The Rampage

Contact us at rframpage@gmail.com

2270 Highway 133 Carbondale , CO 81623 January 2016 Volume 9 Issue 4

Ram Relations:

The students at RFHS often consider themselves a large family. Within the Ram clan however, there are a fair share of blood relatives as well. Here is a little look into the lives and relationships of some of the

brothers and sisters at RFHS.

Q: Who is your mom’s favorite?

Lux: Probably Lorenzo. Lorenzo: I mean, you know, I’m pretty cool.Lux: Yeah, he’s Mommy’s boy.Lorenzo: I’m just nicer.Lux: No, I guess he’s more obedient.Lorenzo: And nicer.

Q: What is a pet peeve that you have that your sibling does?

Lux: Maybe that he gets to go out more than I do, because he’s older and he’s a boy and I’m a girl and I have to stay home.Lorenzo: I don’t know. Sometimes she talks a lot. Lux: That’s true. I do talk a lot.

Q: What is your favorite memory that you have with each other?

Lux: That’s hard. I have a lot. Maybe playing video games when we were younger.Lorenzo: Probably playing soccer when we were little.

Q: Who is your mom’s favorite?

Kendall: Me. That would be me. Because I’m nicer and I listen. Hayden: No, it’s me.Kendall: Oh my god! No it’s not. Hayden: Bet. Kendall: Yeah I’ll bet

Q: What is your favorite thing about each other?

Kendall: Probably that he doesn’t take anything too seriously. Like he takes the things seriously that need to be taken seriously, but he makes everything fun. Hayden: Probably that she doesn’t complain all the time. She’s pretty mel-low.

Q: Who is your mom’s favorite?

William: Well, obvi-ously me. Like, I’m the clean one. I actually pick up my room.Lyle: Well, like, at sur-face level, yes, but then when you go deeper, you realize that she loves us both.

Q: What is a pet peeve that you have that your sibling does?

William: Lyle is non-responsive. Like you’re trying to talk with him, and he won’t answer you because he’s on his phone, and when he’s on his computer, he won’t even look up from it for like, an hour. It’s horrible. Lyle: William is re-ally annoying with his

Hayden and Kendall Bernot

Lux and Lorenzo Andrade

Photo credits: Eryn Doherty and Fiona Laird

Lyle and William Luckett

snapchats and his vines. He plays them all the time.William: No, I hate vine!Lyle: ...and he plays his snapchats so loud.William: No! No, no, no, that’s you. Lyle, that’s you.Lyle: He plays them all the time at full volume when I’m trying to study or do something impor-tant. William: I don’t do that.

Whatʼs Inside

New Yearʼs Perspective

pg. 4-5

Nordic Skiingpg. 2

Club Volleyball

pg. 7

Gems of the Valleypg. 8

Students, Siblings, and the Roaring Fork Spirit

Feature 2Rampage

January 2016

As the school year goes on and her ten-month stay begins to come to a close, Barbara Ballico is finally starting to find her niche here in Carbon-dale. Last August, Ballico said farewell to her fam-ily and friends and left her hometown of Udine, Italy to spend 10 months as an exchange student in Carbondale. Living in a town so different from her home in Italy has been a very unique and challenging expe-rience for Ballico. “The culture is totally different here. It’s sometimes difficult because you have a different mind,” Ballico says. Ballico says when she first got here it was hard because she didn’t know anyone. Also, speaking English was a barrier that she is still learning to overcome. However, being at Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) has made the change a little easier. Ballico says, “The difference between Roaring Fork High School and [school in] Italy is that you love your school, and we hate our school. Students become depressed so easily about grades in Italy.” She adds that she’s not used to football games and cheerleaders making her “American high school” experience more fun. Ballico claims that some of her favorite teach-ers are helping her in school. “Mrs.Wright and Mr.Wells help me all the time and they’re so nice

RFHS students are similar in many ways: they go to the same school, they attend many of the same classes, they know many of the same people. However, there is huge variety in the activities and interests RFHS students choose to pursue in their time outside of class. For RFHS students Wes Engstrom, Katelyn Krehbiel, Will Rose and Robbie Thompson, one of these interests is nor-dic skiing. These students are part of the Aspen Valley Ski Club (AVSC) Down Valley Nordic Team and will be skiing and competing all winter long. The AVSC Down Valley team consists of students from RFHS, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, and Glenwood and Basalt High Schools. The team practices almost everyday after school at Spring Gulch or Marion Gulch above Carbondale. For Junior Wes Engstrom, who had been doing Nordic for the past few years, one of the best parts is, “being able to go up to Spring Gulch which is such a beautiful area.” Practices consist of weight training, distance and speed workouts. In addition to practice, some members of the team compete in races on the weekends. There are six CHSAA races throughout the season at various ski areas around the state. The skiers can also qualify for the Colorado High School State Skiing Championships which will be held this year at their home course in Aspen. High School races are typically 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) long. Will Rose, a RFHS freshman and member of the AVSC Down Valley Nordic Team, says he likes

racing because, “It’s really fun to go fast and push yourself.” However, he claims his least favorite part of the sport is, “the last 100 meters of a race where you want to fall over and faint.” Junior Katelyn Krehbiel, in addition to being

and funny. Mr.Wells always says hello to me in Italian.” She also says that she enjoys learning Spanish and connects well with how Span-ish teacher Jill Knaus structures the lessons in class. Along with the teachers, she says, “All the students are so nice and will help me any time I need.” As Ballico is meeting new friends and seeing new places, she says she is also gaining so many new memories. “I went to California with my host family for Thanksgiving and got to see a lot of things I’ve never seen before like elephant seals and different landscapes which was really fun,” she says. As much as she enjoys Carbondale and RFHS, Ballico longs for her home in Italy. She says, “I miss my family and friends in Italy, and some-times I miss how my life was before I came here.” Udine is a small town according to Ballico. She says she likes living in a small town in Italy and in Colorado. When she goes back to Italy in June, she will have one more year of high school. “I will have a lot of studying to do this summer to catch up because I missed a whole year of difficult classes in Italy,” she adds. However, before she leaves, she wants to experience all that she can with all the people she has met.

