The Rampage

Contact us at rframpage@gmail.com

2270 Highway 133 Carbondale , CO 81623 February 2016 Volume 9 Issue 5

Whatʼs Inside

A Trip Down Memory Lane

pg. 4-5

U.S. Poet Laureate

pg. 2

Baseball Preview

pg. 7

Valentineʼs Day History

pg. 8

Every year for the February issue of the Rampage, the Rampage staff selects the cutest couple that walks the halls of Roaring Fork High School. This year’s couple, Aaron Palomera and Lisenia Sandoval, is frequently seen holding hands and supporting one another in the stands at soccer games. When you see one half of this perfect pair, you don’t have to look too hard to see the other, and Palomera and Sandoval’s relationship is a fi xture of the RFHS student body.

Q: How long have you been dating?Aaron: I don’t know. [Lisenia hits Aaron] I’m just kidding!Lisenia: A year and about nine months.

Q: How did you meet each other?Aaron: I came up to her at school and started hitting on her. [laughs]

Q: Where was your fi rst date?Lisenia: The movie theater.Aaron: With some friends too.

Q: What is the funniest story you have together?A: I think when I was trying to dance with her.L: Oh yeah! A: ‘Cause I don’t know how to Mexican dance. She took me out [to the dance fl oor] at a Quincenera and I just felt like a total idiot. [both laugh] Q: What is your favorite thing about each other?L: I like his personality because it’s like mine.Aaron: Same.

L: Wow. [Both laugh]

Q: What is one thing you hate about each other?A: How stubborn she is.[Laughs]L: Um… What I hate about him?A: There’s nothing to hate about me![Both laugh]L: I hate that he doesn’t agree with me!

Q: What’s your favorite memory together?Lisenia: You say it.Aaron: No you say it.Lisenia: OK, my favorite memory is probably Prom last year.Q: What do your parents think of each other?A: My mom hates her. [both laugh] No, she likes her more than any other girl I’ve dated. L: My mom is pretty straight up about things. A: Yeah. [laughs]L: She likes him because [Aaron] actually helps out with things with my family. He’s not a lazy guy.

Q: After Aaron graduates, will you stay together?A: That is the plan. L: Yes, that is the plan.

Roaring Fork’s Cutest Couple: Aaron Palomera and Lisenia Sandoval

- Eryn Doherty

RFHSʼs cutest couple for the 2015-2016 school year is Lisenia Sandoval and Aaron Palomera.

Feature 2Rampage

February 2016 Feature 3Rampage

February 2016

On Tuesday, January 12 more than 20 Roaring Fork High School students had the chance to wit-ness the power of words first-hand as they heard National Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera speak at Paepke Auditorium as part of Aspen Words’ Winter Words Program. Herrera - a poet, performer, teacher, and activ-ist - was born in 1948 in California, the son of migrant workers. During his talk, he spoke about living in a home built on top of an old truck and moving from one place to another to find work as a child. After graduating high school, Herrera attended UCLA and Stanford. He is passionate about youth and immigrant rights, themes that came across both in his talk and in his poetry, and has written about 30 books. For RFHS students who attended, the experi-ence was inspiring. Fernanda Muñoz, a junior, explained that she was especially interested in hearing Herrera speak because while Herrera is internationally famous, both her family and Her-rera’s are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. Muñoz felt a strong connection with Herrera’s presentation. Herrera spoke about his father com-ing to Colorado at age 14 on a train from Mexico, his own experience growing up in California, and also read a few of his poems, one about the war in Darfur and another about immigrants on a bus to a detention center. “You live these stories - maybe not you as a person, but family members…”

Munõz explained. The experience was primarily coordinated by Roaring Fork High School English Teacher Carmen McCracken and made possible by the generosity of Aspen Words, who donated tickets for students. McCracken thought the fact that Herrera was the first Latino poet laureate and wrote bilingual poetry would made the experience especially relevant to many students. Both McCracken and students were impressed

by the way that Herrera was able to bring poetry, as McCracken phrased it,“out of the mystery and out of the academia to make it accessible to everyone.” Senior Naomi Pulver admired Herrera’s ability to write poems about topics like the war in Darfur that he did not directly experience with such empathy and feeling. Herrera is a writer that, “has that really compassionate side that allows him to...put himself in other people’s shoes,” she said. Muñoz asked Herrera what inspires him to write. “We as students and we as people - he sees inspiration in us. He sees the potential we can live up up to. Everyone who wants to be someone in life will be someone in life,” Muñoz summarized. This was especially meaningful to Muñoz, who will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school in the United States and who hopes to graduate from college as well. Herrera provided listeners with poignant words, a hefty dose of humor, and insight into what he believes the true purpose of poetry should be throughout the talk. “He talked about how poetry is about giving each person a voice,” McCracken said. Pulver, a writer herself, asked Herrera whether he,“focused more on conveying a feeling or ar-ticulating a message.” He said, “...just make sure it makes sense to you...write from where you want to write,” Pulver recalled.

There are many different celebrations for dif-ferent months, but one important focus is Black History Month in February. Black History Month was founded in 1915 when historian Carter G. Goodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History from Chicago travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in a national cel-ebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation and the abolition of slavery. Now, Black History Month is celebrated every year throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and is an important remind-er of the challenges African Americans have faced and the successes and accomplishments they have achieved in the face of adversity.

Boys lacrosse, while not a new sport, has been growing in popularity over the past couple years. The boys at Roaring Fork High School are passionate about the sport and travel the small distance to Glenwood Springs every-day, practicing to play their best. Boys at RFHS have been playing for the Glenwood team for four years, and this year the team is welcoming a new coach, Goose Henderson. Henderson grew up in New Jersey. He began playing Lacrosse as an 8th grader and when he reached high school, Henderson joined his school’s team. His high school, Lawrenceville Boarding School, was known as a powerhouse in lacrosse. “I got to play there for a couple years and it was a great culture, with a great group of guys,” Henderson said. After high school he continued to play in college. He started varsity both his Junior and Se-nior year at Hobart College. Henderson thinks that being a coach comes very naturally to him. “If I could live my life over again, then I would want to be a coach and a teacher somewhere,” said Henderson. He likes to connect with both players and the parents. “A coach really makes an impact on the kid’s life, not [only] with their athletic ability but also with their character,” Henderson stated. “Sports reveal your character; then, you have the opportunity to build on that character,” Henderson claimed. He explained that if you are trustwor-thy and if you can accept your mistakes and learn from them, then you are good teammate. Each year comes with improvement. “This year we are going to learn about how to be disciplined while still having fun,” Henderson said. His goals for the season are for the coaches and the players to have fun and work hard. “I want the players to not just work for themselves but to work hard for the team,” Henderson stated.

