issue 2 red mountain dominates science aims briefs...person’s freedom to choose a private health...

7301 E. Brown Road, Mesa, AZ Issue 2Volume 21 October 2008

GOLFRM’s golf team continues its winning streak.

Index

www.mpsaz.org/rmhs/newslab Please [email protected]

HALLOWEENHow are Red Mountain students spending the holiday?

TARGET TAKE CHARGESee how much money Red Mountain received through Target’s program.

- page 3 – page 11

NEWS 1-3OPiNiON 4-5FOCuS 6-8A&E 9-10SPORTS 11-12 - page 5

BriefsNEWS

Congratulations to senior Ariel Good, who was the Red Mountain nominee for Outstanding Service- Latino Hall and to senior Nathan Paulson, who was the Red Mountain nominee for the U of A Baird Scholarship Program.

Congrats to Two RM Seniors

2009 National Merit Scholarship

Congratulations to the fol-lowing seniors, who were nine out of 25 semifinalists in the 2009 National Merit Scholarship Competition from Mesa high schools:Nicholas CatesAfton KnightJoshua LambertDominic MayrAshleen PiercyCody PriceEthan SheffieldSarah SimzykGarret Walliman

Much Ado About Nothing

Be sure to check out Red Mountain’s fall play, “Much Ado About Nothing.” It will be playing from Thursday, Oct. 30 to Saturday, Nov. 1. Tickets are $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, and $3 for children ages 5-12.

Canned Food DriveThe Canned Food Drive will begin on Nov. 3 and runs through Nov. 21. Student Council will be collecting cans through your third hour class in the auditorium.

AIMS Retakes10/28 AIMS Writing10/29 AIMS Reading10/30 Math

The first Arizona’s Instru-ment to Measure Standards science test was administrat-ed in spring of 2008. Mesa Public School’s surpassed their projection of 37 percent passing by 52 percent the first time around. “The state was piloting the test to see how students would do,” said Red Moun-tain High school’s AIMS Co-Coordinator, Ms. Sweador. “Arizona’s AIMS test scores were above national aver-ages.” The high school percent-

age combines all students taking the life-science course, which is usually taken sophomore year. The AIMS provides educators and the public with informa-tion on the progress students are making in science. “The AIMS science test shows more about the test [how it was written], than the students,” said chairmen of the Red Mountain High School science department, Mr. Adams. “It is a test that covers the entire year of life science, biology, which makes it kind of difficult.” There were 65 questions on scientific inquiry, his-tory and nature of science, science in personal and social perspectives, and life sciences. “This is a different kind of test. A test that students have not seen before,” said Mr. Adams. “The way ques-

tions were written was a little bit different than we would normally see.” The results will be used for the federal government’s assessment of the schools. The AIMS science test will be reassessed, clarified, and taken again this spring. “You don’t know what to expect the first time you give a test until you get the results back, then you know where you need to make improve-ments,” said Ms. Sweador. Red Mountain students were not required to pass the science AIMS in order to graduate, but the results will be used for the federal government’s assessment of schools. “The government will probably evaluate the test and see how they can work on it to make it a better test that is still going to show how much kids know,” said

Mr. Adams. Red Mountain science teachers will review their plans for teaching science and make sure it is aligned with the curriculum, so that they are touching every point. The challenge for teachers will be to encourage students to do well on the test even though they are not required to pass the AIMS science for graduation. “This test wasn’t a test that kids had to pass for graduation, and students know they don’t have to pass it. Many students are not go-ing to take it that seriously,” said Mr. Adams. This year’s goal is to have a higher percent of the sophomores taking life sci-ence courses pass the exami-nation. Next September, Red Mountain science teachers will once again see how their students stacked up to the

Let’s do a little word association here. What is the first thing you think of when you hear the words: FFA, senior citizen, and project? My guess is that your thought was nowhere near where I was trying to aim you. So, what do these words actually have in com-mon? On Oct. 14 Red Moun-tain’s Agricultural Depart-ment in association with the FFA (Forging Futures in Agriculture) and Arizona State University started the