Senior Spotlight: Barbara Ballico-Eryn Doherty

Senior Barbara Ballico. Photo by Eryn Doherty

on the AVSC Down Valley Team, is also on the All Valley National Competitive Team which partici-pates in additional races and year-round training. The competitive team attends Rocky Mountain Nordic Races which also serve as Junior National qualifiers and are much more competitive than CHSAA races. “Races are really fun and really hard; you can test yourself and see how much you gained from your hard work,” Krehbiel claims. Nordic is a hard sport. It requires lots of tech-nique and balance and according to Krehbiel has a huge learning curve. Races also require lots of strategy, endurance, and strength. Rose claims that the hardest part of races is, “not going out too hard and not dying.” Additionally the skiers train and race out in the cold winter conditions, “My least favorite part [of nordic] is that you usu-ally can’t feel your fingers or your toes,” Krehbiel claims. For all of the skiers, getting to know their teammates is a big part of what makes the sport fun. Krehbiel commented on how in nordic, “ev-eryone is happy running and having fun.” One of Engstrom’s favorite parts of nordic is getting to “ski with fun people,” and for him the most rewarding part of the sport is “[the] relation-ship you build with your teammates.” As the season progresses these RFHS athletes will continue to pursue their passion for nordic by skiing, competing, smiling, working hard and having fun.

Katelyn Krehbiel competes in a Nordic race. Photo: Katelyn Krehbiel

Powered by Passion: Roaring Fork’s Nordic Skiers-Tavia Teitler

Feature 2Rampage

January 2016

As the school year goes on and her ten-month stay begins to come to a close, Barbara Ballico is finally starting to find her niche here in Carbon-dale. Last August, Ballico said farewell to her fam-ily and friends and left her hometown of Udine, Italy to spend 10 months as an exchange student in Carbondale. Living in a town so different from her home in Italy has been a very unique and challenging expe-rience for Ballico. “The culture is totally different here. It’s sometimes difficult because you have a different mind,” Ballico says. Ballico says when she first got here it was hard because she didn’t know anyone. Also, speaking English was a barrier that she is still learning to overcome. However, being at Roaring Fork High School (RFHS) has made the change a little easier. Ballico says, “The difference between Roaring Fork High School and [school in] Italy is that you love your school, and we hate our school. Students become depressed so easily about grades in Italy.” She adds that she’s not used to football games and cheerleaders making her “American high school” experience more fun. Ballico claims that some of her favorite teach-ers are helping her in school. “Mrs.Wright and Mr.Wells help me all the time and they’re so nice

RFHS students are similar in many ways: they go to the same school, they attend many of the same classes, they know many of the same people. However, there is huge variety in the activities and interests RFHS students choose to pursue in their time outside of class. For RFHS students Wes Engstrom, Katelyn Krehbiel, Will Rose and Robbie Thompson, one of these interests is nor-dic skiing. These students are part of the Aspen Valley Ski Club (AVSC) Down Valley Nordic Team and will be skiing and competing all winter long. The AVSC Down Valley team consists of students from RFHS, Colorado Rocky Mountain School, and Glenwood and Basalt High Schools. The team practices almost everyday after school at Spring Gulch or Marion Gulch above Carbondale. For Junior Wes Engstrom, who had been doing Nordic for the past few years, one of the best parts is, “being able to go up to Spring Gulch which is such a beautiful area.” Practices consist of weight training, distance and speed workouts. In addition to practice, some members of the team compete in races on the weekends. There are six CHSAA races throughout the season at various ski areas around the state. The skiers can also qualify for the Colorado High School State Skiing Championships which will be held this year at their home course in Aspen. High School races are typically 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) long. Will Rose, a RFHS freshman and member of the AVSC Down Valley Nordic Team, says he likes

racing because, “It’s really fun to go fast and push yourself.” However, he claims his least favorite part of the sport is, “the last 100 meters of a race where you want to fall over and faint.” Junior Katelyn Krehbiel, in addition to being

and funny. Mr.Wells always says hello to me in Italian.” She also says that she enjoys learning Spanish and connects well with how Span-ish teacher Jill Knaus structures the lessons in class. Along with the teachers, she says, “All the students are so nice and will help me any time I need.” As Ballico is meeting new friends and seeing new places, she says she is also gaining so many new memories. “I went to California with my host family for Thanksgiving and got to see a lot of things I’ve never seen before like elephant seals and different landscapes which was really fun,” she says. As much as she enjoys Carbondale and RFHS, Ballico longs for her home in Italy. She says, “I miss my family and friends in Italy, and some-times I miss how my life was before I came here.” Udine is a small town according to Ballico. She says she likes living in a small town in Italy and in Colorado. When she goes back to Italy in June, she will have one more year of high school. “I will have a lot of studying to do this summer to catch up because I missed a whole year of difficult classes in Italy,” she adds. However, before she leaves, she wants to experience all that she can with all the people she has met.