U.S. Poet Laureate finds inspiration in people’s lives- Fiona Laird and Tavia Teitler

Girls lacrosse has arrived at Roaring Fork High School and is here to stay. Until this year, girls who wanted to play lacrosse had to play on a club team. This year, girls have the chance to play representing the school as it is now an official sport. Head coach Sarah Klingelheber is excited for the season to start. “I am looking forward to working with our driven players and having some fun working alongside our assistant coach, Cheslea Robson,” said Klingelheber. She is excited to create a team that has lasting traditions and a positive philosophy. Klingelheber grew up playing lacrosse in the suburbs of Denver in the mid-90’s. Lacrosse was still a lesser known sport at the time, and she liked playing it because people didn’t know too much about it. “I played lacrosse because no one else played it and the people that did were awesome, and I quickly became addicted to working with my lacrosse stick and ball,” said Klingelheber. After high school, she played Division One lacrosse at Brown University. With her experience in lacrosse, Klingelheber wanted to share her pas-sion for the sport. “Lacrosse really is an amazing game rooted in Native American traditions, and the fact that it is the oldest sport in North America is a testament to the depth of the game,” Klingelheber said. She believes that lacrosse is a game of endless possibilities and it attracts one of the most fun group of people she has ever met. Klingelheber thinks that the team at RFHS will help shed more light on the sport of lacrosse and is excited that this team has finally become a reality. “...[I]t is time we deliver a high school lacrosse team to all of the girls in RE-1 who love playing lacrosse,” said Klingelheber.

-Lyndsay Hansen

-Caitlin O’GormanLacrosse: There’s nothing ‘lax’ about it

Recognizing Heroes, Celebrating Diversity

Tuesday, February 16: Farm Day Wednesday, February 17: 80s Workout DayThursday, February 18: Disney/Marvel DayFriday, February 19: Blue and GoldSaturday, February 20: Valentine’s Day Dance

Felina Cruz: Student of the Month “Despite significant hurdles, she never gives up and consistently pushes herself to do her very best. Any student who will stay after on a Friday afternoon (and every afternoon for that matter) to study and stay ahead is the kind of student, and person, who exemplifies what we would like to think is the RFHS model.”-Barbara Mason

“Felina is always checking her grades and asking how she can do better. I see her after school,every day. working on homework and truly wanting to be the best she can be. “-Cathleen McCourt

“She constantly comes in for help to rework lab conclusions and other assignments that she feels aren’t quite perfect yet. She also really strives to help others learn and be successful as well.”-Hadley Hentschel

RFHS Upcoming Spirit Days

Felina Cruz, sophomore at RFHS, is the Student of the Month.

RFHS students with Juan Felipe Herrera at his talk in Aspen on January 12. From left to right, Tavia Teitler, Fiona Laird, Juan Felipe Herrera, Fabian Rico, Joselinne Medrano, and Emily Mata.

Above, 2015 girls’ lacrosse team. Below right, 2015 boys’ lacrosse team. Courtesy photos

Congratulations to Roaring Fork High School Honor Jazz Band and Choir

Selected Participants!Jazz musicians and singers from throughout Western Colorado convened at Roaring Fork High School February 5-6 to attend

Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ District 8 Honor Jazz Festival. Two days of rehearsal culminated in a concert February 6, show-

casing the musical skills of multiple RFHS students.

Lyle Luckett

Liam Laird

Kyle Baird

Ezra Brown

Tyler Treadway

Marco Hernandez

Portia Brown

Emilyna Johnson

Naomi Pulver

Carly Rosenthal

Jesse Campos

Cal Branigan

“History, despite its wrenching

pain, cannot be unlived / But if

faced with cour-age, need not

be lived again” - Maya Angelou

Feature 2Rampage

February 2016 Feature 3Rampage

February 2016

On Tuesday, January 12 more than 20 Roaring Fork High School students had the chance to wit-ness the power of words first-hand as they heard National Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera speak at Paepke Auditorium as part of Aspen Words’ Winter Words Program. Herrera - a poet, performer, teacher, and activ-ist - was born in 1948 in California, the son of migrant workers. During his talk, he spoke about living in a home built on top of an old truck and moving from one place to another to find work as a child. After graduating high school, Herrera attended UCLA and Stanford. He is passionate about youth and immigrant rights, themes that came across both in his talk and in his poetry, and has written about 30 books. For RFHS students who attended, the experi-ence was inspiring. Fernanda Muñoz, a junior, explained that she was especially interested in hearing Herrera speak because while Herrera is internationally famous, both her family and Her-rera’s are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. Muñoz felt a strong connection with Herrera’s presentation. Herrera spoke about his father com-ing to Colorado at age 14 on a train from Mexico, his own experience growing up in California, and also read a few of his poems, one about the war in Darfur and another about immigrants on a bus to a detention center. “You live these stories - maybe not you as a person, but family members…”

Munõz explained. The experience was primarily coordinated by Roaring Fork High School English Teacher Carmen McCracken and made possible by the generosity of Aspen Words, who donated tickets for students. McCracken thought the fact that Herrera was the first Latino poet laureate and wrote bilingual poetry would made the experience especially relevant to many students. Both McCracken and students were impressed

by the way that Herrera was able to bring poetry, as McCracken phrased it,“out of the mystery and out of the academia to make it accessible to everyone.” Senior Naomi Pulver admired Herrera’s ability to write poems about topics like the war in Darfur that he did not directly experience with such empathy and feeling. Herrera is a writer that, “has that really compassionate side that allows him to...put himself in other people’s shoes,” she said. Muñoz asked Herrera what inspires him to write. “We as students and we as people - he sees inspiration in us. He sees the potential we can live up up to. Everyone who wants to be someone in life will be someone in life,” Muñoz summarized. This was especially meaningful to Muñoz, who will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school in the United States and who hopes to graduate from college as well. Herrera provided listeners with poignant words, a hefty dose of humor, and insight into what he believes the true purpose of poetry should be throughout the talk. “He talked about how poetry is about giving each person a voice,” McCracken said. Pulver, a writer herself, asked Herrera whether he,“focused more on conveying a feeling or ar-ticulating a message.” He said, “...just make sure it makes sense to you...write from where you want to write,” Pulver recalled.

There are many different celebrations for dif-ferent months, but one important focus is Black History Month in February. Black History Month was founded in 1915 when historian Carter G. Goodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History from Chicago travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in a national cel-ebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation and the abolition of slavery. Now, Black History Month is celebrated every year throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and is an important remind-er of the challenges African Americans have faced and the successes and accomplishments they have achieved in the face of adversity.

Boys lacrosse, while not a new sport, has been growing in popularity over the past couple years. The boys at Roaring Fork High School are passionate about the sport and travel the small distance to Glenwood Springs every-day, practicing to play their best. Boys at RFHS have been playing for the Glenwood team for four years, and this year the team is welcoming a new coach, Goose Henderson. Henderson grew up in New Jersey. He began playing Lacrosse as an 8th grader and when he reached high school, Henderson joined his school’s team. His high school, Lawrenceville Boarding School, was known as a powerhouse in lacrosse. “I got to play there for a couple years and it was a great culture, with a great group of guys,” Henderson said. After high school he continued to play in college. He started varsity both his Junior and Se-nior year at Hobart College. Henderson thinks that being a coach comes very naturally to him. “If I could live my life over again, then I would want to be a coach and a teacher somewhere,” said Henderson. He likes to connect with both players and the parents. “A coach really makes an impact on the kid’s life, not [only] with their athletic ability but also with their character,” Henderson stated. “Sports reveal your character; then, you have the opportunity to build on that character,” Henderson claimed. He explained that if you are trustwor-thy and if you can accept your mistakes and learn from them, then you are good teammate. Each year comes with improvement. “This year we are going to learn about how to be disciplined while still having fun,” Henderson said. His goals for the season are for the coaches and the players to have fun and work hard. “I want the players to not just work for themselves but to work hard for the team,” Henderson stated.

