Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

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Bleeding for Good
Bleeding for Good
Passed in May 2024, Bill 24-1164 requires Colorado schools to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms. It was sponsored by democratic representative Leslie Herod and signed by governor Jared Polis.
Actions Made for Accessible Products
Three students were injured Wednesday afternoon after a shooting incident at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, according to a report by the Denver Post. Three students-including a suspected shooter-were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, with a fourth sustaining injuries after fleeing the scene of the incident. (Media by courtesy of Jefferson County Public Schools/evergreen.jeffcopublicschools.org)
BREAKING: Shooting incident occurs at Evergreen High School
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.”
Tables and Talents: Students Get Involved in Music, Art and More
The Week In Photos: August 14-22
The Week In Photos: August 14-22
Three, Two, One - We're Done
Three, Two, One – We’re Done
Girls flag football is a growing sport, as it first became a certified varsity sport in 2020. The first states to certify the sport were California Florida, and New York to grow its popularity throughout the United States. “My favorite part about flag football is games because it gives the team the opportunity to prove and demonstrate their skill,” rusher Anna Eggemeyer ‘27 said.
Females in Flag
After the coin toss, running back Mason Mills ‘26 and wide receiver Ellis Watson ‘26 at Echo Park Stadium Sept. 5 for the home opener against Fossil Ridge High School (FRHS). Mills has had 58 rushing yards so far this season. “The coin toss is always where the worst nerves are and the hardest part is trying to control them. This game was just another team in our way. This doesn’t change our mind set or approach to any other games in the future. It is one game at a time, one week at a time. Everyone had a huge sense of accomplishment and hunger for the rest of the season,” Mills said.
Jags beat Fossil Ridge Saber Cats in Home Opener: Photo Recap
Wide receivers Joey Dodge ‘26 and Kai Ingrassia ‘26 celebrate during the Chaparral game at Echo Park Stadium Aug. 27 at 7 p.m. Last season, Ingrassia was a stat leader with three receiving touchdowns according to Maxpreps. “The game went very and I feel like we showed the state that this is a new era of Rock Canyon Football, and we have the chance to be very great this year. I definitely think we are heading in the right direction. There are obviously things we need to clean up and be better at, but if we stay the course, we have the ability to shock the state this year,” Dodge said. “I don’t think I would have changed anything it was a great first game.”
Jags take victory in first Friday Night Lights against Chaparral Wolverines: Photo Recap
The Highlands Ranch Co-op Swim & Dive team poses for a photo after competing in the Continental League championship May 1. The team secured their 12th league championship within 14 seasons, and had multiple swimmers place within the top ranks of individual events. (Media by courtesy of Melissa Krol and Erin Backman)
Co-op boys swim team Jags bring home commendations and wins
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.”
Shining and Spinning Through the Season
Graphic depicts the NCAA Tournament bracket.
The Final Four Showdown: March Madness
Michelle Greene poses for a photo at her desk in room 8850 Sept. 30. Greene, a Deaf teacher, uses a whiteboard to communicate to her students. “When I first started teaching, oh my goodness, I just realized at that time how beautiful this language is,” Greene said. “It really woke me up to my own language.”
Language Without Limits
Ryan Whitham-O’Dell '26 and Emmerson Leddick '26 show off childhood favorites and friendship in Senior Studies. Their backpacks of choice are Jurassic Park and Hello Kitty.
Back-packin’
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.”
Not My Fault
Thirty-nine French students participated in Le Grand Concors, a National French Contest sponsored by the American Association of Teachers of French, showcasing their skills in various aspects of the French language from Feb.14 to April 8. The annual competition evaluates participants on their oral proficiency, written expression and listening comprehension abilities.“I like to practice French outside of school and get practice quizzes, then I do the extra practice that my teacher assigns. I feel really good and proud of myself for getting first place and it's like one of my bigger accomplishments for the school,” Keren Bantshi ‘26 said.
French Students ranked nationally in Le Grand Concours
This picture depicts the symbol representing Autism Spectrum Disorder according to Autism Learning Partners.
It Really is a Spectrum
Varsity Guard Brooke Harding ‘25 goes up against Cherry Creek High School Jan. 8 at 7 p.m. Harding finished off this season with a total of 380 points and will be attending Colorado Mesa University next year for basketball. The game ended in a 69-55 L. “Every win is definitely a team win. No game is won because of one person. We all need each other, and it’s amazing that we are all close because it definitely helps our chemistry,” Harding said.
Day in the Life of a Varsity Girls Basketball Player
The graphic displays a photo from Sombr’s concert April 4, 20205 at Summit (Summit Music Hall), Denver, Colorado.
Undressed Success
This episode of the Glitch Podcast covers new game announcements and releases, extensive updates and crossovers and recent controversies.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XII: Silksong’s Swingin’ In, Releases and Roblox
Episode XI, The Summer Spiel, covers various new hot topics, being the first episode of the 2025-2026 school year.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XI: The Summer Spiel
This quiz makes you question which book genre you are. Take this quiz to find out.
What Book Genre Are You?
The main character “Mickey”, made up of different shapes, surrounded by different quotes from the movie.
“Mickey 17”: Oscar Worthy?
“A Minecraft Movie” directed by Jared Hess, released on April 4, made over 300 million dollars during its opening weekend.
What’s with “A Minecraft movie”?
Media made with Adobe Express AI
Los Angeles Dodgers steal two consecutive World Series, the question arises: Should there be a hard set salary cap in the MLB?
Trick-or-treating is a very common activity to participate in during the Halloween season. However, much controversy is tied to what the appropriate age is for children to quit this tradition.
OPINION: How Old is Too Old to Trick or Treat?
A dragon without a rider is a tragedy, a rider without a dragon is dead. Welcome to Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros.
Brutally Addictive: My Thoughts on Fourth Wing
Despite the warm temperatures this week, fall is right around the corner, and here is how people feel about it.
Sweater Weather is Here
Halloween has moved from the innocent, spooky holiday into the retail-oriented time where we are pushed to spend more than necessary. Halloween has lost its original feel and meaning.
OPINION: Halloween Has Been Spent
A Douglas County Link Vehicle waits in the parking lot, offering residents flexible on demand transportation.
Link Cars Across Douglas County
This episode of the Glitch Podcast covers new game releases, award predictions and outages.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XIV: AWS Outage, Award Predictions, Releases
The first episode of Canyon Cookout–hosted by senior editors Jackson Bond and Evan Jensen explores a family Mac and Cheese recipe, utilizing multiple culinary techniques in order to create a cohesive dish. Afterwards, the dish was reviewed and rated on a five star scale.
Canyon Cookout: Homestyle Mac and Cheese
This episode of the Glitch Podcast covers new games and announcements with an exclusive interview with English teacher Peter DeFilippo.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XIII: Is Silksong’s Supposed Superiority Sound, and is Nintendo’s Rerelease Rampage Ruining their Reputation?
This episode of the Glitch Podcast covers new game announcements and releases, extensive updates and crossovers and recent controversies.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XII: Silksong’s Swingin’ In, Releases and Roblox
Episode XI, The Summer Spiel, covers various new hot topics, being the first episode of the 2025-2026 school year.
The Glitch Podcast Episode XI: The Summer Spiel
Episode X covers various new hot topics, being the last episode before Summer vacation.
The Glitch Podcast Episode X: Delays, Doom, Departure
Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