Senior Spotlight: Barbara Ballico-Eryn Doherty

Senior Barbara Ballico. Photo by Eryn Doherty

on the AVSC Down Valley Team, is also on the All Valley National Competitive Team which partici-pates in additional races and year-round training. The competitive team attends Rocky Mountain Nordic Races which also serve as Junior National qualifiers and are much more competitive than CHSAA races. “Races are really fun and really hard; you can test yourself and see how much you gained from your hard work,” Krehbiel claims. Nordic is a hard sport. It requires lots of tech-nique and balance and according to Krehbiel has a huge learning curve. Races also require lots of strategy, endurance, and strength. Rose claims that the hardest part of races is, “not going out too hard and not dying.” Additionally the skiers train and race out in the cold winter conditions, “My least favorite part [of nordic] is that you usu-ally can’t feel your fingers or your toes,” Krehbiel claims. For all of the skiers, getting to know their teammates is a big part of what makes the sport fun. Krehbiel commented on how in nordic, “ev-eryone is happy running and having fun.” One of Engstrom’s favorite parts of nordic is getting to “ski with fun people,” and for him the most rewarding part of the sport is “[the] relation-ship you build with your teammates.” As the season progresses these RFHS athletes will continue to pursue their passion for nordic by skiing, competing, smiling, working hard and having fun.

Katelyn Krehbiel competes in a Nordic race. Photo: Katelyn Krehbiel

Powered by Passion: Roaring Fork’s Nordic Skiers-Tavia Teitler

Feature 3Rampage

January 2016

This year’s Roaring Fork High School Model United Nations club members are excited to go to the conference in New York and are working hard to accomplish their goals. Club sponsors, Mat-thew Whisler and Matthew Wells, are prepared to take on this year’s club with the knowledge they received from running the club last year as well. Model UN started at Roaring Fork last year when they represented Ethiopia in New York. This year, the club is representing Bulgaria, and has been given a total of twenty two spots for students on the trip. Iliana Castillon, a sophomore at Roaring Fork High School joined the club this year so she can experience what preparing for this kind of confer-ence is like and to learn about how the UN works. “I joined the club because I enjoy dealing with things outside of the US. There are bigger things out there than the things you see in the media, and I want to learn about it,” Iliana told the Ram-page. Model UN is an international organization that simulates what the actual United Nations does

for our world. Every year, clubs across the world get assigned a country and they get assigned committees in which they will represent their country. Throughout the year, students prepare by conducting background research on specific issues in order to come up with possible solu-tions for the committees they are assigned to. Once students get to the conference, they present

their solutions to the other students on the same committee. Later, the committees come together, pick the best ideas, formulate the solutions, and try to get it passed by the end of the conference. Roaring Fork High School attends the National High School Model United Nations conference in New York, which is the largest High School Model United Nations in the world. Last year, around 3,800 students from over thirty countries attended. “Mr. Wells and I started the club last year, he had done it previously in Aspen. I had never ran a high school team before, but I had done it in col-lege, where I helped put on high school ones. So Mr. Wells and I had talked about it for a couple years and then we decided last year was a good year to start, so we did. I think we had eighteen members go to New York City,” Matthew Whisler said reflecting about how he got involved in creat-ing the club at Roaring Fork. A lot of preparation and effort goes into Roar-ing Fork High School’s Model United Nations club and both students and teachers are excited for this year’s club to go to New York.

Over the years, Roaring Fork High School has had many students that have come here from dif-ferent countries and created a lasting impact on our school community. This year, one particular student that moved to Roaring Fork High School is Haisson Mena Villareal. Villareal is 17 years old and a junior at Roaring Fork High School. Villareal moved from Medellin, Colombia with his mom, sister and two broth-ers. He now lives in River Valley Ranch with his mom, brothers, sister, aunt, uncle, and grandma. He struggles to speak English, but is learning quickly from the staff at Roaring Fork. Villareal moved here because his grandma wanted to bring his family over to the United States and start their family fresh. Villareal says that living in the U.S. is different

from living in Colombia because it is a lot safer, and people here are a lot friendlier than in Co-lombia. Coming to a new school, community, and environment can be hard for certain individuals to adapt to. Villareal says that the move to Carbon-dale was easy for him because of family he had here previously, all the new friends he has made, and all the support he has received from teachers. Before coming to the U.S, Villareal created his own music video on YouTube with all his Colom-bian friends. The music video is titled “Chevere” by Young Wise, which is his YouTtube channel. As soon as RFHS students found out about Villareal having a rap video, it became a sensation around the school. Explaining more about his music video and the real meaning behind the song, Vil-lareal said, “The song is something that reminds

me about Colombia. It’s about having a good time and being cool.” Whenever someone around the school plays his song, he smiles and plays along with it. Villareal shared that he misses the weather in Colombia the most, but one thing he really loves about Carbondale and RFHS is all the people here. Without such a welcoming school, support-ive staff, family members, and friendly students it would’ve been much harder Villareal to adapt to a new place as quickly as he did. The bright smile that Villareal brings to the small halls of Roaring Fork is motivating to other students and spreads the positive energy to all staff and students. Many students are grateful that they have been able to get to know Villareal, and are so thankful that he decided to be a Ram.