Senior Gardening Program at Mesa Parks and Recreation’s Multigenerational Center. “The program is essen-tially an experiment to see if senior citizens working with high school students can help both groups,” said Mr. Gless an agriscience teacher here at Red Mountain as well as a District Agriculture Program Specialist. “ Students go over to the Multigenerational Center and help take care of plants alongside senior citizens. We have an experi-mental group of 15 seniors paired with 15 Red Mountain students who are working together on their gardens and a control group of 15 Red Mountain students who are working alone. We are hop-ing to show that this program is a social help to the stu-dents and the seniors, as well as show that the cooperation

between the two groups yields higher success.” Though it is interesting and is for a good cause, why exactly is Red Mountain part of this? “We want to show that a program like this can work for helping both students and the elderly,” said Mr.

Gless. “ If we can prove that through this project then it is possible that other schools around the state may begin a program like this. We are kind of the guinea pigs of this.” It’s great to know that Red Mountain is involved in research programs like this,

Red Mountain dominates

ffA lends a hand

By Jalissa FordStaff Writer

By William SowardsStaff Writer

Go Badminton!Red Mountain’s badminton team is the first Mesa school to achieve Region cham-pionship three years in a row. It is also the first time RM badminton has made it to the state semi-finals. See page 11 for more informa-tion

and what is even greater is that the students involved in the project like it. “It‘s really fun,” said se-nior Samantha Weitz. “ This program gives me a chance to get out of class, and I’m also given an opportunity to interact with older people who I may not have an op-portunity to interact with otherwise. It is kind of a challenge to interact with the seniors for the hour that we are at the Multigenerational Center, but I think that will change as time goes on.” The project will last for six weeks. For more information see Mr. Gless in room 715. Good luck to all those involved in this project, and don’t forget to have fun!

science AiMs

By teaching senior citizens gardening

Percent of MPS students taking the AiMS science test who met or exceeded state standards per school:

school scoresDobson High 41East Valley Academy 38 Mesa High 37Mountain View 55Red Mountain High 58Riverview High 10 Skyline High 43Superstition High 0Westwood High 22

state science standards and if the students exceeded the projection.

PHOTO COURTESY OF TARGET

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORY.COM

PHOTO BY PORTRAITS BY

REG

PHOTO BY YEARBOOK STAFFFFA students are working with seniors at the Multigenerational Center.

2 October 2008 News

As Tuesday, Nov. 4 looms ever nearer, all attention seems to be focused on the presidential election, but hidden not-so-far under the surface is a plethora of voting opportu-nities. Last year, Arizona had but one proposition on the ballot—the Waveyard, which was approved by voters with a 60-69 percent majority vote in Arizona Districts 1 through 6 and will start construction in Mesa in 2009. Times have changed, however, and 2008’s ballot features a whopping eight proposi-tions. According to the “Pub-

licity Pamphlet” issued by Arizona’s Secretary of State Janice Brewer, Proposition (Prop) 100 would “amend the Arizona Constitution to prohibit the state or any council, city, town or other politi-cal subdivision of the state from directly or indirectly imposing any new tax, fee or other assessment on the sale, purchase, transfer or other conveyance of any interest in real property (such as homes and other real estate).” This initia-tive is much easier to un-derstand when referred to as the “Protect Our Homes Act” and basically means that Arizona will not have any real estate taxes on property transferred after Dec. 31, 2007. Prop 101, which is sponsored by Medical Choice for Arizona and known as the “Freedom of Choice in Health Care Act,” prohibits the creation

of any laws that could affect a person’s medical decisions. More specifical-ly, laws may not “restrict a person’s freedom to choose a private health care plan, interfere with a person’s right to pay for lawful medical services, or im-pose a penalty or fine for choosing to obtain/deny health care or participate in any health care system.” Most discussed this year is probably Proposi-tion 102. Stating that Arizona marriages shall comprise only as “a union of one man and one woman,” this proposal is similar to the Protect Mar-riage Arizona Act of 2006, which was not approved by voters. Arizona’s Consti-tution currently disallows same-sex marriages, but Proposition 102 aims to narrow the law. “Majority rules—let the people decide.” Proposi-tion 105 is rather simple; it states that a measure shall not pass unless the majority of registered voters approve of it. This differs from the current law, which says a measure passes “upon approval of a majority of registered voters that vote on the measure.” Sponsored by “Reform Arizona Payday Loans,” Proposition 200 has the goal of allowing payday loan programs to continue, because under current law, payday loans will

