![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)
UPDATE: Community Takes Action to Help the Price Family
Students are encouraged to participate in a “Green Out” Dec. 13 to show support for Makai Price and family.
media by courtesy of Remy Arnold
A graphic announces the “Green Out” for Dec. 13 on the Student Council social media, posted Dec. 12. The Green Out, organized by students at both Rock Canyon and Cherry Creek High School, encouraged both communities to wear green to school and the basketball game to show support for the Price family.
December 12, 2022
After the Price family faced tragedy, the school community is taking action to help. Makai Price–former Rock Canyon student, son of football and Unified Sports coach and Special Educational Assistant Jerome Price, and brother of SSN Educational Assistants Darius and Xzavier Price–was in a severe car accident leaving his current school, Cherry Creek High School (CCHS), Dec. 8.
Makai is currently in the Intensive Care Unit for his injuries after receiving surgery to stabilize his leg Dec. 11, and according to an update posted on the GoFundMe after the surgery, is expected to undergo seven more surgeries.
Read more about the details of the accident here.
“Jerome works hard to make connections with everyone. Every student in our community has an experience with him,” Special Education Assistant Jessica Bird said. “He pours his heart into a thankless job, pushing for our students to be seen as ‘just like you.’ He’s worked to instill the same values in his boys and teach everyone in our community how to have compassion and love for people who are different from you.”
Community members were invited to a group prayer vigil in the SkyRidge Medical Center parking lot at 12 p.m. Dec. 11 as Makai began eleven hours of surgery.
“I’ve played football for [Jerome], so I know them, and we think what happened was pretty horrific,” Preston Duman ’26 said. Duman’s family organized the vigil. “About 30 or 40 people went out in front of the hospital by the flagpole in a circle. A pastor came by and we said a prayer for a little bit, then [Jerome] came out and said hi.”
The varsity boys basketball team is set to play against CCHS at home at 7:00 p.m. Dec. 13. The student-section theme is a “Green Out,” encouraging fans on both sides to wear green in a show of unified support for Makai. Jags are also encouraged to wear green during the school day.
As of 7:50 p.m. Dec. 12, the GoFundMe received over 1,200 donations, reaching $101,106 of its original $100,000 goal, which is now adjusted to a target of $150,000.
“Makai will undergo many surgeries in the coming days and weeks. The immediate need is to provide peace of mind that April and Jerome can take shifts at his bedside without worrying about taking time off of work,” Bird said. “The Price family will be forever changed by this tragedy.”
