![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)
How to Celebrate Earth Day
50 years after its creation, Earth Day signifies a worldwide challenge to combat the deterioration of the planet. Students use their platforms to appreciate the world around them.
media by Amanda Brauchler
A panorama of the view at Daniel’s Park in Castle Pines, CO.
April 22, 2020
April 22, 1970 was the first Earth Day. 20 million Americans demonstrated earth sustainability in coast-to-coast rallies fighting against oil spills, factory and power plants pollution, raw sewage, toxic dumps, pesticides, freeways disrupting habitats, the loss of the wilderness and extinction of wildlife. These protests in 1970 resulted in the creation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the passage of the Clean Air Act. Two years later, the Clean Water Act passed. A year after that, Congress passed the Endangered Species Act.
By 1990, 200 million people in 141 countries fought environmental issues. Earth Day 1990 focused on bolstering recycling programs. America’s Earth Day efforts were recognized at the 1992 United Nations Earth Summit, when the founder of Earth day, Senator Gaylord Nelson, was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Moving into the 2000s, there were at least 5,000 environmental groups in 184 countries. Earth Day 2000 inspired global and local conversations about using the power of the internet to organize events around the world. Read more about the history of Earth Day here.
The global movement of fifty years continues to inspire generations today.
“With anything, one action can lead to monumental things and that’s exactly the case with the protests. A simple protest was able to bring so much awareness and passion to the hearts of people that continues to live on and manifests itself into one day every year,” Eco Club member, Leanna Navo ’22 said.
Helping boost environmental activism, Eco Club works to promote sustainability within the school and community through collecting recycling, projects and activities.
“As a community, we can continue to do the little things to celebrate our earth from home. It’s as simple as going on a walk or a bike ride to appreciate what we have around us, or taking the steps to avoid turning lights on or taking long showers for a day. Since pollution is already much lower due to quarantine, these small steps can allow us to celebrate something beautiful during this time of stress,” Eco Club Vice President, Anna Bajszar ’20 said.