![Minutes before the Activities Fair in the gym, president Abhi Gowda ‘26 prepares the stall for his club Helping Hands, Sept. 4. A relatively new club, Helping Hands was co-started by Gowda and focuses on assisting the homeless, and just last year they succeeded in raising a couple hundred donations to send to shelters. This year, they have goals to expand, with hopes to increase volunteer opportunities and take in-person trips to shelters, as well as extend their help beyond just homeless people. “The Activities Fair gives a lot of underclassmen the opportunity to really get to know the Canyon culture, and it gives them many opportunities for service and volunteering,” Gowda said. “[Through the Activities Fair,] I hope to find a bunch of new and passionate members about our club and just get our name out there and spread awareness to the cause that we’re fighting for.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1-2-1200x885.jpg)
![The winter guard team makes fifth place at the state championship finals in the Denver Coliseum, March 30. The team performed to Barnes Country's “Glitter and Gold,” lead by coaches Margo Sanford, Blair Bickerton and Anna Orgren. In their class there were a total of nine groups participating, and the top five who made it to finals received a plaque. “[Walking onto the stage] is very nerve-wracking, but also very exciting as well. When you first start color guard there's a lot of anxiety and uncertainty when you first perform in front of an audience, but once you've done it for a while, it starts to become the best part of the season,” Ella West ‘25 said. “It's very fulfilling to see an audience react to something you've put your heart and soul into.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Both-socal-media-nd-website-main-1-1200x846.jpg)
![April marks the 25th anniversary of Sexual Assault Awareness Month, created by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). This month is to spread awareness of the harassment, assault and abuse that happens around the world. The symbol that represented the month was a teal ribbon; however, some survivors of assault create different symbols and movements like the TikTok trend in 2022, where survivors would tattoo Medusa on their body, in honor of her backstory in Greek Mythology. “I don't think [this month is known] at all. I rarely see anybody talk about it. I rarely see much of an emphasis on posting it online, or much discussion about it, and I feel like there needs to be way more discussion,” an anonymous source said. “I think just validating every experience that a person has gone through, regardless of the degree of it, the severity, is an essential step into making sure that people are aware that this is a very real problem in a society and that we need to do better in addressing it.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/IMG_0011-1200x900.jpg)
![Lesbian Visibility Day is April 26, and it’s a holiday to celebrate the lesbian community of the world. Lesbian Visibility day was established in 2008 by many queer activists and organizations who sought to raise more awareness for lesbian history and culture. “So this is why during Lesbian Visibility [Day] we celebrate and center all lesbians, both cis and trans, while also showing solidarity with all LGBTQ+ women and nonbinary people,” Linda Reily, in an article written by her, said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Lesbian-Visibility-day.jpeg)
School Resource Officers and their Impact on Public Schools
With the recent shootings at Denver East High School and other schools around the country, take a look at the role School Resource Officers play in schools and their impact on student safety.
media by Claudia Llado
Campus Security Specialists Jeaninne Nicol, Daniel Wrona and Jerome Adams review hallway security footage in their shared office April 14. The security office hallway is directly attached to the main entrance upstairs, with a security-specific desk located outside of the 9000s hallway downstairs. “My favorite part of my job is working with the students and ensuring their safety,” Nicol said.
April 26, 2023
The class quietly concentrates as students complete their test when, all of a sudden, shots are fired in the hallway.
Students hastily go into full lockdown, shaking with fear as they recognize the sound echoing through the classrooms. School Resource Officers (SROs) quickly contact police and go to investigate the halls, making sure every student is safe.
Denver East High School didn’t have this luxury, as there were no SROs present on campus during their shooting.
Just a few weeks ago, the public high school located in Denver experienced a shooting. The incident happened March 22 at around 10 a.m., with two wounded–Dean of Culture Eric Sinclaire and Restorative Practice Coordinator Jerald Mason–and the suspected shooter, 17 year old Austin Lyle, dead.
“I feel like it’s kind of hard to talk about the [shooting] because it’s so close by and it’s really scary that something like that could happen at school,” Lena Opala ‘26 said.
The elected school board in Denver voted in 2020 to remove SROs in the district, arguing that their presence harmed schools and students of color or students with disabilities, as there was an increase in school violence and unnecessary arrests. However, the controversy continues as other research has shown in different districts that they actually reduce student suspensions, arrests for assault and weapon charges and crime in surrounding areas.
“I will say that I like having our security officers because it’s just extra safety and you can never be too sure,” Georgia Howey ‘25 said. “It’s nice just in case anything happens and they can always help with other things too.”
Students, families and faculty at Denver East have been protesting for stricter gun control laws and getting SROs back in their school since their last shooting this year in February, as they frequently faced countless threats and lockdowns since then.
According to the Denver Post, two officers will be stationed at East for the rest of the school year, even though it will still be violating the district’s policy.
After several incidents at East, parents and students have reported no longer feeling safe. In support, other surrounding districts, including Douglas County School District (DCSD) have protested against gun violence in hopes for a change.
How safe is our school? Rock Canyon’s SRO Deputy Mark Adams shares his views on what it’s like for law enforcement on the academic side.
Q: How long have you been an SRO and what is your background in law enforcement?
A: I’ve been at Rock Canyon for about four years and I used to be a detective in the crimes against children unit. After doing that, I figured I needed something else to give back to the community more and help the youth, so the best route for me was an SRO, bridging the gap between schools and law enforcement.
Q: Do you think SROs are important to RCHS and other high schools?
A: I do, I think they’re valuable just because SROs have different resources and views when it comes to overall school security and providing students with that level of safety and security.
Q: What can you tell me about the safety of Rock Canyon?
A: Overall, we are a pretty safe school. Between myself, the security team and the administration and counseling office, we are very aware of anything that pops up. [We] do a great job at keeping everyone’s safety in mind. There’s never any situation with zero risk, but we are great at mitigating it as much as possible.
Q: How many SROs does DCSD have?
A: Every high school and middle school has an SRO, and they usually break it up between elementary schools. In this county, we have one SRO per five elementary schools. In Douglas County, we have roughly 24 to 25 SROs.
Q: How do you feel about the shooting at East High School? What are your thoughts on it?
A: I know that they’ve added some SROs to East after everything went down, but especially in the Denver area, we really need SROs to bridge that gap and work with the students. If you talk to a lot of students and other SROs that have gone through that, they actually cherished and really enjoyed having those SROs there. It isn’t just your job or just law enforcement in schools, but it’s making that connection with students. The best part of my day is talking to SSN (Significant Support Needs) kids or other students in general. It’s just really about making those connections and supporting them whilst taking into account their safety.