning in January, dedicated Roaring Fork students have been staying after school to get in shape for the upcoming track and field season by running, practicing their throwing, and completing other workouts. P.E. and Health teacher Ken Woodard, who joined RFHS last year and has been coaching for the past 10 years, said he is “excited to get more people to go out” for track this year and commented that the team will be “more competitive” than last year. Track isn’t just about going out and running or throwing. For some students, it is a way to relieve stress. Benjamin Romero, RFHS junior, has been going out for track every spring since his seventh grade year. “It makes me feel safe and makes me forget things,” Romero commented. For other students, track and field is a way to show their true potential. Senior Jose Lopez said “It’s an individual sport [so]you get to show your talents.”

Field after rennovations

Field before rennovations

Spring Sports Preview:Track and Baseball-Beymar Silva

-Elle Derby

Photos by Marty Madsen

Sports6 Rampage | March 2015

As teenagers, our bodies are growing and changing, which makes healthy eating and ex-ercise habits important in creating and maintaining a healthy and happy lifestyle. These are the years when we are creating habits, both good and bad, and some of these habits can stick around for the rest of our lives. What we eat--and if we eat--affects not only our bodies, but also our brains and performance.

Better eating equals better thinking-Bella Bailey

Skipping meals: If you are one of the many high school stu-dents who doesn’t eat breakfast or lunch, you are not alone. RFHS recently took the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey, and only 44.9% of students said they ate breakfast all seven days of the week. You may be skipping meals for one of two rea-sons: you don’t have time to eat or to prepare a meal before you leave for school, or you are skip-ping meals because it is one of the newest and most popular forms of losing weight. Skipping meals is a lot more unhealthy than you might think. An anonymous student at Roaring Fork High School, who has been struggling with skipping meals, admits, “When I’m with bigger groups I’ll eat, but when I’m alone, I don’t find an interest in eating. Even though I realize it’s bad, I still do it.” She confessed that she has been skipping meals to try to lose weight. She shared that what helps her “is surrounding yourself with people who will help you.” The biggest reason skipping meals is so bad for you is its results on your blood sugar. “When you eat a meal, your body breaks up the food. Some of this food is stored as fat, while other parts of it en-ter your bloodstream as sugar, and work to provide you with energy throughout the day. When you skip a meal, your blood sugar drops dramatically,” Fit Day states. Skipping a meal can make you feel “sluggish and tired, and can further cause problems with your body.” If you are trying to lose weight by skipping meals, you are actually doing the complete oppo-site. Skipping meals can wreck your metabolism. Your metabolism works to break down the food you consume into smaller usable parts. When you are not eating, your metabolism has nothing to do, and it begins to slow down. Then, when you actu-ally eat something, your metabolism is not able to break down the food as quickly, so it is then stored as fat.

Unhealthy eating habits: Hot Cheetos, popcorn chicken, Munchies, Dr. Pepper: these are some of the things RFHS stu-dents regularly buy for lunch at 7-11 or City Mar-ket. Although you should be eating regularly, you should also be paying attention to what you’re eat-ing. According to The San Francisco Chronicle, unhealthy food can result in effects such as poor brain function. In order for your brain to run, it needs glucose, vitamins, minerals and other essen-tial chemicals. If you are not consuming the right nutrients, your brain will not work properly. Another outcome of unhealthy eating habits is mood problems. The chemicals in your brain that give out “positive moods” depend on food and nu-trients for proper function. Junk food consists of large amounts of fat which can accumulate in your body, resulting in weight gain and, perhaps, obesity. As you gain more weight, you are at greater risk for having chronic illness such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. Also, high levels of sodium in processed foods can cause high blood pressure or hypertension.

Mr. Hentschel’s Exceptional

Eating Habits

Hadley Hentschel, RFHS sci-ence teacher, told The Rampage via email about his daily eating and exercise habits. “I eat a lot and pretty regularly. Breakfast around 7 [is] a pretty set rou-tine,” he explained.

Breakfast:Monday = Cereal Tuesday = PancakesWednesday = EggsThursday = OatmealFriday = No set scheduleWeekends = Whatever he feels like making

After Breakfast:“I then have some kind of breakfast-y snack between first [period] and second [period] (either banana bread, fruit or yogurt).”

Lunch: “Lunch is usually leftovers from the night before, and I try to make it my biggest meal of the day.”

Snacks:“I’ll snack on a nut mix throughout the afternoon.”

Dinner: “We have dinner around 6:00. It’s always home-cooked and typically heavier on vegetables than meat and carbs.”

Dessert: “I typically finish off with a bowl of ice cream just before bed.”