As the school year roles on, some people begin to wonder about the future, mainly their own. Are they prepared for the real world? Do they have all they need to succeed in the post-high school arena

known as working life? Well, Technical Writ-ing, which Red Mountain offers, is here to help. Taught by Ms. Buffington, this class helps students prepare for what is to come after four short years of intense school work. “As part of Technical Writing the students are given real world writing experience,” said Ms. Buffington. “For our ca-reer unit, the students learn how to write as well as an-swer interview questions. They are also given the opportunity to hear from a

few guest speakers like a Mesa Public Schools District Liaison and a manager of web development at Wells Fargo Bank about the business world.” Technical Writing doesn’t just cover getting

Getting some major props

Learning the basics of businessinto the modern workplace, but also how to correctly accomplish tasks when it comes to writing once a person is already there. “We focus a lot on what people would be doing in the real world like writ-ing bios and instructions,” said Ms. Buffington. “In the workplace every single word you say is important; you want to be profession-al and interesting without being dry and boring. There is also no room for unprofessional frills like emoticons. We want our students to be able to find a middle ground between creativity and professional-ism.” Students taking Techni-cal Writing believe that this class offers helpful in-formation that will benefit them in their careers. “The speakers were very helpful; they had little bits of really help-ful information. Tips like

terminate on July 1, 2010. Prop 200, the Payday Loan Reform Act, will alter the procedures under which loans are given in many ways, including requiring that all payday loan agree-ments must be in either English or Spanish. The “Homeowners’ Bill of Rights,” or Prop 201, aims to protect homebuy-ers by changing a great amount of laws regarding contractors, warranties, and the like. Proposition 202 is yet another measure to stop the hiring of illegal immi-grants in Arizona. Current law suspends or revokes licenses of business that knowingly hire illegal immigrants. The “Stop Illegal Hiring Act” would modify this law to increase penalties for the employers of unauthorized aliens. Legislator’s salaries are currently at $24,000 per year, and Proposition 300 is simple, aiming to increase them to $30,000. While it is too late to register to vote for this year, Red Mountain students and staff who are already registered are encouraged to do so. The voting location closest to Red Mountain’s campus is the Red Mountain Branch Library, which is located on Power Rd. just north of University Dr. and will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Nov. 4.

“It’s not schizophrenia, it’s I.E.!” That’s interpretive events for the non-speechies. This inside joke has become the catch phrase of this year’s Speech and Debate team. The team has been working hard to prepare for this year’s season of competitions. On October 4, the team competed at the Glendale Community College Tournament. Two of Red Mountain Debate pairs broke to the semi-finals and tied for third. Junior Cory Hernandez with senior Christian Hoyt, and junior Megann Davis with junior Kaci Jensen. “It was exhilarating, though not entirely unex-pected. My partner and I spent hours on our case,” said junior Cory Hernan-dez. Events in Speech and Debate range from Public Forum Debate (a pair of debaters go up against another pair and argue current event issues) to humorous interpretation (an actor takes a piece of literature and performs it as humorously as pos-sible). A substantial amount of effort goes into preparing for a tournament, whether it is researching for a debate case or cutting a piece for an interpretation event, hours upon hours are put in. “I put in at least eight hours a week if not more,” said sophomore Gabriel Mecham. Putting in hours is just part of the routine; It is the only way to do well. “In order to do well you have to prepare a lot,” said Hernan-dez. “For example, breaking to semi-finals last year was because I spent hours perfecting my piece.” On Oct. 24 and 25, the team put on Red Mountain’s home com-

