![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)
FRIDAY FACULTY FEATURE: Kelly Jennings Makes a Difference in the SPED Department
This week’s glimpse into the life of Special Education teacher Kelly Jennings.
media by Elizabeth Schlue
Kelly Jennings, a special education teacher, bonds with her seminar students Sept. 27. Jennings talked with each student individually about their day. “My favorite part is working with the families, students, and the teachers all together putting together the puzzle of what the kids need,” Jennings said.
December 2, 2022
Kelly Jennings walks across the hallway, getting smiles and waves as she passes students that know her. She smiles back and greets her students as she walks into the Special Education (SPED) classroom.
Jennings has been with Douglas County since she was a child, and continues to be with the school district even into adulthood. Jennings has been teaching here for seven years in SPED. She works with students with mild to moderate learning or emotional disabilities and assists them in being successful.
Before teaching at Rock Canyon, she worked at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School in a similar program.
“At Buffalo, I worked as an educational assistant and I worked with many different classrooms. Then, I left because I got a job at Rock Canyon. At the time, I loved the kids’ ages, but then I got hooked here,” Jennings said.
Jennings has loved helping kids with special needs her entire life. She achieved her master’s in psychology from the University of Colorado Boulder. Jennings is a Douglas County native: she attended Douglas County High School and watched Ponderosa High School’s construction.
“My favorite part is working with the families, students, and the teachers all together putting together the puzzle of what the kids need,” Jennings said.
Not only has she worked at Buffalo Ridge Elementary School, she also has done family therapy with high-risk youth.
“I always thought that I wanted to do family therapy, which I did, but then I got into this. So I thought I was going to work with high-risk youth, but then I got into SPED, and I fell in love with that,” Jennings said.