U.S. Poet Laureate finds inspiration in people’s lives- Fiona Laird and Tavia Teitler

Girls lacrosse has arrived at Roaring Fork High School and is here to stay. Until this year, girls who wanted to play lacrosse had to play on a club team. This year, girls have the chance to play representing the school as it is now an official sport. Head coach Sarah Klingelheber is excited for the season to start. “I am looking forward to working with our driven players and having some fun working alongside our assistant coach, Cheslea Robson,” said Klingelheber. She is excited to create a team that has lasting traditions and a positive philosophy. Klingelheber grew up playing lacrosse in the suburbs of Denver in the mid-90’s. Lacrosse was still a lesser known sport at the time, and she liked playing it because people didn’t know too much about it. “I played lacrosse because no one else played it and the people that did were awesome, and I quickly became addicted to working with my lacrosse stick and ball,” said Klingelheber. After high school, she played Division One lacrosse at Brown University. With her experience in lacrosse, Klingelheber wanted to share her pas-sion for the sport. “Lacrosse really is an amazing game rooted in Native American traditions, and the fact that it is the oldest sport in North America is a testament to the depth of the game,” Klingelheber said. She believes that lacrosse is a game of endless possibilities and it attracts one of the most fun group of people she has ever met. Klingelheber thinks that the team at RFHS will help shed more light on the sport of lacrosse and is excited that this team has finally become a reality. “...[I]t is time we deliver a high school lacrosse team to all of the girls in RE-1 who love playing lacrosse,” said Klingelheber.

-Lyndsay Hansen

-Caitlin O’GormanLacrosse: There’s nothing ‘lax’ about it

Recognizing Heroes, Celebrating Diversity

Tuesday, February 16: Farm Day Wednesday, February 17: 80s Workout DayThursday, February 18: Disney/Marvel DayFriday, February 19: Blue and GoldSaturday, February 20: Valentine’s Day Dance

Felina Cruz: Student of the Month “Despite significant hurdles, she never gives up and consistently pushes herself to do her very best. Any student who will stay after on a Friday afternoon (and every afternoon for that matter) to study and stay ahead is the kind of student, and person, who exemplifies what we would like to think is the RFHS model.”-Barbara Mason

“Felina is always checking her grades and asking how she can do better. I see her after school,every day. working on homework and truly wanting to be the best she can be. “-Cathleen McCourt

“She constantly comes in for help to rework lab conclusions and other assignments that she feels aren’t quite perfect yet. She also really strives to help others learn and be successful as well.”-Hadley Hentschel

RFHS Upcoming Spirit Days

Felina Cruz, sophomore at RFHS, is the Student of the Month.

RFHS students with Juan Felipe Herrera at his talk in Aspen on January 12. From left to right, Tavia Teitler, Fiona Laird, Juan Felipe Herrera, Fabian Rico, Joselinne Medrano, and Emily Mata.

Above, 2015 girls’ lacrosse team. Below right, 2015 boys’ lacrosse team. Courtesy photos

Congratulations to Roaring Fork High School Honor Jazz Band and Choir

Selected Participants!Jazz musicians and singers from throughout Western Colorado convened at Roaring Fork High School February 5-6 to attend

Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ District 8 Honor Jazz Festival. Two days of rehearsal culminated in a concert February 6, show-

casing the musical skills of multiple RFHS students.

Lyle Luckett

Liam Laird

Kyle Baird

Ezra Brown

Tyler Treadway

Marco Hernandez

Portia Brown

Emilyna Johnson

Naomi Pulver

Carly Rosenthal

Jesse Campos

Cal Branigan

“History, despite its wrenching

pain, cannot be unlived / But if

faced with cour-age, need not

be lived again” - Maya Angelou

Feature 2Rampage

February 2016 Feature 3Rampage

February 2016

On Tuesday, January 12 more than 20 Roaring Fork High School students had the chance to wit-ness the power of words first-hand as they heard National Poet Laureate Juan Felipe Herrera speak at Paepke Auditorium as part of Aspen Words’ Winter Words Program. Herrera - a poet, performer, teacher, and activ-ist - was born in 1948 in California, the son of migrant workers. During his talk, he spoke about living in a home built on top of an old truck and moving from one place to another to find work as a child. After graduating high school, Herrera attended UCLA and Stanford. He is passionate about youth and immigrant rights, themes that came across both in his talk and in his poetry, and has written about 30 books. For RFHS students who attended, the experi-ence was inspiring. Fernanda Muñoz, a junior, explained that she was especially interested in hearing Herrera speak because while Herrera is internationally famous, both her family and Her-rera’s are originally from Chihuahua, Mexico. Muñoz felt a strong connection with Herrera’s presentation. Herrera spoke about his father com-ing to Colorado at age 14 on a train from Mexico, his own experience growing up in California, and also read a few of his poems, one about the war in Darfur and another about immigrants on a bus to a detention center. “You live these stories - maybe not you as a person, but family members…”

Munõz explained. The experience was primarily coordinated by Roaring Fork High School English Teacher Carmen McCracken and made possible by the generosity of Aspen Words, who donated tickets for students. McCracken thought the fact that Herrera was the first Latino poet laureate and wrote bilingual poetry would made the experience especially relevant to many students. Both McCracken and students were impressed

by the way that Herrera was able to bring poetry, as McCracken phrased it,“out of the mystery and out of the academia to make it accessible to everyone.” Senior Naomi Pulver admired Herrera’s ability to write poems about topics like the war in Darfur that he did not directly experience with such empathy and feeling. Herrera is a writer that, “has that really compassionate side that allows him to...put himself in other people’s shoes,” she said. Muñoz asked Herrera what inspires him to write. “We as students and we as people - he sees inspiration in us. He sees the potential we can live up up to. Everyone who wants to be someone in life will be someone in life,” Muñoz summarized. This was especially meaningful to Muñoz, who will be the first person in her family to graduate from high school in the United States and who hopes to graduate from college as well. Herrera provided listeners with poignant words, a hefty dose of humor, and insight into what he believes the true purpose of poetry should be throughout the talk. “He talked about how poetry is about giving each person a voice,” McCracken said. Pulver, a writer herself, asked Herrera whether he,“focused more on conveying a feeling or ar-ticulating a message.” He said, “...just make sure it makes sense to you...write from where you want to write,” Pulver recalled.

There are many different celebrations for dif-ferent months, but one important focus is Black History Month in February. Black History Month was founded in 1915 when historian Carter G. Goodson and the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History from Chicago travelled to Washington D.C. to participate in a national cel-ebration of the 50th anniversary of emancipation and the abolition of slavery. Now, Black History Month is celebrated every year throughout the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom, and is an important remind-er of the challenges African Americans have faced and the successes and accomplishments they have achieved in the face of adversity.

Boys lacrosse, while not a new sport, has been growing in popularity over the past couple years. The boys at Roaring Fork High School are passionate about the sport and travel the small distance to Glenwood Springs every-day, practicing to play their best. Boys at RFHS have been playing for the Glenwood team for four years, and this year the team is welcoming a new coach, Goose Henderson. Henderson grew up in New Jersey. He began playing Lacrosse as an 8th grader and when he reached high school, Henderson joined his school’s team. His high school, Lawrenceville Boarding School, was known as a powerhouse in lacrosse. “I got to play there for a couple years and it was a great culture, with a great group of guys,” Henderson said. After high school he continued to play in college. He started varsity both his Junior and Se-nior year at Hobart College. Henderson thinks that being a coach comes very naturally to him. “If I could live my life over again, then I would want to be a coach and a teacher somewhere,” said Henderson. He likes to connect with both players and the parents. “A coach really makes an impact on the kid’s life, not [only] with their athletic ability but also with their character,” Henderson stated. “Sports reveal your character; then, you have the opportunity to build on that character,” Henderson claimed. He explained that if you are trustwor-thy and if you can accept your mistakes and learn from them, then you are good teammate. Each year comes with improvement. “This year we are going to learn about how to be disciplined while still having fun,” Henderson said. His goals for the season are for the coaches and the players to have fun and work hard. “I want the players to not just work for themselves but to work hard for the team,” Henderson stated.