petition, The Lost Dutch-man Tournament. “We are spending every hour available preparing ballots, making trophies, thinking of impromptu topics and making sure we have enough food to feed the hungry competitors,” said Hernandez. The home tournament is the major source of the Speech and Debate team’s funding so a ton of effort goes into the tournament. “Planning, planning, planning. A lot of work goes into pulling a tourna-ment off, but we have dili-gent members so this will be a success,” said senior Tennille Choi. The effort put in reaps its rewards. Members all have their many reasons for returning to Speech and Debate. “I joined at the begin-ning of last year, I thought it would look good on my college resume. Little did I know, I was in for a big surprise,” said junior Lenani Bolin. The surprise she is talk-ing about is the satisfaction and friendships that come with devoting so much to a club. “The best part of Speech and Debate is the people in it. It is such a crazy and diverse group,” said Choi. “I always have fun even when we are do-ing serious work. These people have become my best friends.” The club goes beyond social benefits also. “Speech and Debate is a powerful teacher, not only of facts, but also of many life skills,” said Hernandez Thinking about join-ing? Do it! The members are always welcoming new people. “I am always telling people to give Speech and Debate a try,” said Choi. “Once you get past the culture shock, you see it is amazing. We love new recruits and our door is always open.”

making sure you smile at the receptionist and making sure that you look the interviewer in the eye when you answer ques-tions. It was a great way to learn useful things,” said senior Tanner Bryant. Others agree that this is a great chance to learn how to get ahead. “The presenters taught us how to be prepared for an interview and how to conduct ourselves so that we would be more likely to be hired,” said senior Kendra Gardner. “I feel much more prepared than I did before.” Does this sound like something that could be helpful to you? Technical Writing is a one-semester senior English class (Sorry, but juniors and sopho-mores will just have to wait). For more informa-tion see Ms. Buffington in Room 238 or visit the Counseling Office.

Speech & Debate

By Brianna PantilioneStaff Writer


By Valerie NuñezEditor-in-Chief

PHOTO BY WILLIAM SOWARDSA board of propositions and candidates can be found in Room 286.

RM Tech Writing gets ready for career life

PHOTO BY SCOTT STOLLER Tech Writing students took part in a mock interview.

Knowing the state propositions A club with a full plate

PHOTO BY BRIANNA PANTILIONE

Senior Ethan Sheffield and junior Chenneille Choi taking a break between competitions.

3October 2008News

Think of being in a car crash, more specifically in an ambulance headed to the hospital after one. You’ve lost a lot of blood and a paramedic leans over you, puts an IV in your arm and proceeds to give you a unit of blood. Now, think of this, what if that unit of blood wasn’t there for you? Happily for us, there are groups like the United Blood Services, an Arizona based blood donation organiza-tion which was started in 1943 as a small local donation clinic and has extended to 18 states and more than 500 hospitals. On Sept. 23, the United Blood Services came to Red Mountain to collect blood dona-tions. Some think it odd that a blood dona-tion drive should take place at a high school like Red Mountain, but the truth is, it’s one of the best places to have one. According to the United Blood Services, teens age 16 to 18 account for the larg-est single population of blood donors in Arizona and the United States at large. Why do teens feel the need to donate blood? “I want to save lives!” said senior Cody Price. “I have always wanted to do-nate blood, and I wanted to find out what blood type I was too. Getting out of class is just an added benefit.” Others feel the same way when it comes to blood donations. “I know it sounds cliché, but I give blood because I want to help save lives,” said senior Afton Knight. “I don’t have any special experience with someone in my family getting blood in the hospital for something I just want to help people.” Now, to perhaps the most important question that some ask when it comes to blood donation, is it scary to have a pint of blood go the way of the vampire? “I was really scared,” said senior Emily Nissen. “Losing a pint of blood and the needles creeped me out a little, but I know I’m doing this for a good cause.” One truly amazing thing to come out of this blood drive is that some people don’t just give blood when the white United Blood Services vehicles descend upon Red Mountain’s campus. “I do on a regular basis because I can, and I like to help people out,” said sopho-more Courtney Wheeler. “It’s an easy way; you don’t have to do a whole lot to help somebody. All you do is give a little blood, it’s that simple.” The United Blood Services reported that Red Mountain donated a total of 98 units of blood from the blood drive held on Sept. 23. This means that our students saved as many as 228 lives. Though this number was short of Student Council’s goal, it is still a great number for a blood drive in general. If you missed this blood donation don’t fret, another one will happen on Feb. 9. Until then, if you want to donate blood visit http://www.unitedbloodservices.org/hero statepage.asp?state=az to arrange an appointment to donate blood with United Blood Services.