the Rock Online
Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

the Rock Online

End of Round One: Senior Assassin Update and Leaderboard

As the first round of Senior Assassin ends, kill counts rise and the leaderboard changes.
by Claire Bauer, Editor in Chief • September 21, 2023
media by Courtesy of Thomas Lopez ’24
Thomas Lopez ’24 shoots Riley Shanahan ’24 with a water gun Sept. 16. Shanahan was Lopez’s third target of the first round.

Water guns bought, goggles strapped on, targets stalked and shot. $1,410 on the line.

It’s Senior Assassin season.

The first round began Aug. 18. 282 seniors submitted their $5 entry fee and received their target, whom they had exactly one month to hunt and kill.

“I joined [senior assassin] because it’s a senior tradition that I think is really fun, and I think I have a pretty good chance to win–I [wear] my goggles all the time to avoid getting out,” Thomas Lopez ’24 said. “My first target I got out by hunting her down on Snap Map, and I got her out in the PetSmart parking lot. My second target I got out at Senior Sunrise because she wasn’t wearing her goggles. My third target I got out when she was walking in the parking lot without goggles.

The first round ended yesterday, Sept. 18. Players who got shot or did not get their target out in that first month were eliminated from the game, leaving only 82 players of the original 282 still in.

See below for the players still in and the kill count leaderboard as of Aug. 21, according to @rc.seniors.24 on Instagram.

