Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

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Seniors in the Class of 2026 completed their final year at Rock Canyon while participating in athletics, academics, student organizations and school events throughout the 2025-26 school year.
Senior Sign-Off
Students from Criminal Justice, EMT and Fire Science programs participated in a large-scale emergency responses simulation April 7 designed to mirror the coordination and pressure of real incidents like major crashes on interstate 25 in Colorado.
The Scenario
The Hantavirus virus has a 40% mortality rate, but what is the Hantavirus exactly?
The Hantavirus virus has a 40% mortality rate, but what is the Hantavirus exactly?
SAG is a student organization where high school students can voice opinions to the Board of Education and allow for more opinions to make an impact in schools.
A Student’s Voice at School
Using his telescope, Evan Beuther 26' looks up at the stars to gather data for his AP Research presentation. "There's an allure to space in the sky," Beuther said. "Just looking up amazes me, honestly."
Exploration Beyond the Classroom
A Snowless Colorado
A Snowless Colorado
The U.S.A. hockey team made a breakthrough this year at the Winter Olympics. With their roster full of National Hockey League players, the team won gold and made American history.
U.S.A. Men’s Hockey team wins Gold after 46 years of silence
This episode of SSOSN covers the performance of both basketball teams, focusing on the great year the Boy's basketball team has had so far and impressive beginning for Peyton Halloway's first year as a Head Coach.
Spiffy Spoose on Sports News Episode 4: Rock Canyon Basketball
Julia Salas ‘26 readies her stance to dive in the 50-free at Heritage during the B-Leagues meet Jan. 31. If a swimmer made a qualifying A-League time during the meet, they would qualify to compete at A-Leagues with the chance of going on to State. For many of the competing swimmers, B-Leagues was the last meet of the season. “The vibes here are very nice. The music is blasting, and the team dynamic is so fun, chaotic, but I love it,” Isabella Ramos ‘29 said.
The Last Stretch: Swimming Out of the Season
During the Big Cat Brawl, varsity swimmer Avery Clements ‘28 competes in the 100 Backstroke at Littleton High School Dec 6. The Jaguars placed second to 10 other schools with 421 points with Chaparral High School placing first with 432 points. “I think we're gonna do really well. Everyone's super excited. This was kind of like our first big meet. So this was kind of like a taste as to what really huge fun meets are like,” Zoe Solano ‘26 said.
Swimming Into the Season
Spiffy Spoose On Sports News, Episode 3: Kiffin Khaos
Spiffy Spoose On Sports News, Episode 3: Kiffin Khaos
This episode of Spiffy Spoose On Sports News covers topics relating to the NFL Thanskgiving Matchups and the below expectation Buffalo Bills season.
Spiffy Spoose On Sports News Episode 2: Thanksgiving and Buffalo Bills
Prom season is upon everyone, but what about those not attending the dance?
Adventures Beyond the Dance Floor: A Guide to a Non-Prom Evening
With spring beginning, along with it comes many traditions, one of these being families hiding colorful eggs for children to search for during the holiday Easter. Christians, Pagans and Jews all have many holidays to connect communities.
Spring Season Holiday Celebrations
With prom right around the corner, many are stressing about where to shop for attire. With so many available options from both in-person shops and online, deciding where to look can feel overwhelming. From department stores to online boutiques, each option offers different styles, price ranges and return policies. The real question is: where will YOU find the dress that will make you feel the most confident on prom night?
Where Should You Buy Your Prom Dress This Year?
Many students claim to be unhappy with food quality from Douglas County School District.
Fueling Students’ Bodies and Minds
Dominic Markham in Dec. of 2016 sitting in a military vehicle in Afghanistan. Markham was a .50 Caliber gunner as well as the platoon leader's gunner. “I was also in charge of, kind of managing all of the communication systems, like I was also setting everything up in there, predominantly when we're on mission. The role of a gunner, first and foremost, is to identify any outlying threats,” said Markham.
From Medals to Maps
Committed Men’s Volleyball player John Becker ‘26 stands outside at Baldwin Wallace University, Jan. 9. Over his career, Becker’s involvement with the sport has evolved over his four years of high school from a friendly pastime to joining club teams and playing on Varsity. “Seeing the results of a lot of hard work translate into placement and results has been really good,” Becker said.
Spiking to Success
April 10 marked the 25th year anniversary of the beloved Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Since its debut in 1999, the festival has grown into a global event, attracting massive crowds, big artists, and widespread attention across social media.
What is Coachella?