Watch out, New York City! Here Comes Bulgaria-Kloe Lee

-Lyndsay Hansen and Beymar Silva

RFHS Model UN last year. Photo by Kelsie Goodman

11:00 a.m. Thursday, January 28, 2016Inclement weather delay date: 11 a.m. Thursday, February 4

Roaring Fork High School2270 Highway 133, Carbondale

Ribbon-Cutting Ceremony for the RFHS Solar Array

From Columbia to Carbondale: Roaring Fork’s New Rap Star

4 Rampage | January 2016 Rampage | January 2016 5FOCUS

Looking back Leaping forward

In December, you might have set some great goals for 2016. You were super pumped for the new year to start. Now you are over a week into the new year, and it is not as fun as you thought it would be. In reality, it is kind of hard. Dragging yourself out of bed for your morning workout or pushing yourself to put in that extra homework time to get your grades up is starting to feel like a chore. You are ready to give up, go back to bed, or go out with your friends. Instead of throwing in the towel, find a mantra or a phrase to chant to yourself to keep you going. Here is a year’s worth of motivation for when you are thinking about giving up on your new year’s resolutions. January: “You will regret it if you give up now.” February: “You were on a roll, keep going.” March: “I’ve got this.” April: “I chose this goal for a reason, I need to stick to it.” May:“I can do it, I can do it!” June: “I’ve made it halfway!” July: “Just get your butt out of bed! Now!” August: “I know I’m getting good results from this, better keep going!” September: “You don’t really need that slice of cake, do you?” October: “Believe it or not, going outside is actually good for you.” November: “I don’t care if you don’t want to, just do it!” December: “I’ll feel better if I get it over with.” Now get back out there and get it done. RFHS is rooting for you!

Giving up new year’s resolutions-Zoe Hanlon

What was your most memorable experience from 2015?Emily Henley

“I got the lead role in a college play.”

Lily Ramos“Going to Luke Bryan in Denver with friends.”

Andy Loya“Playing and winning football games.”

Jasmin Lopez “Living in the moment and appreciating everyday.”

Christian Alvarado“Meeting new people”

Paola Montoya “Joining the girls basketball team at Roaring Fork.”

Iliana Castillon“Making new memories with new friends”

Fabian Rico“Going to Mexico over the summer”

1. On June 26th the American supreme court made gay marriage legal under the 14th amendment, Making it one of four nations to legalize it in 2015. 2. It’s official there is flowing water on Mars. NASA was able to detect higher levels of water based minerals beneath one of the larger mountain slopes on the surface of the red planet.3. U-S-A! U-S-A! The American Women’s soccer team took gold in 2015’s Women’s World Cup which was held in Canada. 4. Patricia, the largest hurricane ever recorded, yielded zero fatalities as it dissipated before reaching the eastern coast.5. Star Wars made a comeback in 2015 grossing an all time high of $60.55M on opening night.

Highlights of 2015- Finn Featherstone

New year, new beginning - Jen Platero

As another year comes to an end, the upcoming year opens into a new chapter. As the new year’s midnight emerged, many people had mixed feel-ings about the start of the new year. It is a time for reflection and nostalgia as the past 12 months are reexamined. People begin to think about what it is that they will do better this year that they did not quite achieve last year. This is where New Year’s resolutions come into play. Counting down to New Year’s Day as the last seconds ticked by, the New Year brought a rising excitement to many. In an interview with the senior Rosio Avi-tia, she explains that she hopes for 2016 to be a year of prosperity, as she will be graduat-ing and striving towards college. “I hope to be able to obtain enough money to purchase my-self my own car,” Rosio shares. She also goes on to state that she does not want to depend on her parents in order to buy a car, seeing that part of growing up and maturing is that she must be able to handle her own responsi-bilities. “I was unable to find a stable job where I could gain enough money to save up for a car. Fortunately I have been able to earn money through babysitting.” By August, Avitia hopes to have earned enough money to be able to get from CMC to her job and house safely. “New years is truly a good time of the year where people set goals for themselves,” she comments. Although many people are not able to fully fulfill these goals, they still find a purpose to strive for. As countries came together to celebrate the closing of December 31st and the beginning of January, people celebrated by feasting on meals and snacks, hoping for better luck in the upcoming year. We wish you all 12 months of good fortune.

1. Try to incorporate a meditation, yoga, or workout session every day, even if you only have 15 minutes. You will feel so much better and less stressed afterward!2. Surround yourself with people who make you happy and encour-age you to be your best self. These are the kinds of people you want in your life and you will find that your quality of life will im-prove when you have friends who are truly there for you in every sense. 3. Try something new. While “new” can sometimes be scary, it is also exciting and often illuminating. By trying out something new, you might find something you love! Or, if you happen to find some-thing you hate instead, then at least you know yourself a little bet-ter.4. Treat yourself to something nice. With everything going on in our busy lives, we sometimes forget to pamper ourselves a little bit. 5. Practice showing gratitude for all the little (and big) things in your life. Expressing gratitude is proven to increase happiness, and people love to feel appreciated.6. Let go of all your grudges from the past year. Carrying around all that baggage is exhausting, and truthfully not worth it. 7. Work hard to drop a bad habit. It is exactly that: bad. 8. Be organized. The entire year will be so much more relaxing and manageable if you start (and keep) a good organizational system.9. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to take a couple of deep breaths, then move forward one step at a time.10. Approach situations and people with an open-mind. Again, you could end up doing something or meeting someone that you really love to do or connect with. 11. Do not overwork yourself. Take on what you can handle, and no more. People are not going to blame or be disappointed in you for taking on a healthy workload.

Ways to start the new year right-Maeve O’Donnell Pax

4 Rampage | January 2016 Rampage | January 2016 5FOCUS

Looking back Leaping forward

In December, you might have set some great goals for 2016. You were super pumped for the new year to start. Now you are over a week into the new year, and it is not as fun as you thought it would be. In reality, it is kind of hard. Dragging yourself out of bed for your morning workout or pushing yourself to put in that extra homework time to get your grades up is starting to feel like a chore. You are ready to give up, go back to bed, or go out with your friends. Instead of throwing in the towel, find a mantra or a phrase to chant to yourself to keep you going. Here is a year’s worth of motivation for when you are thinking about giving up on your new year’s resolutions. January: “You will regret it if you give up now.” February: “You were on a roll, keep going.” March: “I’ve got this.” April: “I chose this goal for a reason, I need to stick to it.” May:“I can do it, I can do it!” June: “I’ve made it halfway!” July: “Just get your butt out of bed! Now!” August: “I know I’m getting good results from this, better keep going!” September: “You don’t really need that slice of cake, do you?” October: “Believe it or not, going outside is actually good for you.” November: “I don’t care if you don’t want to, just do it!” December: “I’ll feel better if I get it over with.” Now get back out there and get it done. RFHS is rooting for you!