U.S. Poet Laureate finds inspiration in people’s lives- Fiona Laird and Tavia Teitler

Girls lacrosse has arrived at Roaring Fork High School and is here to stay. Until this year, girls who wanted to play lacrosse had to play on a club team. This year, girls have the chance to play representing the school as it is now an official sport. Head coach Sarah Klingelheber is excited for the season to start. “I am looking forward to working with our driven players and having some fun working alongside our assistant coach, Cheslea Robson,” said Klingelheber. She is excited to create a team that has lasting traditions and a positive philosophy. Klingelheber grew up playing lacrosse in the suburbs of Denver in the mid-90’s. Lacrosse was still a lesser known sport at the time, and she liked playing it because people didn’t know too much about it. “I played lacrosse because no one else played it and the people that did were awesome, and I quickly became addicted to working with my lacrosse stick and ball,” said Klingelheber. After high school, she played Division One lacrosse at Brown University. With her experience in lacrosse, Klingelheber wanted to share her pas-sion for the sport. “Lacrosse really is an amazing game rooted in Native American traditions, and the fact that it is the oldest sport in North America is a testament to the depth of the game,” Klingelheber said. She believes that lacrosse is a game of endless possibilities and it attracts one of the most fun group of people she has ever met. Klingelheber thinks that the team at RFHS will help shed more light on the sport of lacrosse and is excited that this team has finally become a reality. “...[I]t is time we deliver a high school lacrosse team to all of the girls in RE-1 who love playing lacrosse,” said Klingelheber.

-Lyndsay Hansen

-Caitlin O’GormanLacrosse: There’s nothing ‘lax’ about it

Recognizing Heroes, Celebrating Diversity

Tuesday, February 16: Farm Day Wednesday, February 17: 80s Workout DayThursday, February 18: Disney/Marvel DayFriday, February 19: Blue and GoldSaturday, February 20: Valentine’s Day Dance

Felina Cruz: Student of the Month “Despite significant hurdles, she never gives up and consistently pushes herself to do her very best. Any student who will stay after on a Friday afternoon (and every afternoon for that matter) to study and stay ahead is the kind of student, and person, who exemplifies what we would like to think is the RFHS model.”-Barbara Mason

“Felina is always checking her grades and asking how she can do better. I see her after school,every day. working on homework and truly wanting to be the best she can be. “-Cathleen McCourt

“She constantly comes in for help to rework lab conclusions and other assignments that she feels aren’t quite perfect yet. She also really strives to help others learn and be successful as well.”-Hadley Hentschel

RFHS Upcoming Spirit Days

Felina Cruz, sophomore at RFHS, is the Student of the Month.

RFHS students with Juan Felipe Herrera at his talk in Aspen on January 12. From left to right, Tavia Teitler, Fiona Laird, Juan Felipe Herrera, Fabian Rico, Joselinne Medrano, and Emily Mata.

Above, 2015 girls’ lacrosse team. Below right, 2015 boys’ lacrosse team. Courtesy photos

Congratulations to Roaring Fork High School Honor Jazz Band and Choir

Selected Participants!Jazz musicians and singers from throughout Western Colorado convened at Roaring Fork High School February 5-6 to attend

Jazz Aspen Snowmass’ District 8 Honor Jazz Festival. Two days of rehearsal culminated in a concert February 6, show-

casing the musical skills of multiple RFHS students.

Lyle Luckett

Liam Laird

Kyle Baird

Ezra Brown

Tyler Treadway

Marco Hernandez

Portia Brown

Emilyna Johnson

Naomi Pulver

Carly Rosenthal

Jesse Campos

Cal Branigan

“History, despite its wrenching

pain, cannot be unlived / But if

faced with cour-age, need not

be lived again” - Maya Angelou

4 Rampage | February 2016 Rampage | February 2016 5

Will Grand-bois is now the Arts and Enter-t a i n m e n t editor for the Post In-dependent but in High School he was the Edi-tor in Chief of the Rampage. Involvement in High School did not come easily to Grand-bois, but when he returned from a world traveler’s trip the summer before his junior year, he was ready to play a bigger role in his school. Grandbois was a member of the Na-tional Honors Society, student coun-cil and student court. “The biggest broad impact [of going to RFHS] was getting involved and learning to put myself out there,” Grandbois claimed. After high school, Gradbois attended Colorado University in Boulder and studied anthropology because he be-lieved that “insight into how people work is useful in any job.” While in college, Grandbois was hired by the Sopris Sun as their web guy and eventually started taking photos and writing freelance articles fort hem. After college he returned to the val-ley and worked various retail jobs until a reporter position at the Post Independent became available and Grandbois got the job. Grandbois covered crime, carbondale and edu-cation until he became the entertain-ment editor which is the position he currently holds.

Will Grandbois Looking back on his time at RFHS, Bill Dorais especially remembers the supportive faculty, who, “...really knew me and helped me through my crazy teen-age years and helped s u p p o r t my creative side while still prepar-ing my aca-demics for university,” he says. Af-ter graduating from RFHS in 1999, Dorais attended CU Boulder, where he achieved a BFA in Film. His se-nior thesis, a science fi ction thriller on an HD camera, was the fi rst of its kind at CU Boulder and led to a job at Nickelodeon. For two years, Dorais lived in Iceland, working on produc-tion for Nickelodeon. Following this, Dorais worked on a variety of pro-ductions, including a show for PBS Kids in New York and Speed Racer, The Mummy, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the Smurfs in Los Angeles. Dorais currently lives in New York City with his wife and three children. “I am now the co-head of the 3D department for [The Mov-ing Picture Company], which is one of the world’s largest and most suc-cessful visual effects companies,” he says. He also creates short animated fi lms, and is working on a short fi lm, “...which has to do with these funny little creatures in the woods,” he ex-plains. To see Dorais’ short fi lms, Google “Sunny and Steve”.

In high school, Caro-line Cretti learned that, “...RFHS is part of a really unique com-munity” and that the way that a group of diverse people, “come to relate to one another, and often be-come friends, is quite out of the or-dinary.” According to Cretti, RFHS is more diverse and connected than many places. Cretti graduated from RFHS in 2002, and says that her education at Roaring Fork pre-pared her for the next stage of her life. She attended college in New England, and competed as a profes-sional runner after graduating. Cre-tti now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, working at a local hospital as clinical psychologist. “I feel like RFHS... prepared me in many ways for all of these adventures - and feel very lucky to have been raised in Carbondale and taught at RFHS,” she says.