When war strikes, it destroys everything that lies in its wake: land, homes and families. "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys is a historical novel that follows the journey of Lina Vilkas as her family is put on a crowded train by Soviet Union soldiers and shipped off to who knows where.
Brutally Addictive: My Thoughts on “Between Shades of Gray”
Avatar Aang stands still in the avatar state, surrounded by all four elements: air, fire, earth and water. “Avatar: Aang, the Last Airbender” was a highly anticipated movie set to release on Oct. 9. However, an X user leaked the whole movie on April 13 to the internet, allowing the public to have early access to the film.
Sailing Through the Nations: An Analysis Addressing the “Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender” Leak
The twenty-first episode of the Glitch Podcast focuses on recent controversial developments in the gaming industry, like the unpopular price hikes from Playstation amid massive RAM shortage issues.
The Glitch Podcast Episode 21: Minecraft Missing the Mark, Playstation Price Problems and Nintendo News
“Survivor 50” has been a disappointment so far. The goal of this analysis is to emphasize the problems of the season so new viewers understand how and why this season failed in comparison to other successful seasons.
I Didn’t Vote For Any of This! A “Mid” Season Review of “Survivor 50”
This painting shows an artistic representation of Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling) leaping off his ship into space in front of a vibrant green planet.
‘Project Hail Mary’ Review: An Adaptation for the Ages
Slicing through Megastructures
Slicing through Megastructures
Elk grazing at Daniel's park in Castle Pines Colorado. Fur bans petition for an outlaw regarding the trade of fur, impacting hunter's ability to continue their business practices.
Biology vs Bias: Rethinking the fur Ban Debate
Alexander Oki ‘28 picks up trash in the lower parking lot Feb. 20. According to Keep America Beautiful, the majority of the trash found on both roads and waterways consists of fast food wrappers and packaging, receipts and plastic beverage bottles. Clubs like the National Honor Society (NHS) offer students the opportunity to earn service hours by cleaning up the trash in the parking lots. “[The trash] makes us look very unhygienic and unmotivated to be a proper school,” Emberlyse Vidal ‘28 said. “It makes us look like we just don't care about our students' environments.”
Throw It Out
Tiny's Take: Bob Odenkirk Breaks Bad Again in "Nobody 2"
Tiny’s Take: Bob Odenkirk Breaks Bad Again in “Nobody 2”
The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) is often used as a benchmark for a student's intellect college admissions. According to College Board, around 1.36 million students in the class of 2025 took the test.
OPINION: The Unreachable Standard For Standardized Testing
On May 1, 2025, Colorado's House Bill 1135 was passed, requiring all school districts within the state to post a communication device policy on their website by July 1, 2026. DCSD hosted a in-person community forum Nov. 6 at the DCSD headquarters and another virtual community forum Nov. 18 through ZOOM to provide further information on the planned course of action concerning policy implementation.
Message Not Delivered: DCSD’s proposed phone ban fails to consider student voices
Absolute Cinema is a podcast about movies and TV shows hosted by Joel DePoty and Adin Robinett. In this episode, your hosts talk about the future of Absolute Cinema regarding host Adin Robinett graduating this year.
Absolute Cinema V: A Farewell to Hosts
Absolute Cinema is a podcast about movies and TV shows hosted by Joel DePoty and Adin Robinett, in this episode, the hosts speak about the recent Academy Awards, the Razzies and look ahead to movies coming out in 2026.
Absolute Cinema Episode Four: Academy Awards and Razzies
Spiffy Spoose on Sports News Episode 5: Payton “The Science Teach” Holloway Feature
The twenty-first episode of the Glitch Podcast focuses on recent controversial developments in the gaming industry, like the unpopular price hikes from Playstation amid massive RAM shortage issues.
The Glitch Podcast Episode 21: Minecraft Missing the Mark, Playstation Price Problems and Nintendo News
The twentieth episode of the Glitch Podcast focuses on recent controversial developments in the gaming industry, like massive layoffs from Fortnite developer Epic Games.
The Glitch Podcast Episode 20: Fortnite Firings, Lawsuit Libations and Ubisoft Euthanization
Absolute Cinema is a podcast about movies and TV shows hosted by Joel DePoty and Adin Robinett, in this episode, the host spoke about the Academy Awards nominees and “The Muppet Show"'s most recent installment on Disney+.
Absolute Cinema Episode Three: Muppets and the 96th annual Academy Awards.
Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

the Rock Online
Rock Canyon High School's Student Newspaper

the Rock Online
Alex Shaffer

Alex Shaffer, Editor in Chief

Hi! I’m Alex Shaffer and this is my fourth and final year on the Rock staff. I am an Editor in Chief this year and I am passionate about design, technology, and popular culture. This year, my goals are to help redesign the magazine and to get more stories about all different kinds of people.

All content by Alex Shaffer
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