Giving up new year’s resolutions-Zoe Hanlon

What was your most memorable experience from 2015?Emily Henley

“I got the lead role in a college play.”

Lily Ramos“Going to Luke Bryan in Denver with friends.”

Andy Loya“Playing and winning football games.”

Jasmin Lopez “Living in the moment and appreciating everyday.”

Christian Alvarado“Meeting new people”

Paola Montoya “Joining the girls basketball team at Roaring Fork.”

Iliana Castillon“Making new memories with new friends”

Fabian Rico“Going to Mexico over the summer”

1. On June 26th the American supreme court made gay marriage legal under the 14th amendment, Making it one of four nations to legalize it in 2015. 2. It’s official there is flowing water on Mars. NASA was able to detect higher levels of water based minerals beneath one of the larger mountain slopes on the surface of the red planet.3. U-S-A! U-S-A! The American Women’s soccer team took gold in 2015’s Women’s World Cup which was held in Canada. 4. Patricia, the largest hurricane ever recorded, yielded zero fatalities as it dissipated before reaching the eastern coast.5. Star Wars made a comeback in 2015 grossing an all time high of $60.55M on opening night.

Highlights of 2015- Finn Featherstone

New year, new beginning - Jen Platero

As another year comes to an end, the upcoming year opens into a new chapter. As the new year’s midnight emerged, many people had mixed feel-ings about the start of the new year. It is a time for reflection and nostalgia as the past 12 months are reexamined. People begin to think about what it is that they will do better this year that they did not quite achieve last year. This is where New Year’s resolutions come into play. Counting down to New Year’s Day as the last seconds ticked by, the New Year brought a rising excitement to many. In an interview with the senior Rosio Avi-tia, she explains that she hopes for 2016 to be a year of prosperity, as she will be graduat-ing and striving towards college. “I hope to be able to obtain enough money to purchase my-self my own car,” Rosio shares. She also goes on to state that she does not want to depend on her parents in order to buy a car, seeing that part of growing up and maturing is that she must be able to handle her own responsi-bilities. “I was unable to find a stable job where I could gain enough money to save up for a car. Fortunately I have been able to earn money through babysitting.” By August, Avitia hopes to have earned enough money to be able to get from CMC to her job and house safely. “New years is truly a good time of the year where people set goals for themselves,” she comments. Although many people are not able to fully fulfill these goals, they still find a purpose to strive for. As countries came together to celebrate the closing of December 31st and the beginning of January, people celebrated by feasting on meals and snacks, hoping for better luck in the upcoming year. We wish you all 12 months of good fortune.

1. Try to incorporate a meditation, yoga, or workout session every day, even if you only have 15 minutes. You will feel so much better and less stressed afterward!2. Surround yourself with people who make you happy and encour-age you to be your best self. These are the kinds of people you want in your life and you will find that your quality of life will im-prove when you have friends who are truly there for you in every sense. 3. Try something new. While “new” can sometimes be scary, it is also exciting and often illuminating. By trying out something new, you might find something you love! Or, if you happen to find some-thing you hate instead, then at least you know yourself a little bet-ter.4. Treat yourself to something nice. With everything going on in our busy lives, we sometimes forget to pamper ourselves a little bit. 5. Practice showing gratitude for all the little (and big) things in your life. Expressing gratitude is proven to increase happiness, and people love to feel appreciated.6. Let go of all your grudges from the past year. Carrying around all that baggage is exhausting, and truthfully not worth it. 7. Work hard to drop a bad habit. It is exactly that: bad. 8. Be organized. The entire year will be so much more relaxing and manageable if you start (and keep) a good organizational system.9. If you are feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to take a couple of deep breaths, then move forward one step at a time.10. Approach situations and people with an open-mind. Again, you could end up doing something or meeting someone that you really love to do or connect with. 11. Do not overwork yourself. Take on what you can handle, and no more. People are not going to blame or be disappointed in you for taking on a healthy workload.

Ways to start the new year right-Maeve O’Donnell Pax

News 6Rampage

January 2016

Chompy’s News Bites

Giving back to the Community by Volunteering

NRA threatens Obama

Wayne LaPierre, the director of the NRA (National Rifl e Association), took major ac-tion by addressing the President directly. Regarding the White House meeting he observed, LaPierre said, “no one cared what gun owners have to say.” And to Obama, “I warned you this day was coming and now itʼs here,” and added “We need you in our corner TODAY.”

Kicking out the ACT

Many underclassmen are not ecstatic to learn that the ACT will no longer be a test they have to worry about; instead, the SAT is taking over. The two tests are signifi cantly diff erent, and it is known that the SAT is more diffi cult, putting a lot of high school students under pressure to learn about a test that they never thought theyʼd take.

Oculus

Carbondale locals, calling themselves the Stomarillaz, built an off the grid, “bike-ridable” structure, serving as a tiny, solar-powered house. In the middle of a trail, riders can easily trek over the top of the Oculus. This eco-friendly group biked all materials up to the location to minimize carbon impacts. Check out whatistheoculus.com for more information and pictures.