RFHS baseball started another season on Monday, Febru-ary 23. The team is young in age, but head coach Marty Madsen is very optimistic and believes that they “will surprise people with their abilities.” He said that although the team is still de-

veloping their skills, they are eager to learn. Many key players on the team graduated last spring leaving a lot of room for un-derclassmen on varsity. Al-though the team is primarily freshmen and sophomores (with the exception of a few seniors) many of the other teams in the 3A league are

made up of underclassmen as well. Teams like Gunnison

and Olathe, however, have many returning seniors, so Roaring Fork may need to “step up,” in order to play at their level. The program received a new field and Booster booth that was set up by players, vol-unteers and coaches last fall in hopes of attracting more spectators to the games. “We are hoping that these changes will make the ball games more enjoyable -- so that [fans] will come back,” Madsen said. Make sure to come out and support your Rams this baseball season.

Beginning in January, dedicated Roaring Fork students have been staying after school to get in shape for the upcoming track and field season by running, practicing their throwing, and completing other workouts. P.E. and Health teacher Ken Woodard, who joined RFHS last year and has been coaching for the past 10 years, said he is “excited to get more people to go out” for track this year and commented that the team will be “more competitive” than last year. Track isn’t just about going out and running or throwing. For some students, it is a way to relieve stress. Benjamin Romero, RFHS junior, has been going out for track every spring since his seventh grade year. “It makes me feel safe and makes me forget things,” Romero commented. For other students, track and field is a way to show their true potential. Senior Jose Lopez said “It’s an individual sport [so]you get to show your talents.”

Field after rennovations

Field before rennovations

Spring Sports Preview:Track and Baseball-Beymar Silva

-Elle Derby

Photos by Marty Madsen

News 7Rampage | March 2015

OpinionRFHS needs to work toward “common goal”

- Katie Weimer In December of 2014, randomly selected K-12 students through-out the district took the manda-tory Panorama Education Student Perception survey reflecting on the overall environment of their school. The results from the RFHS overall school data, released on February 3, showed that students’ favorable perception of their school was al-most 10 percent lower than the rest of the district in the three main cat-egories of Grit, Learning Strategies, and Sense of Belonging. For example, when asked the question, “How often do you check to make sure you understand the material you are learning in class?” with the option of five multiple-choice answers (almost never, once in a while, sometimes, frequently, almost always), 57% of RFHS students answered favorably whereas the district averaged 66% favorable responses. One of the questions that particularly caused concern among staff members and students was this one: “At your school, how accepted do you feel by other students?” Roaring Fork’s percentage, 57%, was significantly lower than the district’s at 67%. With only 43% of students giving favorable re-sponses, “How much do you matter to others at this school?” was the question with the lowest per-centage as compared with the district’s 51%. The RFSD data is averaged across all of the dis-trict’s schools, including elementary and middle

Panorama Surveys prove there’s room to grow

-Wes Engstrom, guest contributor The results of the 2014 Panorama Student Perception Survey prove that we are a student population divided in our attitudes regarding the general climate of our school. Close to half of all students surveyed responded with fa-vorable responses (between 43 and 57 percent). Frankly, I am not surprised by these results. The survey results prove that my own perception of my school climate differs from that of about half of my classmates. I am one of the students who would have responded favorably to most of the questions posed by the survey. The fact that other students feel negatively towards this school is apparent to me every day. I refuse to give the survey too much credibility because I think these results are slanted by fellow students who thrive on negativity and judgment. Students blame staff members for their own shortcomings and seem to be shortsighted as to the reality of the environment at RFHS. Complaining about the school is rampant and seems to just feed into and perpetuate the negativity. I am aware that my experience is not going to be that of everyone. There is always room for improvement, and we should make an effort as a school to capitalize on the positive and become more proactive about addressing the negative. Incessant complaining needs to stop. Those students that truly feel that our school climate does not embrace them deserve validation, while those that just want to capitalize on their rebellious attitude towards all things school need to realize that their negativity is toxic for our environment. The real question becomes how we can all work together for a common goal when some individuals don’t seem to want a positive outcome. I wish there was a way to identify those student that are truly seeking a positive experience and not finding it here at RFHS. I, for one, am willing to meet this challenge head-on. I want my classmates to appreciate all of the good things we have here while at the same time identifying what we can all

schools. Students from elementary schools tend to have more favorable attitudes toward school, which could explain part of the difference between the RFHS and district data. For instance, for grades three through five across the district, stu-dents’ overall perception of their schools was 78% favorable, compared with 60% favorable for grades six through twelve across the district. When comparing RFHS to other RFSD high schools, however, RFHS’ numbers are still lower. For instance, the Sense of Belonging category RFHS earned 49% favorable responses as com-pared with the area high schools’ 58% average.Assistant Principal Kelsie Goodman explained that the survey results provide the opportunity for staff members to consider how they can “be the best that we can be for each student.” She explained that a highly effective teacher

has the greatest impact on student learning. Just as teachers ask students to push themselves to “ask the hard questions,” she said students should also be able to challenge their teachers to improve. “We need to have a growth mindset, too,” Good-man said. According to the Roaring Fork School District (RFSD) newsletter, the purpose of the Panorama survey was to encourage teachers to reflect on and improve their practice. “The surveys are not used as a formal part of teacher evaluations, but instead as a feedback tool for learning and improvement,” the newsletter stated. On their website, Panorama Education states that the survey, “measures student perceptions of teaching and learning.” This was the district’s first year implementing this particular survey.