Some of Tricia Bin-ford’s most vivid mem-ories from RFHS in-clude win-ning state b a s k e t -ball titles three years in a row. Binford’s experiences on the state champion basketball team taught her the value of work ethic and dedication. “We were a talented team, but we were champions because of our dedication and level of com-mitment,” she remembers. Binford graduated from RFHS in 1991, and was recruited and played basketball at Boise State, where she majored in criminal justice. Although a double knee surgery had her considering a criminal justice carrer, she had the opportunity to play basketball in Tas-mania, which marked the beginning of a career playing women’s basket-ball professionally. Binford played for a second season in Brisbane, and played for two years for the Utah Stars and two years for the Cleveland Rockers following that. She fi nished her playing career in 2002 and began coaching women’s basketball. She coached at Boise State, and then Utah State. Now she lives in Mon-tana with her husband and two kids where she has been the head coach for women’s basketball at Montana State University for the last 11 years.

Tarn Udall gradu-ated from RFHS in 2004. While a t t e n d i n g R o a r i n g Fork, she, “learned a lot about the power of a small, tight-knit community.” She played volleyball, basketball and soccer all four years, and also ran track, Udall also has a, “...deep appreciation for talented and dedicated teachers like those I was lucky enough to learn from at RFHS.” Udall attended Colo-rado College, and graduated in 2008 with a political science degree. She has gone on to work for a Colorado Springs non-profi t, work on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer, and lead courses for Outward Bound. In 2015, Udall graduated from law school and is now working as an attorney in Den-ver. In her free time, she enjoys, “...exploring the mountains and chasing after [her] puppy,” with her fi ancé.

Tarn Udall

Bill Dorais

A Trip Down

In high

Caroline Cretti

Memory Lane

FOCUS

Alex Alvarado g r a d u a t e d from RFHS in 2011. He has a Bach-elor’s Degree in History from Metro-politan State U n i v e r s i t y in Denver, Colorado, and graduated in 2015. Al-varado is now working as a paralegal for a Denver law fi rm. Alvarado also works on immigrant advocacy, and has worked with and led organiza-tions such as Asociacion de Jovenes Unidos en Accion. While at Roaring Fork, Alvarado served as Head Boy, which he says put him in a position of trust and gave him the opportunity to have real world experiences. One of the biggest takeaways from RFHS was the ability to, “have relationships with people no matter what their race was.” He wants to encourage everyone in the valley to remember that the, “...world is a lot bigger than your family and friends in the valley,” and to not be scared of experiencing life outside of the Roaring Fork Val-ley and expanding their boundaries. “Roaring Fork is the best high school in the valley,” he added.

Larry Black has been a lifelong ram. He graduated from RFHS in 1976 where he was part of the Class A champion-ship football team his sophomore year and at-tended the state basketball tourna-ment his junior year. Black had been attending the state tournament since he was little and it was dream come true for him to “actually get to play there instead of just watch.” After graduating from RFHS, Black spent a year working before attending Western State College in Gunnison Colorado. After four years at Western State, Black returned to Carbondale where he student taught at RFHS and then, “began coaching and wait-ed for a teaching position to open up, which eventually happened.” Black has been a teacher and/or coach at RFHS for the past 35 year and cur-rently teaches woodshop part time. During his years as a teacher, Black helped design the new high school and is “proud of the learning facility it has become.” Black has also, “taught hundreds and hundreds of wood shop students how to use power tools to build projects, and so far, no one has lost a single fi nger.” Additionally, Black has been a track and basketball coach for the Rams and “coached many incredibly successful athletes.”

Erica SparhawkD u r i n g her time at RFHS Erica S p a r h a w k helped start R F H S ’ s girls soccer team, played basketbal l , spent a year abroad in New Zealand and “cared a lot about the environment… and so-cial justice issues.” Sparhawk recalls that she was encouraged to “go away from where I went to high school and come back later,” which is a strategy that seems to have served her well. When she graduated from RFHS, Sparhawk attended CSU where she majored in Political science and Economics. After college, Sparhawk spent a year and a half in South America and then returned to the United States and got a job with the Northern Plains Resource Council in Montana. It was at this job where she discovered “the impact of energy on people” and “learned to be a fun-draiser and community organizer.” Sparhawk now lives in Carbondale with her husband and two children and works at Garfi eld Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER).

Alex Alvarado Alex Alvarado

Tricia Binford Larry Black

people, “come to

Formerly Tricia Bader

Colorado, and graduated in 2015. Al-

This month, the Rampage takes a look back at the Rams who walked the halls before us. From the interviews below, Roaring Fork set students up for a

range of futures and careers, from professional basketball to law to

alumni who made this article pos-

sible.

being a teacher at RFHS. All mentioned the preparedness they felt to begin life after high school, the stellar teach-

ers, and the value and uniqueness of the community and friendship found

at RFHS. Thank you to the

4 Rampage | February 2016 Rampage | February 2016 5

Will Grand-bois is now the Arts and Enter-t a i n m e n t editor for the Post In-dependent but in High School he was the Edi-tor in Chief of the Rampage. Involvement in High School did not come easily to Grand-bois, but when he returned from a world traveler’s trip the summer before his junior year, he was ready to play a bigger role in his school. Grandbois was a member of the Na-tional Honors Society, student coun-cil and student court. “The biggest broad impact [of going to RFHS] was getting involved and learning to put myself out there,” Grandbois claimed. After high school, Gradbois attended Colorado University in Boulder and studied anthropology because he be-lieved that “insight into how people work is useful in any job.” While in college, Grandbois was hired by the Sopris Sun as their web guy and eventually started taking photos and writing freelance articles fort hem. After college he returned to the val-ley and worked various retail jobs until a reporter position at the Post Independent became available and Grandbois got the job. Grandbois covered crime, carbondale and edu-cation until he became the entertain-ment editor which is the position he currently holds.

Will Grandbois Looking back on his time at RFHS, Bill Dorais especially remembers the supportive faculty, who, “...really knew me and helped me through my crazy teen-age years and helped s u p p o r t my creative side while still prepar-ing my aca-demics for university,” he says. Af-ter graduating from RFHS in 1999, Dorais attended CU Boulder, where he achieved a BFA in Film. His se-nior thesis, a science fi ction thriller on an HD camera, was the fi rst of its kind at CU Boulder and led to a job at Nickelodeon. For two years, Dorais lived in Iceland, working on produc-tion for Nickelodeon. Following this, Dorais worked on a variety of pro-ductions, including a show for PBS Kids in New York and Speed Racer, The Mummy, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, and the Smurfs in Los Angeles. Dorais currently lives in New York City with his wife and three children. “I am now the co-head of the 3D department for [The Mov-ing Picture Company], which is one of the world’s largest and most suc-cessful visual effects companies,” he says. He also creates short animated fi lms, and is working on a short fi lm, “...which has to do with these funny little creatures in the woods,” he ex-plains. To see Dorais’ short fi lms, Google “Sunny and Steve”.

In high school, Caro-line Cretti learned that, “...RFHS is part of a really unique com-munity” and that the way that a group of diverse people, “come to relate to one another, and often be-come friends, is quite out of the or-dinary.” According to Cretti, RFHS is more diverse and connected than many places. Cretti graduated from RFHS in 2002, and says that her education at Roaring Fork pre-pared her for the next stage of her life. She attended college in New England, and competed as a profes-sional runner after graduating. Cre-tti now lives in the San Francisco Bay area, working at a local hospital as clinical psychologist. “I feel like RFHS... prepared me in many ways for all of these adventures - and feel very lucky to have been raised in Carbondale and taught at RFHS,” she says.

