![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: Prema Viswanathan, Passing on her Skills
A look into Prema Viswanathan’s classes and inspiration.
media by Ally Kelley
Prema Viswanathan works on examples to show her Drawing and Painting students. Viswanathan took over the previous teacher’s, Drew Walter, classes. “I try to study their techniques and then get inspired by them to create my own artwork,” Viswanathan said.
February 3, 2023
Students open the door to the 7000s, entering a small hallway to an art class. After semester two started, art students entered room 7300, not seeing their now-retired art teacher, Drew Walter, but a new one, Prema Viswanathan. Viswanathan has been teaching for 12 years at different grade levels, and had always wanted to be an art teacher.
“I love art, and I think it should be taught to many people. That is how you pass on your skills to other people,” Viswanathan said.
Viswanathan now teaches sculpture, drawing and painting classes, passing her skills on to those students. In Drawing and Painting I, the students are currently working on a pencil rose. In Drawing and Painting II classes, students are working on pencil portraits, and in the Drawing and Painting IV classes, students are working on still-life pictures. In all of her sculpting classes, her students are working on nonobjective clay sculptures.
“I think it’s important if someone can benefit from your skill,” Viswanathan said.
Being an artist, Viswanathan has preferences for the type of art she does herself. While the previous art teacher preferred realism pieces, Viswanathan likes to create traditional art pieces.
“I like the very traditional style. I do a lot of intricate art inspired from traditional Indian artworks. I try to study their techniques and then get inspired by them to create my own artwork,” Viswanathan said.
With a new art teacher, students who have had art in the past are feeling positive. Lianna Spender ‘24 is a part of Drawing and Painting II.
“She’s nicer, less strict, and more flexible with the rules. She also offers more advice with the drawing rather than showing you once or twice and leaving you,” Spender said.