![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)
After months of early alarms and long lines, it’s time to say goodbye to the barricades and makeshift traffic lights. Monarch Boulevard has reopened after nine months of construction.
On Monday afternoon, Dec. 9, the section of Monarch from Castle Pines Parkway to Berganot Trail reopened. The completion of the construction comes as a continuation of the City of Castle Pines’ Road Solutions Initiative lasting through 2027.
“This additional work was completed Monday, marking the completion of the 2024 project and the reopening of Monarch Boulevard. By doing this” the City saved money and reduced the amount of work needed in 2025,’ project manager and civil engineer Dole Grebenik said.
The project, completed in four phases, completely rebuilt the 8,900-foot segment of Monarch along with several other road improvements including waterway replacements, 16 new accessible ramps and improved sidewalks and bike lanes.
“The City is very pleased with the project’s progress. This year’s project installed 8,900 feet of new waterline and completely reconstructed 1.7 miles of roadway and related infrastructure,” Grebenik said. “Because the original scope of the project was almost a month ahead of schedule in August, we were able to complete additional work this year.”
Students had similar reactions to the city about the road’s reopening, as detours were necessary during the construction. The detours added on time to simple trips such as to and from school. A light was stationed at the intersection of Buffalo Trail during the first phases. The light has now been taken down and there is no need to stop when continuing on past Buffalo Trail.
“I would always take [Monarch] to school, and I got so annoyed when we had to take the detour because of all the traffic,” Kaylin Stancik ‘25 said. “I’m so happy it’s back open again.”
In the few weeks ahead, the city plans to continue with the work through several smaller projects such as landscaping and sidewalk work underway while the roads are open both ways for traffic.
After the completion of this year’s project, no other construction is scheduled to take place on Monarch until this school year wraps up. The fifth and final phase of the project will begin in June 2025. It will last until the beginning of fall semester, with no official timeline in place.
“The final phase of the project is scheduled to start in June 2025. The duration of the phase has not yet been determined, but the work is expected to impact the beginning of the Fall 2025 school semester,” Grebenik said.
The final phase of the project will close off another section of Monarch, from Berganot Trail to Winter Berry Place. Construction projects across the city are tentatively scheduled to take place through 2027, sustaining the city’s Road Solutions Initiative project.
For any questions, comments or concerns email [email protected] or call 303-705-0200. For more information on future road construction projects, click here.