![In room 4101, Natalie Patterson ‘26, Ariana Magor ‘25 and Celina Salazar ‘25 create a poster in science teacher Kerry Reilly’s Chemistry Honors April 18. The three completed a worksheet and drawing to explain the implosion of a tank for their unit on gas laws. “At the start of class, we watched a video of the tank imploding,” Patterson said. “I think [making a drawing] is something new. I like more artsy activities.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_5019-1200x900.jpeg)
![The girls varsity soccer team walk back to their bench during halftime April 1. The Jags played against the Castle View Sabercats at the Douglas County Stadium and scored 3-0 W. “It felt really good [to beat Castle View]. I feel like that was a big win for us because knowing that we came together to beat a pretty good team has definitely given us some leverage for this season,” attacking midfielder Grace Rossner ‘24 said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/DSC_4906-1-1200x1057.jpg)
![English teacher Colleen Lamb grades College Prep English assignments during period two Nov. 10. Lamb, who has been teaching for 27 years, decorates her classroom with posters and handmade college flags from her senior students. Everything I enjoy about English happens primarily in the classroom, Lamb said. So, thankfully, the college [I worked at] had a teaching program, and I was able to do my post-grad work for free while I was working [there].”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/IMG_1158-1200x900.jpeg)
![At Prairie View High School, the winterguard team poses with their plaque after winning first place at their competition Feb. 24. This was the second time they won first place this year, this time with a score of 74.190 points. “I [love being] a witch, but my favorite [part of the show] is the trios, it’s so cool,” Heather Strickland ‘27 said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/PRARIE-VIEW-BY-MARGO-SANFORD-e1709531739910-1200x910.jpg)
Teenage Cliché to Revolution on the Highway: The Paradigm Shift of Teenage Culture in 2020
The emergence of monumental changes within our world has influenced the way we perceive teenage culture.
media by Kira Zizzo
(Left Image) Jacob Aragon ‘21 protests against President Trump outside the post office Sept. 18. 2020. After a pro-Trump rally the day before, Aragon and Amanda Brauchler ‘21 were inspired to launch a counter-protest. “Throughout this entire year, there’s been a lot of people giving out their voice when it comes to issues they’re passionate about and the other day we saw people who support our current president, so we got their voice, so we wanted to gather some people and speak in opposition to that and exercise our rights,” Aragon said. “We’re speaking out spreading love, we’re speaking about voting, settling for Biden, all about love and respect for people and their races and all of that.” (Right Image) Golden Boy, Dani Haddad ’20 prepares in anticipation to catch the senior megaphone at Echo Park during the Homecoming Football game Sept. 19. 2019. He led chants throughout the bleachers to cheer on the football team. “It was crazy, everyone was screaming and the school spirit was amazing! I was so excited to be at the game and show support for our team,” Nikhila Naryana ‘22 said. The stark changes one year can have on student voices are conveyed in this piece through the juxtaposition of a photo from last October’s football game with an image from this October’s student-led anti-Trump protest. This piece was created to drawing focus to the students themselves, with a color behind them representative of the crowd’s tone. 2019’s blue is a soft hue of stability and health, while 2020’s red is a pigment of passion and drive, reinforcing the concept of growth and maturity in our teenage motives.
February 5, 2021
High school, a time heavily romanticized by Hollywood, illuminates a cookie-cutter image of the “high school experience”: prom, sporting events, homecoming, pep rallies, and more. The COVID-19 pandemic shattered this ideal that is so deeply ingrained into the public conscience of what it means to be a high schooler. These timeless traditions were canceled and comprehensive changes were implemented in our lives. As we grappled with the loss of our “high schooler” identity, we collectively cultivated maturity and growth. Our definition of youth flatlined, but we resuscitated ourselves, rising from the ashes of ignorance and juvenescence, instilled with strength, passion, and fire within us. Due to the absence of our “normal” high school experience, we became more socially conscious of the injustices, political failures, and flaws in our society. In response, we became emboldened with a drive to advocate for racial, political, and other societal changes. Parallels began to emerge, as the loss of high school traditions aligned with our endeavors for change. Our fancy footwork relocated from the dance floor to the streets, as we marched for change. Our vehement vocals vacated football stands and found their place in protests, as we verbalized our demands for justice. Our hands no longer undulated in the air synchronously to our cheers at pep rallies, but now they formed tenacious, unwavering fists, raised in the air in solidarity with our dissent to the crumbling state of democracy in modern America. The advancements to teenage culture in response to inevitable COVID-19 changes are a testament to our potential to utilize opportunities to amplify our voices for revolutionary change.
