River Brown, Reporter
I’m River Brown, a senior and reporter on staff. This is my fourth year working on the Rock and I can’t wait to see what comes of this year. When I’m not painting every surface I can get my hands on, I’m thrifting with my friends or doing basically anything outdoors. I love jamming out to all sorts of music, and hope to write some reviews this year on all the great new releases I find. In addition, I’m excited to shed light on topics that would otherwise go unseen and expand my photography and graphic design skills! I’m a proud member of the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), Quill & Scroll International Honors Society and Create Club.
![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.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/20260220_1355020-2-1200x904.jpg)
![The junior class boos freshman during the opening assembly on the morning of Aug. 23. Booing has been a long-standing tradition during assemblies, but talks of shifting it to cheering have recently circulated the school. "[Freshmen are] expecting to come in with everyone supporting them and us booing them makes them upset and sad," Daksha Gopalakrishnan ‘25 said. "I think it has a negative effect on them, they won’t be able to feel welcome or anything like that."](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DSC_5940-1200x800.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)
![In the lower lot during Access, Jasmine Depew ‘27 pours syrup onto her shaved ice at the Kona Ice truck March 7. The truck sold shaved ice from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and prices ranged from $3 to $6. “[The flavors] I got [were] Piña Colada, Cherry, Raspberry and Goofy Grape,” Depew said. “My favorite event [from Wish Week] has probably been Walk for Wishes. That was really fun because I love walking and [I like] all the activities and seeing the Wish Kid.“](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/DSC_1997-1200x800.jpg)
![Student Press Freedom Day takes place today, Feb. 22. The day celebrates the student journalists, whose rights are the same as professionals. This means that students can write about controversial topics and the administration cannot legally get involved in Colorado public schools. “[I think students should have equal rights] in principle, I think obviously, being that we’re a school, there's probably some things. I can see certain parent groups having a problem and that doesn't necessarily mean that you shouldn't write about them, but maybe [have] some kind of stakeholder. Because being a minor is tricky,” teacher librarian Jason Parker said.](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Untitled-design-1-1.jpg)
![Owen Williams ‘25 holds a stick coated in a copper mixture over a Bunsen burner to complete a Chemistry lab Oct. 2. Students in Bradon Hommel’s Chemistry recorded the flame colors of various metals to better understand the differences in energy between types of ions. “[The lab] was really fun because I got to see a lot of cool colors and reactions,” Williams said. “I really liked the [copper reaction].”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/IMG_0270-1200x900.jpeg)
![Aspen Heppe ‘25 stands outside room 8850 wearing red, white and blue for “Freedom Friday,” the American-themed Homecoming Spirit Day, Sept. 15. The red, white and blue 8000s walls behind her were decorated to look like the ocean and beaches of South Carolina. “I really enjoy [this year’s spirit days],” Heppe said. “I think they’re creative, and a lot of thought and time was probably put into them.”](https://rockmediaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/IMG_9946-900x1200.jpeg)
