![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)
Feature Teacher Friday: English Teacher Kristin Greenleaf
Rock Canyon gained many new teachers this year and we are taking the time to get to know them. We asked a few simple and abstract questions to help you get to know the staff who is dedicated to helping you learn. This week’s Feature Teacher is English teacher Kristin Greenleaf.
Teacher Kristin Greenleaf helps student Justin Schtepa ‘23 during access in room 3000B Nov. 13.
November 15, 2019
What subject(s) do you teach and why did you decide that subject?
I teach English l and English ll. I always had just been passionate about reading and it’s come easy to me.
Favorite memory from teaching?
I have a lot of them. But just kids making me laugh is always my favorite. So anytime they say goofy things and ask goofy questions. I love it.
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Crunching. Even if they do it with their mouth closed, I can’t handle hearing people chew.
Do you prefer books or movies? Why?
Books. I can sit and read a book forever but watching a movie I’ll usually fall asleep in about 20 minutes. I love The Kite Runner, 1000 Splendid Suns, and And the Mountains Echoed. I think anything that writer [Khaled Hosseini] does, I love. Yeah, he’s a great writer.
What can you talk about for hours?
Probably the Summer Olympics. I just love the Summer Olympics. So when it comes around, I love to talk to people about who their favorites are, and how we’re doing. I love watching swimming because I was a swimmer. I love track and field and volleyball and I just love all of it, all of the summer Olympics. Not a big fan of the Winter Olympics. I just want to sit at home for two weeks and hang out and watch.
If a movie was made about you, who would play your character?
I would say Melissa McCarthy. Yeah, she’s freaking hilarious.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I don’t think I would change it. I like my weird last name, it’s kind of unique.
What is your favorite joke?
I have two actually. One is: what is green and has wheels? Grass. I lied about the wheels. And why? Why is grass green? Because if it were blue, you wouldn’t know where to stop mowing. So they’re really stupid, but I like those jokes a lot.