![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)
Before even stepping out of the fluorescent hallway lights into the calming lights of room 3300, your eyes are drawn to Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson with the caption “Can you learn what the Leaf is teaching???”
Right in front of that poster, Kristin Greenleaf sits at her desk smiling and greeting students.
Greenleaf has taught English II and III at this school for five years and has taught for 15 years overall.
“[I] just hang out with my dog and my daughter. I have a dog. His name is Cyrus. He’s a Great Dane. He looks like Scooby Doo, so he’s pretty cute,” Greenleaf said.
But, she almost didn’t teach English at all.
“It was either this or PE, and I couldn’t decide. I just went with English because I love reading and I was good at writing. But I always wanted to be a teacher. Forever. I would play ‘teacher’ when I was a kid,” Greenleaf said.
Her love of books and sports are both still going strong.
“I love to read,” Greenleaf said. “I love to read non-fiction, usually New York Times bestsellers, but I don’t like cop dramas or mysteries. I think The Giving Tree is my favorite book. I love that book.”
Sports are still a big part of her life.
“I swim on an adult swim team,” Greenleaf said. “I love the Broncos, even though they aren’t doing well. I love the Avs.”
Greenleaf also loves high school sports here at Rock Canyon.
“I love watching volleyball. I’ve never been to a boys game before, I need to, but man, the girls are so fun to watch. They’re so good. And football is always fun,” Greenleaf said. “I definitely like going and watching the kids in their elements, because when you’re telling them what to do in class they’re usually not as happy as when they’re competing in a sport that they enjoy.”
Ms. Greenleaf not only enjoys seeing kids outside of class but inside class too.
“The kids are hilarious. I love listening to their ideas and the funny things that come out of their mouths. I feel like adults often filter their questions before they come out, where students, when they get comfortable with you, they just come out with questions that are a lot of times shocking but fun,” Greenleaf said.
Karlie Rinker ‘24 has Greenleaf for English III.
“It’s amazing. Sometimes we get to watch movies. It’s supposed to be a really hard class, but she makes it fun and easy,” Rinker said.