Some of Tricia Bin-ford’s most vivid mem-ories from RFHS in-clude win-ning state b a s k e t -ball titles three years in a row. Binford’s experiences on the state champion basketball team taught her the value of work ethic and dedication. “We were a talented team, but we were champions because of our dedication and level of com-mitment,” she remembers. Binford graduated from RFHS in 1991, and was recruited and played basketball at Boise State, where she majored in criminal justice. Although a double knee surgery had her considering a criminal justice carrer, she had the opportunity to play basketball in Tas-mania, which marked the beginning of a career playing women’s basket-ball professionally. Binford played for a second season in Brisbane, and played for two years for the Utah Stars and two years for the Cleveland Rockers following that. She fi nished her playing career in 2002 and began coaching women’s basketball. She coached at Boise State, and then Utah State. Now she lives in Mon-tana with her husband and two kids where she has been the head coach for women’s basketball at Montana State University for the last 11 years.

Tarn Udall gradu-ated from RFHS in 2004. While a t t e n d i n g R o a r i n g Fork, she, “learned a lot about the power of a small, tight-knit community.” She played volleyball, basketball and soccer all four years, and also ran track, Udall also has a, “...deep appreciation for talented and dedicated teachers like those I was lucky enough to learn from at RFHS.” Udall attended Colo-rado College, and graduated in 2008 with a political science degree. She has gone on to work for a Colorado Springs non-profi t, work on Capitol Hill as a legislative staffer, and lead courses for Outward Bound. In 2015, Udall graduated from law school and is now working as an attorney in Den-ver. In her free time, she enjoys, “...exploring the mountains and chasing after [her] puppy,” with her fi ancé.

Tarn Udall

Bill Dorais

A Trip Down

In high

Caroline Cretti

Memory Lane

FOCUS

Alex Alvarado g r a d u a t e d from RFHS in 2011. He has a Bach-elor’s Degree in History from Metro-politan State U n i v e r s i t y in Denver, Colorado, and graduated in 2015. Al-varado is now working as a paralegal for a Denver law fi rm. Alvarado also works on immigrant advocacy, and has worked with and led organiza-tions such as Asociacion de Jovenes Unidos en Accion. While at Roaring Fork, Alvarado served as Head Boy, which he says put him in a position of trust and gave him the opportunity to have real world experiences. One of the biggest takeaways from RFHS was the ability to, “have relationships with people no matter what their race was.” He wants to encourage everyone in the valley to remember that the, “...world is a lot bigger than your family and friends in the valley,” and to not be scared of experiencing life outside of the Roaring Fork Val-ley and expanding their boundaries. “Roaring Fork is the best high school in the valley,” he added.

Larry Black has been a lifelong ram. He graduated from RFHS in 1976 where he was part of the Class A champion-ship football team his sophomore year and at-tended the state basketball tourna-ment his junior year. Black had been attending the state tournament since he was little and it was dream come true for him to “actually get to play there instead of just watch.” After graduating from RFHS, Black spent a year working before attending Western State College in Gunnison Colorado. After four years at Western State, Black returned to Carbondale where he student taught at RFHS and then, “began coaching and wait-ed for a teaching position to open up, which eventually happened.” Black has been a teacher and/or coach at RFHS for the past 35 year and cur-rently teaches woodshop part time. During his years as a teacher, Black helped design the new high school and is “proud of the learning facility it has become.” Black has also, “taught hundreds and hundreds of wood shop students how to use power tools to build projects, and so far, no one has lost a single fi nger.” Additionally, Black has been a track and basketball coach for the Rams and “coached many incredibly successful athletes.”

Erica SparhawkD u r i n g her time at RFHS Erica S p a r h a w k helped start R F H S ’ s girls soccer team, played basketbal l , spent a year abroad in New Zealand and “cared a lot about the environment… and so-cial justice issues.” Sparhawk recalls that she was encouraged to “go away from where I went to high school and come back later,” which is a strategy that seems to have served her well. When she graduated from RFHS, Sparhawk attended CSU where she majored in Political science and Economics. After college, Sparhawk spent a year and a half in South America and then returned to the United States and got a job with the Northern Plains Resource Council in Montana. It was at this job where she discovered “the impact of energy on people” and “learned to be a fun-draiser and community organizer.” Sparhawk now lives in Carbondale with her husband and two children and works at Garfi eld Clean Energy Economy for the Region (CLEER).

Alex Alvarado Alex Alvarado

Tricia Binford Larry Black

people, “come to

Formerly Tricia Bader

Colorado, and graduated in 2015. Al-

This month, the Rampage takes a look back at the Rams who walked the halls before us. From the interviews below, Roaring Fork set students up for a

range of futures and careers, from professional basketball to law to

alumni who made this article pos-

sible.

being a teacher at RFHS. All mentioned the preparedness they felt to begin life after high school, the stellar teach-

ers, and the value and uniqueness of the community and friendship found

at RFHS. Thank you to the

News 6Rampage

February 2016

Recently, the high school graduation require-ments in the Roaring Fork School District have changed. These changes will be implemented starting with the class of 2018 (this year’s sopho-mores). The major change is the switch from a credits based system to more of a class based system. Now, the requirements are that students must take more specific classes and actually pass them. English, Math, and Science are the subjects with the largest district wide changes. Students must now pass two semesters of English III or higher, and have 30 total english credits to stay on track to graduate. English electives such as Creative Writing and Journalism do not count as part of these credits. Being able to graduate also

requires that all students must pass two semesters of Math III or higher, and have 30 math credits. The final big academic change is to Science. Stu-dents must have 30 total science credits, including two semesters of biology and two semesters of physical science or chemistry. There is room for some potential exceptions, but the details are not clear yet. The other change made is the addition of a Senior Capstone Project. The details of this proj-ect are still being worked out by the district. “It’s a project that will be turned in and presented in CREW,” said Andrea Caruso, the college coun-selor at RFHS. “[The] second semester of CREW would be dedicated to creating some sort of dem-onstration of knowledge,” said RFHS principle

New Changes to High School Graduation Requirements

Every year, students across the country take tests that determine their future. This year at Roaring Fork High School, there is a new coun-selor to help students prepare. Bonnie Cretti, a past RFHS teacher, has been working with students in the Pre-Collegiate Program. Recently, she has also been working with students through the high school to prepare them for the ACT. She works with the students to help them navigate the specific test structure and assess a standard set of concepts. Her methods are effective because they are an accurate representation of what is on the actual exam. Test preparation also allows students to become familiar with the format, timing, and content before taking the actual exam. A large part of test prep is learning the strat-egies used for studying for the tests. When it comes to studying, everyone is different. Different methods work for different people. According to Cretti, the best way to remember the material is to review it right after class when the lesson is

Bonnie Cretti, Helping Students Tackle Tests

-Zoe Hanlon

The Roaring Fork High School girls and boys basketball teams are nearing the end of a difficult but rewarding season. According to MaxPreps, both the boys and girls teams currently have a league record of 4 wins and 5 losses. After finishing the first league game of the year, the Rams played their rival, Basalt Longhorns, in Basalt, on December 17th. The girls played a heated four quarters which then resulted in a contentious overtime match with the final score of 55-45, Rams. The Rams have faced many chal-lenges throughout the season but have also had many successes and are still working hard to fin-ish the season strong. Senior power forward Sergio Vega says that the hardest struggle to overcome this season has been, “Playing as a team and starting and finish-ing games like we know we can.” He feels that last

Drew Adams. Further details on the capstone project will be decided soon. In terms of its effects on RFHS, no one is particularly concerned. “The biggest change is probably adding a third year of science,” said Caruso. As part of the added math requirements, certain math classes will continue to be held everyday (instead of being held every other day as most classes are) and free math tutoring will con-tinue be provided with Wendy Boland and David Joseph after school on Wednesdays. It will be hard to know how much these chang-es will really affect the class of 2018 and beyond, but the Roaring Fork School District is hopeful that these changes will better prepare students for college.