Blood drive


By Harrison GearnsEditor

Youth Alive gathered students around the flag pole in front of campus to pray over various issues at See You at the Pole, which took place on Sept. 24, 2008. Youth Alive, a club which stresses a deeper relationship between Red Moun-tain students and the Christian community, hosts the event to bring the student body together to pray for multiple purposes. The gathering, which boasted over 50 attendees, caught the attention of multiple newspapers and placed Youth Alive, once again, among one of the most successful clubs at Red Mountain. Students prayed for success in the general election, success in the admin-istration, security in the economy, and general well-being in the community. It’s important to note, however, that no one political agenda was discriminated against, contrary to many stereotypes of Christian organizations. “We didn’t specify certain things, like

which candidate would win, or what was wrong in the administration. We trust that [God] knows the right way to solve the issues, and we prayed for the strength to be strong,” says senior Dorothy Lason, President of Youth Alive. Although it functions as a Christian or-ganization, Youth Alive stresses tolerance and wished to host many different people at the event. It is no surprise that there were many people outside of Youth Alive that attended. “It wasn’t just Youth Alive at See You at the Pole. Over half of the students there were just regular students,” says Lason. Other clubs encouraged attendance to See You at the Pole as well. “Fellowship of Christian Athletes didn’t have a hand in See You at the Pole, since our club is still being chartered. As far as being part of it, we brought indi-viduals who would not normally attend Youth Alive and who would attend FCA to See You at the Pole,” says Michael Michelowski, president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. The diverse amount of students being ideal for attendance at See You at the Pole, Youth Alive wanted to invite as many people at Red Mountain as possible. It wasn’t an expression of their freedom at school – It was simply done for the sake of praying.

“See You at the Pole was done to pray. Nothing else. We didn’t do it to say, ‘Hey, we have the right to pray so we’re going to shove it in your face.’ That isn’t our purpose. It never was. We did it to become stronger as a student body,” says Lason. This mindset helped with certain issues rearding the event, including a discrepan-cy between the administration and a flyer proposed for advertising the event, Lason explained. “[The administration] required us to take a bible verse off of our original flyer before they would approve it, and many students had a problem with that. Some felt that we should ‘fight it out’ to get the verse up, but that’s not why we’re doing it. It’s not to prove we have the right to do it, it was just to do it. It was better to just comply than to clash with the administra-tion,” said Lason. With the success of the event, and all other things considered, Youth Alive should be very proud of their accomplish-ments. In fact, some students copied Youth Alive’s idea and continuously pray by the pole more often than See You at the Pole. “Some people believe it shouldn’t be just a one-time thing, but some of us have A-Hours,” Lason admits. In fact, Youth Alive is planning

another See You at the Pole to accom-modate the people who did not have the time to attend, which says a lot about the unity of the Christian community at Red Mountain. “Last year at See You at the Pole, we had a lot of kids leave after the bell rang. This year, even with a smaller turnout, we finished the song we were singing and left after the two-minute bell. It was a beautiful thing,” said Lason. For more information about See You at the Pole or any other clubs involved with the topics discussed in this article, you can speak to the officers of Youth Alive or FCA by attending one of their meetings. Youth Alive meets every Friday during lunch in room 265, and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes meets every Thursday during lunch in room 612P.

PHOTO BY MRS. SAQUELLA

Red Mountain students gathered around the front of the school on Sept. 24, for See You at the Pole.