More Saturday games; less support

This year, many basketball games are be-ing scheduled for Saturdays to accommodate long travel times and winter weather condi-tions. Unfortunately, games on Saturdays instead of Fridays means that fewer students and community members are showing up to support the Rams. This is detrimental not only to the fan support for the basketball team, but to the Booster Club funds - less fans at games buying food and drink means less money that the Booster Club can use to support various activities at RFHS.

New counselor joins RFHS

Ms. Bonnie Cretti is joining the Roaring Fork team. She will be working on CREW develop-ment and expanding test prep eff orts. Cretti has been visiting many CREW classes over the last few months to gather input on CREW and help Juniors preparing for the SAT that they will be taking this spring.

Solar panel grand opening Jan. 28

The long-awaited solar array at Roaring Fork High School will offi cially open Janu-ary 28th. The Energy Club is planning a grand opening celebration which will in-clude a band performance, speeches from Energy Club members, community members and elected offi cials, and an offi cial rib-bon cutting. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the solar panels completion and all the hard work that went into them. For more information, look for a poster detailing specifi cs for the grand opening.

Volunteering can help you become a better person and an even better student. Stepping out of your comfort zone, going outdoors, helping others throughout your com-munity, and increasing physical activity is what volunteering is about. Volunteering has benefi ts for getting into college and getting a job too. And who knows, maybe you will fi nd a career that you love based around volunteering. But many people believe that volunteering is a diffi cult process and have a hard time fi nding volunteering options that interest them. Sometimes people don’t have

the desire to try it due the common belief that volunteering is unimportant. If students want to volunteer but don’t know of many options, there are opportunities for vol-unteering in Glenwood that include being a troop leader or a school organizer. This is a way to give back to your community by donating old cloth-ing or toys. These are common options that often come to mind when people choose to volenteer their time. It is also possible to go online and look up ways you can help around the valley, or even around your neighborhood. Some of the opportunities offered here at Roaring Fork High School during the summer include a Summer School Program for middle school kids. Throughout the program, volun-teers help assist the teachers and students with translating, helping with class/homework, making sure students are safe during recess, doing offi ce errands, or any other needed activity. Volunteering at the Summer School Program also gives volun-teers the opportunity to enjoy going on free fi eld trips to the Glenwood Caverns, Glenwood Hot Springs, and White Water Rafting. In addition, you can also get many scholar-ships when you volunteer. Getting scholarships and grants can help you pay for college, even if you don’t think you need the fi nancial support. Volunteering is still very important to get involved with so it can help improve your resume, and even help you with future goals. A good start could be

Photo credit Smiling Goat Ranch

Smiling Goat Ranch gives kids with Autism the oppertunity to improve their communication skills by having fun outside. The kids can go to diff erent stations centered around learning and, of course, riding horses. This is one of the many ways to get involved in the community.

putting Rams Day on any future resumes, or help-ing out at a retirement home. From there, you can go online and look for any opportunities that you might be interested in. What are you waiting for? Go out there and enjoy yourself. Be kind towards others and give them a helping hand. Volunteering will be a huge confi dence booster and a huge asset to your resume, which many jobs require and colleges demand.

Vanessa Montoya paints boards as a volunteer project on Rams Day last year.Photo credit Sue Rollyson

-Fernando Martinez Hernandez

News 6Rampage

January 2016

Chompy’s News Bites

Giving back to the Community by Volunteering

NRA threatens Obama

Wayne LaPierre, the director of the NRA (National Rifl e Association), took major ac-tion by addressing the President directly. Regarding the White House meeting he observed, LaPierre said, “no one cared what gun owners have to say.” And to Obama, “I warned you this day was coming and now itʼs here,” and added “We need you in our corner TODAY.”

Kicking out the ACT

Many underclassmen are not ecstatic to learn that the ACT will no longer be a test they have to worry about; instead, the SAT is taking over. The two tests are signifi cantly diff erent, and it is known that the SAT is more diffi cult, putting a lot of high school students under pressure to learn about a test that they never thought theyʼd take.

Oculus

Carbondale locals, calling themselves the Stomarillaz, built an off the grid, “bike-ridable” structure, serving as a tiny, solar-powered house. In the middle of a trail, riders can easily trek over the top of the Oculus. This eco-friendly group biked all materials up to the location to minimize carbon impacts. Check out whatistheoculus.com for more information and pictures.

More Saturday games; less support

This year, many basketball games are be-ing scheduled for Saturdays to accommodate long travel times and winter weather condi-tions. Unfortunately, games on Saturdays instead of Fridays means that fewer students and community members are showing up to support the Rams. This is detrimental not only to the fan support for the basketball team, but to the Booster Club funds - less fans at games buying food and drink means less money that the Booster Club can use to support various activities at RFHS.

New counselor joins RFHS

Ms. Bonnie Cretti is joining the Roaring Fork team. She will be working on CREW develop-ment and expanding test prep eff orts. Cretti has been visiting many CREW classes over the last few months to gather input on CREW and help Juniors preparing for the SAT that they will be taking this spring.

Solar panel grand opening Jan. 28

The long-awaited solar array at Roaring Fork High School will offi cially open Janu-ary 28th. The Energy Club is planning a grand opening celebration which will in-clude a band performance, speeches from Energy Club members, community members and elected offi cials, and an offi cial rib-bon cutting. The purpose of the event is to celebrate the solar panels completion and all the hard work that went into them. For more information, look for a poster detailing specifi cs for the grand opening.