do to make things better for those not quite feeling the same level of comfort as others. Perhaps taking this survey a step further and really asking our stu-dent population for more details about their perceptions could be a starting point for getting to the bottom of this and then implementing some positive changes. We should not let this survey just drop by the wayside but let it start a discussion.

Illustration by guest contributor Justice Bouchet

Rampage Staff

Editors in ChiefRoy Benge

Kristen Joiner

Managing EditorFinn Featherstone

PhotographerLucy Stevens

Editorial StaffGrace BrownKayla DerbyJake KelleyFiona LairdJames Long

Caitlin O’GormanJake RusbyTavia Teitler

ReportersJonny ArandaBella Bailey

Hayden Bernot Elle Derby

Eryn DohertyJacky Jacquez

Carley MoravekMaeve O’Donnell Pax

Kristin PageEdgar ReynaBeymar SilvaKatie Weimer

Policy Statement:

Published eight times a year, the student

newspaper of Roaring Fork High School is a public forum, with its student editorial board making all decisions

concerning its content. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the

editorial board.

Questions? Concerns?

Contact us at rframpage@gmail.com

Heard in the Hallways

Entertainment8 Rampage | March 2015

The Rampage would like to thank the Booster Club and the

Town of Carbondale for generously supporting our newspaper.

Whoopers• AllthesnowfinallymovedbackovertousfromtheEast.

• Skiingconditionsarereallygoodnow.

• Wearethree-quartersofthewaythroughschool!

• Seniorsarefindingoutwhatcollegestheygotinto.

• Springsportsarestarting.

Bloopers• Theroadsarehorriblerightnow.• Thenewsnowalreadykilledaskier.• Adressthatnobodyownsruinedfriendshipsworldwide.

• Marchisamonthconsumedbystandardizedtestsanddepression.

• Ralph(mathteacher)confirmedthathe’snotcomingbacknextyear.

-Roy Benge As an ongoing column, “Gems of the Valley” will feature Rampage staff picks of the best outdoor spots where we think our Rams should stomp their hooves.

When it was looking like spring might come a few months early, as the snow around Car-bondale melted and 60 degrees and sunny became the norm, many people from the valley donned sun-glasses and t-shirts

and headed out to hike. But where’s the best place to go when spring weather leaves most trails muddy until as late as May? Mushroom Rock. The south-facing hill means that it dries out quickly, and once you reach the top and walk out onto “The Mushroom,” one of the best views in the valley greets you. From up high, the town of Carbondale, Mt. So-pris, and the Roaring Fork River extend out in front of you.

How to get there: Driving from Car-bondale, head down Highway 133 towards Highway 82, and then proceed straight through the intersec-tion and into the dirt parking lot at the bot-tom of Red Hill.

Park at the bot-tom of the road and then hike up towards the trailhead, which is about a quarter mile up on the left.

What to do: Hike or bike! There are three main trails leading up into a larger trail network as you get higher up. The main routes all lead to the top, where you will find the main view. Here, you can leap out onto a mushroom-shaped rock which was once used as a Na-tive American lookout. The trails are per-fect singletrack, and they’re amazing to

mountain bike when it gets dry enough. The photo ops are prime, and it’s hard to beat the nice evening sun-shine on Mushroom Rock.

Word to the wise: This time of year, stay on the most south-facing routes as they will be the dri-est. When walking up the road towards the trail, stay on the side because cars come up and down, and most of the corners are blind. Also, keep your dog on a leash and pick up after them! Most im-portantly, have fun and stay safe.

“You are more loved than you will ever know. There is no failure: only unfinished success. Be the change.

Be the hero of your own story.” - Sue Edelstein and Bill Spence

“I never have any homework because I do it all in class,” “When do you find time to do it in class?” “Normally the day it’s due... In conclusion, I don’t have the best grades.”

“Stromboli is just a greasy clump of meats in no particular manner, and its more attractive than anyone in the world.”

“I’ve grown content with the fact that I’m going to hell.”

Gems of the Valley

“Yo, what’s the answer to number 12?” “Yes?” “Dude, its an equation.” “The ESPN publicity is turning from sports to gossip so much that I’m scared.”

“It’s so great when you eat some food and then look down and there’s more and it’s just for you.”

Photo by Ruby Lang