![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)
Snow sprinkles through the sky as you walk into Starbucks. The scent of gingerbread and peppermint-flavored food items fills the cafe.
You place your first drink order from the holiday menu and patiently wait for the barista to call your name. Finally, you take your first sip of the classic Peppermint Mocha Latte.
It’s the holidays at Starbucks.
Over 16,000 stores all over the United States are decorated with stacks of new holiday cups, bags of the signature Christmas Blend, unopened cartons of holiday products and bright red menu boards with the season’s new and returning menu items.
In early November, Starbucks released its annual holiday menu with some new merry-themed food items. Included in their return, the classic Starbucks Christmas Blend also hit the shelves and is reformulated each year.
The festive coffee blend was released in 1984 and has been a popular repurchase ever since. With notes of spiced chocolate and spruce tips, the dark roast is made from beans sourced from Latin America and Indonesia with select Sumatran beans, creating a rich coffee blend.
Along with the holiday brews, Starbucks released two new drinks this year as well as new baked goods and drink add-ons. Read below on what Jaguars thought of the new and returning holiday menu.
Drinks
“It’s an aesthetic drink but I don’t taste the peppermint. It kind of tastes like a cinnamon mocha,” JJ Nielsen Mayer ‘25 said. “It’s not sweet or tart and tastes salty.” (media by Claudia Llado)
Peppermint Mocha:
Espresso, steamed milk, mocha sauce and peppermint-flavored syrup with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls.
Grande:
-440 calories
-54g sugar
-16g fat
“It’s an aesthetic drink but I don’t taste the peppermint. It kind of tastes like a cinnamon mocha,” JJ Nielsen Mayer ‘25 said. “It’s not sweet or tart and tastes salty.”
New Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai:
Our spiced chai tea blend is paired with gingerbread-flavored syrup and creamy oat milk on ice.
Grande:
-360 calories
-45g sugar
-10g fat
“It’s super sweet and there’s a really heavy coffee taste but it’s not strong. I don’t taste the caramel brulee as much but I rate this drink an eight out of 10,” Scarlett Marrone ‘27 said. (media by River Brown)
Caramel Brulee Latte:
A combination of espresso, steamed milk and caramel brulee sauce, finished with whipped cream and a caramel brulee topping.
Grande:
-410 calories
-48g sugar
-14g fat
“It’s super sweet and there’s a really heavy coffee taste, but it’s not strong. I don’t taste the caramel brulee as much, but I rate this drink an eight out of 10,” Scarlett Marrone ‘27 said.
New Oleato Gingerbread Oatmilk Latte:
Starbucks Blonde Espresso Roast infused with Partanna extra virgin olive oil, steamed oat milk and notes of warm gingerbread. Finished with a dusting of bright ginger and citrus.
Grande:
-130 calories
-21g sugar
-20g fat
Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte:
“I like it with the almond milk because it’s not as strong as some other drinks, like the pumpkin spice latte,” Clara Benko ‘24 said. “I don’t think it’s sweet at all but I have a sweet tooth so maybe it doesn’t taste sweet to me. I love the sprinkles on top and rate this an eight out of 10.” (media by Claudia Llado)
Starbucks Blonde espresso, sugar cookie flavors and almond milk on ice with red and green sprinkles.
Grande:
-150 calories
-25g sugar
-3.5g fat
“I like it with the almond milk because it’s not as strong as some other drinks like the pumpkin spice latte,” Clara Benko ‘24 said. “I don’t think it’s sweet at all but I have a sweet tooth so maybe it doesn’t taste sweet to me. I love the sprinkles on top and rate this an eight out of 10.”
Starbucks Chestnut Praline Latte:
Signature Espresso Roast and velvety steamed milk with added flavors of caramelized chestnuts and spices, topped with whipped cream and praline crumbs.
Grande:
-330 calories
-38g sugar
-14g fat
“The flavor was really good. I couldn’t see the drink because of the cup but the holiday cups at Starbucks are always cute,” Kaeli Nallathamby ‘24 said. “It was sweet and had a nice spiced flavor that didn’t taste artificial.”
Baked goods
Gingerbread Loaf:
A baked vegetarian treat with ginger-spice flavors.
-380 calories
-43g sugar
-12g fat
Peppermint Brownie Cake Pop:
“At first I tasted the crunch of the peppermint outside shell and then I got the burst of chocolate flavor,” Sandra Krzywdzinski ‘25 said. (media by River Brown)
A peppermint chocolate cake with white-chocolaty frosting and pieces of candy cane on top.
-160 calories
-19g sugar
-6g fat
“At first, I tasted the crunch of the peppermint outside shell and then I got the burst of like chocolate flavor,” Sandra Krzywdzinski ‘25 said.
Snowman Cookie:
A buttery shortbread snowman cookie with white-chocolaty icing.
-390 calories
-25g sugar
-21g fat
“It has a very dense texture and looks cool,” Alex Jacot ‘24 said. “ I’m kind of disappointed though because I thought [the taste] was gonna be very cranberry and then it was just cream cheese frosting.” (media by River Brown)
Cranberry Bliss Bar:
A blondie cake with dried cranberries and a layer of cream cheese icing with orange zest and a sprinkle of dried cranberries.
-290 calories
-28g sugar
-15g fat
“It has a very dense texture and looks cool,” Alex Jacot ‘24 said. “ I’m kind of disappointed though because I thought [the taste] was gonna be very cranberry and then it was just cream cheese frosting.”
Sugar Plum Cheese Danish:
A cream-cheese danish topped with a spiced sugar-plum spread.
-330 calories
-16g sugar
-15g fat
What do you think of the holiday menu? Let us know in the comments below.
What is your favorite Starbucks holiday item?
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