See You at the Pole

Red Mountain wins bigWith Target Take Charge

On Friday, Oct. 17, Mrs. Lorig and four Student Council rep-resentatives, junior Daniel Horner, senior Carley Bosch, senior Jessica Davenport, and senior Mariah Kohles, were awarded on Red Mountain’s behalf with $1,054.30 by the Target Take Charge of Educa-tion program. With Target Take Charge, any REDcard holder may choose to designate one percent of each purchase to the school of their choice. Since the start of Target Take Charge, Red Moun-tain has earned over $25,000.

PHOTO BY VALERIE NUNEZ

Youth Alive celebrates A success

OpiniOnThe ROaR

4 October 2008

AdviceGuy gives cookiesAdvice-cookie combo saves day

Apathy ruins Red MountainAnd there’s just enough time to save it

I went to a Red Mountain Football game recently. The game against Desert Vista on Oct. 8 was as entertaining as it was beneficial to Red Moun-tain; after the 50+ point was scored, it was safe to say Red Mountain bagged another win. Fans were cheering, players were tackling, and sunflower seeds were being scattered all over the bleachers in a crazed, messy manner. Chip bags thrown towards the garbage unfortunately missed. Referees were insulted, players mocked, and men made fools of our entire football team and school. Wait, hold up. Sun-flower seeds? Potato chip bags? Slanderous people yelling at referees? I have a hard time believ-ing this is a normal scene for many people involved

in the sporting commu-nity. Unfortunately, this seems to be the case. The stereotype I think of when I ponder a typical football game involves beer cups strewn all over a stadium while ignorant fans munch on messy hot dogs. Their trash is strewn all over the dome, and the common attitude in this situation is, “The stadium’s staff will clean after me.” Well, here’s the thing: Why should the stadium staff clean up after you? There may be custodians to wipe up your slobber and clean up your garbage, but their job should be sterilizing your stadium and main-taining the quality of the building everyone spent $364 million to have. Not to mention, in the event that I wish to go a football game, I wouldn’t like to walk into a stadium where the popcorn runs free in tumbleweed-esque balls and gum-and-foam-hand monsters terrorize the local villagers. It offends me to know that our taxes are being squandered away to people who can’t even pick up after themselves. What’s interesting to

note, however, is that this problem cannot be blamed just on my generation. Over the course of my experience at the Red Mountain football game on that Wednesday, I discov-ered that the majority of the contempt I held for that crowd was caused mainly by adults. Every pirate mouth in that stadium came from either an out-raged parent or some crazy man in a Red Mountain football shirt. It’s asinine to belittle our football team, our school and our community by spilling trash and inappropriate language at an event that is supposed to celebrate the joys of healthy competi-tion. Why would someone al-low themselves to slander Red Mountain’s reputation with rudeness? Would it have something to with the fact that everyone else is doing it? Were individuals raised to believe that others will clean up after them? The way I was raised enforced a belief that other people, regardless of their jobs or status, were not responsible for the messes you make. This seems

to be a rather success-ful method to positively affect my part of society, although it does challenge my work ethic from time to time at my job. Although I find it im-moral to tell other people

how to live their lives, I also believe that blindly looking the other way when something tarnishes our community is some-thing every tax-paying citi-zen should abhor. Do not allow people to litter your

stadium. Take care of your own community. Live with the pride Red Moun-tain owns in more ways than just believing you are the best. Be the best. Take care of your school, your community, and your life.

PHOTO BY BRIANA PANTILIONE


Well, I’m back folks, and I’m readi-er than ever to kick your problems in a place where the sun doesn’t shine! We’ve got a few problems that need addressing today, so let’s get started! Dear AdviceGuy, I’ve been going out with my boyfriend for four months and I really like him, but lately he’s been saying things about the clothes I wear, like “Your skirt is too short,” or “Your top is too low.” I know he’s only concerned. He says it’s just because he doesn’t want other guys to get the wrong idea, but I didn’t think there was anything wrong with what I wear. How can I tell him how I feel? Sincerely, Confused and Avoiding Mini-Skirts Dear Confused, First of all, I’m happy that you have a boyfriend who is concerned with your well-being. That being said, you should feel free to express yourself in any way you want. If your boyfriend treats this as though it’ll make or break your relation-ship, you two should have a serious talk and find out if your morals match up. You should never feel like you need to change yourself for any relationship unless it’s what you want. I think your best bet is to tell your boyfriend how you feel directly because clear communication is necessary to have trust in a relationship. Trust in each other is the key to a relationship you will both enjoy. Of course, it’s also good