Volunteering can help you become a better person and an even better student. Stepping out of your comfort zone, going outdoors, helping others throughout your com-munity, and increasing physical activity is what volunteering is about. Volunteering has benefi ts for getting into college and getting a job too. And who knows, maybe you will fi nd a career that you love based around volunteering. But many people believe that volunteering is a diffi cult process and have a hard time fi nding volunteering options that interest them. Sometimes people don’t have

the desire to try it due the common belief that volunteering is unimportant. If students want to volunteer but don’t know of many options, there are opportunities for vol-unteering in Glenwood that include being a troop leader or a school organizer. This is a way to give back to your community by donating old cloth-ing or toys. These are common options that often come to mind when people choose to volenteer their time. It is also possible to go online and look up ways you can help around the valley, or even around your neighborhood. Some of the opportunities offered here at Roaring Fork High School during the summer include a Summer School Program for middle school kids. Throughout the program, volun-teers help assist the teachers and students with translating, helping with class/homework, making sure students are safe during recess, doing offi ce errands, or any other needed activity. Volunteering at the Summer School Program also gives volun-teers the opportunity to enjoy going on free fi eld trips to the Glenwood Caverns, Glenwood Hot Springs, and White Water Rafting. In addition, you can also get many scholar-ships when you volunteer. Getting scholarships and grants can help you pay for college, even if you don’t think you need the fi nancial support. Volunteering is still very important to get involved with so it can help improve your resume, and even help you with future goals. A good start could be

Photo credit Smiling Goat Ranch

Smiling Goat Ranch gives kids with Autism the oppertunity to improve their communication skills by having fun outside. The kids can go to diff erent stations centered around learning and, of course, riding horses. This is one of the many ways to get involved in the community.

putting Rams Day on any future resumes, or help-ing out at a retirement home. From there, you can go online and look for any opportunities that you might be interested in. What are you waiting for? Go out there and enjoy yourself. Be kind towards others and give them a helping hand. Volunteering will be a huge confi dence booster and a huge asset to your resume, which many jobs require and colleges demand.

Vanessa Montoya paints boards as a volunteer project on Rams Day last year.Photo credit Sue Rollyson

-Fernando Martinez Hernandez

Sports 7Rampage

January 2016

Volleyball is a sport that has been played on beaches and in gyms for over a hundred years. This classic sport is a passion for several RFHS students and during the volleyball season, the RFHS gym is full of girls spiking, setting and working to improve their game. However, for RFHS senior Madilyn Khul, the high school season is not enough. In addition to playing for Roaring Fork High Sschool in the fall, Khul also participates on a club team during the offseason. Kuhl plays on the Defiance Club Volleyball Team in New Castle. The team consists of girls primarily from Coal Ridge High School and Khul is the only Roaring Fork High School student on the team. Kuhl has been doing club volleyball for six years and has been playing volleyball for seven years. “I like playing club because it helps me improve my skills and I like meeting more people,”said Kuhl.

- Caitlin O’GormanVolleyball Beyond Roaring Fork

-Fiona Laird

Captains Corner: Girls Basketball

Kuhl practices every Monday and Wednesday then in addition to playing tournaments on the weekends. The tournaments range from locations closer to home like Grand Junction to destina-tions further away such as Phoenix and Las Vegas. “Traveling to the tournaments is fun because you really get to have fun with your teammates,” Kuhl said. Through playing both High School and Club Volleyball, Kuhl has been able to notice differ-ences between the two.“Club volleyball is more competitive and people take it more seriously than high school volleyball,” said Kuhl. While Kuhl really likes to play high school volleyball, she likes the competitive environment that is involved with club. Kuhl was offered a chance to play volleyball in college but declined in order to study dental hygiene at Colorado Northwestern.

Above, left to right: Ashley Hall, Joselinne Medra-no, and Jasmin Lopez, the varsity team captains for this year. Photo: Rampage

When one thinks of wintertime high school sports, thoughts of crowded, warm gyms often come to mind. The Roaring Fork High School Climbing Team is a different winter sport op-tion. Climbing is a sport that can be equally as difficult and competitive as other sports. With-in the sport of climbing, there exist several types of competition. According to junior Nick Penzel, a member of the climbing team, orga-nized competetions entail climbing members competing against other schools to see who has the highest score. They do this by climbing specific set routes - depending on the diffi-culty of a given route and the amount of falls a climber takes, the climber can earn a certain amount of points. The team competes in about three competetions throughout the year. Competition exists in the mind and body of the climber as well. It comes via burning muscles, raw fingers and fatigued bodies, and in the endless pursuit of the next peak or next rise. The climbers that make up the climbing team at Roaring Fork face these competitions with vigor and dedication, continuing to as-cend hand over hand and foot over foot. In addition to attending competitions, the team takes trips to outdoor climbing locations to experience climbing on natural features. They plan on taking a trip this spring. “During the winter you can’t climb a lot of the routes, so instead we head over to the mid-dle school where they have a climbing wall...so that we can climb better and harder routes when the snow melts,” Penzel said, explaining how the team handles winter practices. Penzel hopes to see more people join the climbing team so that it grows and more students can experience climbing and all it has to offer.

Rams in Their “Natural” Habitat- Steele Featherstone

Senior volleyball player Madilyn Kuhl with her par-ents at senior night. Photo: Dave Weimer

This year, the Roaring Fork High School varsity girls basketball team is led by three captains - Ashley Hall, Jasmin Lopez, and Joselinne Medrano. Each has a passion for basketball and an ability to moti-vate and support others that led their teammates to elect them as team captains for the 2015-16 season.

Ashley Hall Ashley Hall, a junior at RFHS, thinks of her role of team captain as, “a good leadership role [and] a chance to encour-age and lead everyone out on the floor.” Hall has played since elemenatry school and is a key player for the team, and she’s clear that her role of captain isn’t about being better than other players. Instead, she hopes to help everyone on the team have faith in themselves. “We have so much potential this year, and we shouldn’t settle for anything less than our best,” she explains. Her goals for the team are to, “...play together, lift each other up, [and have] smart plays.”