- Edgar Reynastill fresh in your memory. Find a comfortable and quiet place with good lighting and little distrac-tion. Cretti states that, “One should never go into the test cold.” Other easy tips to apply to your studying are taking notes, taking short breaks frequently, testing your-self, and avoiding studying later than the time you usually go to sleep. Some of the strategies Cretti gives students is to, “buy a book, practice the test in the format which the test is given, take a practice test, and find one of the million websites online.” Taking the tests seriously is im-portant in order to get the best score possible. Exams help determine what students know and do not know. Tests also allow teachers to see what needs to be taught. Cretti says, “The role of the test in any applica-

tion is always changing...Don’t let numbers stop you from achieving your full potential.”

Basketball Season Coming to a Close: Rams Fighting for a Strong Finish

year the varsity team played together better, and they hustled and left everything they had on the floor. He believes that this year’s team has the ability to play to that same potential. Junior varsity player Megan Nieslanik says that what motivates her game is, “working super hard so I can play on varsity.” Nieslanik says that the game of basketball teaches you the life lessons and skills of perseverance because on the court as well as in life you have to be mentally strong through any trials and tribulations that you may face. The next league matchup that the Rams will face is on February 13th against Moffat County at home. Girls varsity will play at 4:00 and boys var-sity will play after them. This will be the team’s last home game of the season as well as senior night. Come out and support the Rams!

Junior Cindy Salinas goes up for a shot during the varsity girls’s game against Gunnison. The last home game for the Rams is February 13. photo by Sue Rollyson

- Katie Weimer

News 6Rampage

February 2016

Recently, the high school graduation require-ments in the Roaring Fork School District have changed. These changes will be implemented starting with the class of 2018 (this year’s sopho-mores). The major change is the switch from a credits based system to more of a class based system. Now, the requirements are that students must take more specific classes and actually pass them. English, Math, and Science are the subjects with the largest district wide changes. Students must now pass two semesters of English III or higher, and have 30 total english credits to stay on track to graduate. English electives such as Creative Writing and Journalism do not count as part of these credits. Being able to graduate also

requires that all students must pass two semesters of Math III or higher, and have 30 math credits. The final big academic change is to Science. Stu-dents must have 30 total science credits, including two semesters of biology and two semesters of physical science or chemistry. There is room for some potential exceptions, but the details are not clear yet. The other change made is the addition of a Senior Capstone Project. The details of this proj-ect are still being worked out by the district. “It’s a project that will be turned in and presented in CREW,” said Andrea Caruso, the college coun-selor at RFHS. “[The] second semester of CREW would be dedicated to creating some sort of dem-onstration of knowledge,” said RFHS principle

New Changes to High School Graduation Requirements

Every year, students across the country take tests that determine their future. This year at Roaring Fork High School, there is a new coun-selor to help students prepare. Bonnie Cretti, a past RFHS teacher, has been working with students in the Pre-Collegiate Program. Recently, she has also been working with students through the high school to prepare them for the ACT. She works with the students to help them navigate the specific test structure and assess a standard set of concepts. Her methods are effective because they are an accurate representation of what is on the actual exam. Test preparation also allows students to become familiar with the format, timing, and content before taking the actual exam. A large part of test prep is learning the strat-egies used for studying for the tests. When it comes to studying, everyone is different. Different methods work for different people. According to Cretti, the best way to remember the material is to review it right after class when the lesson is

Bonnie Cretti, Helping Students Tackle Tests

-Zoe Hanlon

The Roaring Fork High School girls and boys basketball teams are nearing the end of a difficult but rewarding season. According to MaxPreps, both the boys and girls teams currently have a league record of 4 wins and 5 losses. After finishing the first league game of the year, the Rams played their rival, Basalt Longhorns, in Basalt, on December 17th. The girls played a heated four quarters which then resulted in a contentious overtime match with the final score of 55-45, Rams. The Rams have faced many chal-lenges throughout the season but have also had many successes and are still working hard to fin-ish the season strong. Senior power forward Sergio Vega says that the hardest struggle to overcome this season has been, “Playing as a team and starting and finish-ing games like we know we can.” He feels that last

Drew Adams. Further details on the capstone project will be decided soon. In terms of its effects on RFHS, no one is particularly concerned. “The biggest change is probably adding a third year of science,” said Caruso. As part of the added math requirements, certain math classes will continue to be held everyday (instead of being held every other day as most classes are) and free math tutoring will con-tinue be provided with Wendy Boland and David Joseph after school on Wednesdays. It will be hard to know how much these chang-es will really affect the class of 2018 and beyond, but the Roaring Fork School District is hopeful that these changes will better prepare students for college.

- Edgar Reynastill fresh in your memory. Find a comfortable and quiet place with good lighting and little distrac-tion. Cretti states that, “One should never go into the test cold.” Other easy tips to apply to your studying are taking notes, taking short breaks frequently, testing your-self, and avoiding studying later than the time you usually go to sleep. Some of the strategies Cretti gives students is to, “buy a book, practice the test in the format which the test is given, take a practice test, and find one of the million websites online.” Taking the tests seriously is im-portant in order to get the best score possible. Exams help determine what students know and do not know. Tests also allow teachers to see what needs to be taught. Cretti says, “The role of the test in any applica-

tion is always changing...Don’t let numbers stop you from achieving your full potential.”

Basketball Season Coming to a Close: Rams Fighting for a Strong Finish

year the varsity team played together better, and they hustled and left everything they had on the floor. He believes that this year’s team has the ability to play to that same potential. Junior varsity player Megan Nieslanik says that what motivates her game is, “working super hard so I can play on varsity.” Nieslanik says that the game of basketball teaches you the life lessons and skills of perseverance because on the court as well as in life you have to be mentally strong through any trials and tribulations that you may face. The next league matchup that the Rams will face is on February 13th against Moffat County at home. Girls varsity will play at 4:00 and boys var-sity will play after them. This will be the team’s last home game of the season as well as senior night. Come out and support the Rams!