Leaderboard:

  1. Thomas Lopez (Three kills)
  2. Kate Shupe (Three kills)
  3. Lexi Rufenacht (Two kills)
  4. Kaiden Carland (Two kills)
  5. Taylor Meighan (Two kills)
  6. Taylor Hostetler (Two kills)
  7. Madi Krom (Two kills)
  8. Cale Maguire (Two kills)
  9. Aiden Kahn (Two kills)
  10. Hunter Berven (Two kills)
  11. Jacob Oberosler (Two kills)
  12. Nathan Kim (Two kills)
  13. Jonas Thelander (Two kills)
  14. Lily Mulstay (Two kills)
  15. Max Murray (Two kills)
  16. Luka Schymik (One kill)
  17. Samantha Sloan (One kill)
  18. Kate Fehr (One kill)
  19. Jade Spears (One kill)
  20. Alina Severson (One kill)
  21. Abby Palka (One kill)
  22. Cameron Short (One kill)
  23. Emily Feiman (One kill)
  24. Addie Jaeger (One kill)
  25. Josh Mcalister (One kill)
  26. Avery Witmer (One kill)
  27. Maddy Sova (One kill)
  28. Macy Watterson (One kill)
  29. Josh Rausch (One kill)
  30. Matt Hardin (One kill)
  31. Jack Anderson (One kill)
  32. Sadie Loucks (One kill)
  33. Espne Kaul (One kill)
  34. Charlotte Strabel (One kill)
  35. Emme Bell (One kill)
  36. Raegan Duffy (One kill)
  37. Ellie Preisler (One kill)
  38. Quinn Kane (One kill)
  39. James Thompson (One kill)
  40. Avery Mell (One kill)
  41. Brennan Lanam (One kill)
  42. Danielle Yoder (One kill)
  43. David Brabb (One kill)
  44. Gavin Neira (One kill)
  45. Shwithi Velpuri (One kill)
  46. Leo Bell (One kill)
  47. Abigail Wood (One kill)
  48. Courtney Campbell (One kill)
  49. Nick Maday (One kill)
  50. Bella Smoldt (One kill)
  51. Devon Barclay (One kill)
  52. Marley Johnston (One kill)
  53. Reid Finch (One kill)
  54. Nolan Kliewer (One kill)
  55. Will Strabel (One kill)
  56. Izzy Harris (One kill)
  57. Cole Lindsey (One kill)
  58. Lindsey Thomsen (One kill)
  59. Abby Davidson (One kill)
  60. Allison Stanton (One kill)
  61. Meagan Carley (One kill)
  62. Trevor Olsen (One kill)
  63. Julia Hay (One kill)
  64. Tess Hopfer (One kill)
  65. Adam Smith (One kill)
  66. Clara Benko (One kill)
  67. Evan Chaulk (One kill)
  68. Cayden Joramo (One kill)
  69. Bodey Sherrill (One kill)
  70. Brooke Vidger (One kill)
  71. Claudia Llado (One kill)
  72. Clara Geuzaine (One kill)
  73. Grace Bruns (One kill)
  74. Lindsay Heylinger (One kill)
  75. Sam Ballantine (One kill)
  76. Maxx Menzies (One kill)
  77. Brooke Hein (One kill)
  78. Parsa Roozbeh (One kill)
  79. Hudson Antestenis (One kill)
  80. Evan Weinstein (One kill)
  81. Patrick Osoba (One kill)
  82. Brooke Jones (One kill)
  83. Nadia Ruiz (One kill)
  84. Matthew Shipley (One kill)
  85. Boyd Matson (One kill)
  86. Alyssa Harden (One kill)
  87. Miller Duval (One kill)
  88. Kulia Jadd (One kill)
  89. Stella Catalano (One kill)
  90. Mac Graham (One kill)
  91. Diego Graves (One kill)

The second round will begin Monday, Sept. 25, after Homecoming Week’s safe period.

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Bleeding for Good
Bleeding for Good
Passed in May 2024, Bill 24-1164 requires Colorado schools to provide free menstrual products in bathrooms. It was sponsored by democratic representative Leslie Herod and signed by governor Jared Polis.
Actions Made for Accessible Products
Three students were injured Wednesday afternoon after a shooting incident at Evergreen High School in Jefferson County, according to a report by the Denver Post. Three students-including a suspected shooter-were taken to CommonSpirit St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood, with a fourth sustaining injuries after fleeing the scene of the incident. (Media by courtesy of Jefferson County Public Schools/evergreen.jeffcopublicschools.org)
BREAKING: Shooting incident occurs at Evergreen High School
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.”
Tables and Talents: Students Get Involved in Music, Art and More
The Week In Photos: August 14-22
The Week In Photos: August 14-22
Three, Two, One - We're Done
Three, Two, One - We're Done
Donate to the Rock Online
$225
$5000
Contributed
Our Goal