Jasmin Lopez Junior Jasmin Lopez was, “shocked and happy,” to learn that her teammates had chosen her for the role of team captain this season, and is excited to, “...be a leader and help encourage my team”. She says that it is her, “...first...full year playing varsity,” but has played basketball since elementary school. Lopez sees her role as cap-tain as, “...someone to ask questions,” and, “...not superior to the rest of the players...” on the team. This season, she hopes to, “...have a better record and win more games,” and wants the team to

remember that, “The league is all up for grabs. We have a lot of potential and we can go far.”

Joselinne Medrano Joselinne Medrano says that she is, “...excited to play basketball with the group of girls,” on the team this year, and that, “This season…[the] team has been coming together more.” She explains that the team is learning how to bring out the best of each other on the court. Medrano, a senior, has played basketball for all four years of high school.Of the role of captain, Medrano says, “It’s some-body that doesn’t say what [someone] should be doing, but demonstrates how to behave on and off the court...There’s going to be difficult moments this year, but the captains have to let everyone know we have to keep our head up on the court.” This year, she hopes the team can, “focus on de-fensive rebounds, stay positive,” and remember to, “...just play...basketball and not worry about how other teams are acting.”

Entertainment 8Rampage

January 2016

Rampage Staff

Editors in Chief

Grace BrownFiona Laird

Managing Editor

Finn Featherstone

Editorial Staff

Elyssa DerbyEryn DohertyJames Long

Carley MoravekMaeve O’Donnell Pax

Caitlin O’GormanKristin Page

Edgar Reyna ZavalaJake Rusby

Beymar SilvaTavia Teitler

Katherine Weimer

Journalists

Hayden Bernot Steele Featherstone

Zoe HanlonLyndsay Hansen

Kloe LeeFernando Martinez

Jensen Platero

Policy Statement:

Published 8 times a year, the student

newspaper of Roaring Fork High School is a public forum, with

its students edito-rial board making all decisions concerning its content. Unsigned editorials express the views of the majority of the editorial board.

- Kristin Page It may seem like winter lacks adven-ture in the moun-tains, but think again! There is nothing bet-ter to do on a snowy winter day than going sledding, especially when it is too late to go skiing because

- Jake Rusby Ever wonder where somebody got a scar? Or why they walk a little funny? At RFHS we asked a few students what their funniest or gnarliest injury was. Some students were full of reluctance and others were chuckling with excite-ment as they told the tales of their injuries. Here are some of the stories that we found:

Justice Wofford: “When I was little, my parents held a Christmas party. I was dancing and spinning in front of a lot of people. I then fell, scraped my cheek on a speaker, and proceeded to hide behind a couch to cry.”

Enrique Gonzalez: “One time I sat on one of those elec-trical boxes that are in people’s front lawns. Except when I got off, a screw was sticking out and stabbed me in the buttcheek.”

Emily Mata: “I once bumped into somebody and broke my finger.”

Jake Kelley: “I bent my pinky finger sideways dirtbiking one time, and to this day I have no idea how it happened.”

Durga Reed: “One time while skiing, I went off a jump, but I lost my skis on the take off. I woke up in a ditch six seconds later.

Aldo Pinela: “When I was 6 months old I fell down some stairs and hit my face on a propane tank. You can blame my sister for that one, I was following her.”

In light of these stories, the next time you sit on some-thing that shouldn’t be sat on, or smash your face, keep in mind that your injury has the potential to put a smile on the face of the people around you (and perhaps even yours too) in the proceeding months. Wear your busted and broken bodies with pride and a smile!

“What goes good with coffee? Kareem!” *shoots trash in trash can*

“Frick, he’s just a trap fricker!”

“Nut roll, anybody?”

*Teacher walks by* “Mm! I’d like a bite of that NOTEBOOK!” “You’ve got problems bro…”

“Sorry I’m late, I didn’t want to come.”

you have slept half of the day. Thompson is worth the drive as it is the most beauti-ful place to go on a sledding adventure with friends or fam-ily. After an epic sled-ding adventure, going home and putting on

fluffy pj’s and drink-ing a cup of hot cocoa in front of the Christ-mas tree with the fire-place lit, is the best way to warm up. How to get there: Drive towards CRMS past 7-11, over the bridge, and head

straight up the hill towards Thompson Divide. Driving the speed limit, proceed past the ranches to-wards Spring Gulch. After continuing through a few curves ascending into the mountains, you will spot the right hand turn up to spring gulch. Believe it or not, you have arrived at the sledding hill. Right across from the turn to Spring Gulch, on the left side, is the sledding hill. Park out of the way of traffic, but do not get stuck! What to do: Dress in many layers and be careful! Moms take the extra second to

make sure one of the layers on your kid’s body is bubble wrap, just to be extra safe. Gather up your best sleds and warmest boots, trek up the hillside dragging your sled behind you, and enjoy the ride down! Word to the wise: Watch out for rocks, sticks, ice, and other people! If there is not a lot of snow and bushes are showing through the snow, it is probably not a good idea to go sledding that day, maybe to-morrow. Be prepared for some hard core, high speed sledding, possibly even wear a helmet.

Gems of the Valley

Injuries of RFHSHeard in the HallwaysBy: Edgar Rena Zavala

“Hey wanna hang out?” *looks at food* “Sorry I’m busy.”

“If someone isn’t here, they’re probably somewhere else.”

“SaWOOOOOOOP!”

“Easy as childbirth.”

“You can smell the obesity it’s amazing.”

From: springgulch.com