Junior Cindy Salinas goes up for a shot during the varsity girls’s game against Gunnison. The last home game for the Rams is February 13. photo by Sue Rollyson

- Katie Weimer

Sports 7Rampage

February 2016

The Roaring Fork High School Boys Baseball Team has been in the rebuilding stage the last couple of years, but this year the team is starting to look up. This season’s roster will be packed with soph-omores and juniors boding well both for this year and the next. A third of the team’s starters have had varsity experience for over two years. Juniors Aldo Pinela, Jake Kelley and Hayden Bernot have been playing varsity baseball since freshman year. With the help of Juniors Taylor Carney, Eduardo Yanez, and Axel Palomera whom have also all had varsity experience, the team will feature a strong group of upperclassmen. The sophomore class is also super strong in numbers and will be impor-tant in helping the team be successful. “This is the start to a solid junior season and then an even more phenomenal senior season,”

said Junior Jake Kelley when asked about the upcoming season. Hopefully this season will mark the beginning of a good team that could po-tentially turn into an even better team next year. With a record of 7 wins and 23 losses for the last two seasons at RFHS, the baseball team hopes to turn things around in 2016. Players on the team are positive about what this season will hold for them. “I think the season will go pretty well. We will have to work on our fundamentals and strategy of the game so we can beat some of the tougher teams, but I think [we] will be pretty good overall,” said sophomore, and team captain, Andrew Broadhurst. Head coach Marty Madsen also has big plans for the boys’ season. “My main goal is like a lot of other coaches… it’s to compete for a league championship and make the state tournament. We

could also do a little more. We have the ability and the team; we just now need to put in the work and stay focused on our goal,” Madsen commented. Madsen also believes that the team will take a turn for the better this year. “I feel the difference be-tween this year and last is that we will have guys with more varsity experience. That was the biggest downfall last year was not having guys who have played ball at that level and that speed. Now that we have a strong junior class and upcoming soph-omore class we have the talent and then numbers to do great things,” Madsen said. In addition, this season will mark the debut of RFHS’s new baseball stadium. The improved stadium can now hold many more Ram fans to cheer on the team at their games and support them throughout what will hopefully be a great baseball season.

-Hayden Bernot

Batter up!

-Grace Brown

Expressing school spirit and Ram pride, you will see most RFHS athletes repping their letterman jacket around town or in the halls. Originally, the jackets started as letter “sweaters” for Harvard’s Baseball team in 1865. Today, in 2016, the tradi-tions are similar. On the left rests one’s “letter”, given to the athlete by the Athletic Director at the end of each Varsity season. On the letter, Roaring Fork’s being a yellow “RF”, is where pins, awards, and specific accomplishments are stuck. You will see students wearing variations of the same blue and yellow jacket. For some, it keeps them warm and will remind them of their highschool days. For junior, Aldo Pinela, his letter jacket is a reminder of his accomplishments. On it, he has seven letters - after this basketball and baseball season he will have nine - two Regional Participant medals, and three All Conference med-als. Pinela, never missing a game even for injury, has participated in three back to back seasons for three

years of highschool an he isn’t taking a break anytime soon. Football, basketball and baseball oc-cupy most of his free time, though he has managed to maintain a heavy course load and be involved in multiple clubs and activities. Of the three sports he participates in, bas-ketball is his favorite game to play, due to his fond memories of playing as a little kid with his sister. “She’s still my favorite person to play with,” Pinela states. His first basketball coach in middle school, Coach Joe Markham, created a travel team and taught the team how to play basketball. “That’s where it all started for me, basically,” Pinela explains. Pinela says a lot of pride comes with be-ing a RFHS Athlete. “It’s very special to re-member seeing the high school athletes when I was little and watched the old varsity teams. It’s a blessing to be playing myself,” he says.As for his current basketball season, Aldo and the team have expressed a few goals for the

season. “Every game, we have a goal of keeping the other team under 40

points. If we can really focus on our defense, it’s possible that we can beat anybody,” he explains. For his senior year, Aldo is

preparing to be a leader, knowing a lot of people will

be looking out for and up to him. Aldo says he can

see himself going to a Junior College or playing basketball for a D2 school, though he isn’t worried about that yet: “I’m focused on right now and being the best I

can be while I’m still here.”

Medal, Memories for Every Season

Rams look forward to nothing but dingers for the upcoming Spring baseball season

“Itʼs very spe-cial to remem-ber seeing the

high school athletes when I was little...

Itʼs a blessing to be playing

myself.”

Photo by Sue Rollyson

Entertainment 8Rampage

February 2016

Rampage Staff

Editors in Chief

Grace BrownFiona Laird

Managing Editor

Finn Featherstone

Editorial Staff

Elyssa DerbyEryn Doherty

Carley MoravekMaeve O’Donnell Pax

Caitlin O’GormanKristin PageEdgar Reyna Jake RusbyTavia Teitler

Katherine Weimer

Journalists

Hayden Bernot Steele Featherstone

Zoe HanlonLyndsay Hansen

Beymar Silva

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.

- Carley Moravek

Whether it’s to a sig-nifi cant other or a close friend, Valentine’s Day is the perfect excuse to express your feelings towards someone with chocolate and greet-ing cards. However, Valentine’s Day has not always meant “The Day of Love”; the origin has a much different mean-

If you are long-ing for exercise and sunshine, what could be better than going on a hike on a beauti-ful sunny day? Smug-gler Mountain is a year round trail that is available to the pub-lic and has one of the most beautiful views of Aspen. The hike is 1.38 miles and ascends 728 feet in elevation. This trail is also dog friendly.

How to get there:If you are not already in the town of Aspen, make your way up Highway 82 into town. Once in Aspen travel-ling down Main Street, turn left onto Mill Street. Continue on

Mill Street for a quar-ter of a mile, crossing the bridge and mak-ing a right turn onto Gibson. Follow Gibson for an eighth of a mile until you come to a “Y” intersection where you will keep left onto South Avenue. Shortly after, take a right onto Park Circle and con-tinue for an eighth of a mile to the Smuggler Mountain Road on your left. There will be parking on the right.

What to do:Enjoy a beautiful and moderately challeng-ing hike with a view of Aspen and the moun-tains surrounding it. Bring your dog along

for an adventure, strap on your helmet and mountain bike up, or buckle in and cross country ski. Stop at various viewing areas to snap a quick photo of you and your buds.

Word to the wise:Pace yourself when hik-ing and biking. It is a long hike, so save your energy and take your time while you take in the view. Be consider-ate of wildlife, pets, and other hikers. Be prepared for ice, snow, and mud when adven-turing in the winter and spring. Stay warm as it could get cold, and keep in mind you are in Aspen.

Gems of the Valley Photo Credit: Emily Fuller

ing. St. Valentine’s day began as a celebration of an early Christian saint named Valentinus. It was also an offi cial feast day for the Angli-can Communion and Lutheran Church, as well as a celebration in the Eastern Orthodox Church. The fi rst ro-mantic association with the day started in the

Middle Ages, when lov-ers expressed their feel-ings by sending fl owers and sweets. Since then, many stories have been developed to make Feb-ruary 14th a day of love. One of the most popu-lar stories is of Saint Valentine, who was imprisoned for min-istering to persecuted Christians. And during

his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer. Then, days before his execution he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell. Although many countries don’t recognize Valentine’s day as a holiday, The United States has come accustomed to celebrat-ing on February 14th.

A Valentine’s Day History: Romance Through the Ages

Heard in the HallwayBy: Jake Rusby

“I think his spirit animal would be a truck…”

“On a scale from one to ten, how adopted are you?”

“I pray for mercy a lot more at school than anywhere else, church included.” “That’s not a good thing.”

“She’s such a hug-slut.”

“Woah! Look at that guy’s neck beard!” (makes eye contact) “Oh God, he looked right at me!”

“This is the third time this week I’ve had Frosty the Snowman stuck in my head.”

“Did you do the homework?” “Haha, no.” “Ugh, did anyone do the homework?” “Hahaha, nah.”

“Jeez! Why is it so cold outside recently?” “It’s winter.”

“Has anyone seen Olspliffski?”

- Kristin Page