![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)
Picture this: it’s a Tuesday morning in the middle of November. All you can think about in math class is, “How am I going to do well on this final?”
The answer for most people is one word: Access.
Whether they use it by going to a teacher for help, making up missing assignments, or doing homework for a class, Access is specifically helpful at this time of the year. Access can be beneficial because of academic workloads, falling behind in classes, or teachers adding new curriculum so closely to finals.
If you were to ask most students what they do during Access, their answers may vary.
“I feel like I just catch up with all my homework, and I do a lot of studying before my next classes,” Kishan Vahalia ‘25 said.
Homework is a great thing to do during Access because most teachers allow students to sit in their rooms so they have a quiet area to work, or even so students can ask clarifying questions while doing their homework so students can get the most out of their learning.
Chemistry teacher Brandon Hommel uses Access as a time to deliver more practice to students.
“[Students] tell me what they’re struggling with and then I give them specific practice problems or specific things we go over on the board,” Hommel said.
When teachers, administration and counselors advertise Access, they talk about how it is a time to get help on various concepts from various teachers.
“[Access is a great time to get] one-on-one time with your teacher,” Nathan Shrestha ‘25 said.
Talking to a teacher outside of class time is the best way to get your questions answered because the teachers have the most time to answer questions. If you ask a teacher a question about something during class, they will probably give you a shorter and less detailed answer than they would in Access because they need to keep the class flowing.
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“One-on-one work can be more beneficial because they can focus on whatever the student needs instead of the whole class,” Hommel said.
Is Access helpful? Yes, it is. Access is one of the best ways to get extra help in any of your classes unless you have one of those teachers who always schedule their doctor appointments during Access.
If you go to a teacher’s Access enough and you prove to them that you are putting in the effort, then more often than not, the teacher will make that evident in your grade. For example, if you have an 89.26% in Chemistry, and you went to that teacher’s Access frequently, then they might round your grade up or give you a little bit of extra credit for it.