to remember that a relationship this early on in your life should be purely for enjoy-ment. You’re at the most 18 years old; you have time to have fun. Dear AdviceGuy, What is the root mean square speed of O2 gas molecules at 300K? Sincerely, Anonymous Dear Anonymous, Well, it’s very simple, because-WHAAAAAT?! I will admit, you had me stumped, and you still do. It’s been a while since I took chemistry, and I never took physics. I will leave it at this, wise sage of physics and chemistry: You, sir, must have a wonderful journey figuring this out. Make sure you tell me after-wards! Dear AdviceGuy, I’d like to know how to bake chocolate chip cookies. It makes me very unhap-py, and without cookies I just want to curl up and die. What do I do? Sincerely, Cookieless Dear Cookieless, I feel your pain. Really, what kind of world is it where every American can’t get a delicious chocolate chip cookie every time we want? A capitalist America, that’s what. I believe you deserve cookies, and I found a relatively easy recipe for you to use. So flour-up those hands and let’s get

started! Delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies, Courtesy of Nestlé! Ingredients: 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon salt 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened 3/4 cup granulated sugar 3/4 cup packed brown sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 2 large eggs 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels 1 cup chopped nuts

Directions: PREHEAT oven to 375° F. COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto greaseless baking sheets. BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. That’s it for this edition’s AdviceGuy article. Remember, if you’d like to turn in a problem for me to answer, please feel free to turn it in to the box labeled “News-lab advice and suggestion box,” AKA Brutus, at the checkout desk in the Media Center. Thanks!

AdviceGuy poses for a modest photo before saving the day.

5 October 2008OpiniOn

Crack open your apples and check for razorblades, kiddos, because Halloween’s comin’ to a town near you! This holiday can either be a source of happiness for small children or a massive headache for everyone else. Whether you turn to cos-tume parties or other people’s door steps for your cheap entertainment this year, it is also important to know exactly why we have this wonderful day of debauchery in the first place. According to an article written by Ken C. Ericson and Patricia Sunderland, Halloween’s strange existence cannot be credited to either religious or national factors. While that may hold true, Hal-loween also has a rich and diverse history, mixing legend and spirituality into our


From Anime club to Youth Alive, chances are there’s at least one out of the close to 100 clubs on campus that will strike a student’s interest. Every day, students meet before school, at lunch and after school to participate in a club. Some club-active students are more than willing to sacrifice their lunch hours to attend a meeting, but why? “The clubs [at Red Mountain] are supposed to reflect the interests stu-dents have and of course that changes year to year with the different groups that come in,” says Ms. Lorig, assistant principal and director of activities. Ms. Lorig oversees all clubs on campus and reviews all club expendi-tures, events, and fundrais-

ers. “Probably about 10 percent of the clubs are super-duper active as far as the things they do for service or for fundrais-ing or events and things like that,” says Ms. Lorig. “Other clubs fall more into the hobby type things. They’re not active. It’s more of a place to go

where kids can identify with a particular like or interest.” Some students join clubs for service learning hours, or for something im-pressive to tack onto their resumes and college ap-plications. Others join to socialize with their friends, or with people with the same interests. Some have their own special reasons. “Audio visual technol-ogy interests me,” says senior Timothy Mahoney, a member of the AV club. “It’s another way for me to become more of a super nerd.” Senior Charles Hewett plans on joining the bowl-ing club and environmental club this year. “It’s fun. It’s something I can do during the day

because there’s not always time during school to do other things that you want to do,” says Hewett. “I heard that studies have shown and proved that students do better if they’re in a club.” There have been dozens

of studies that attempt to measure the correlation be-tween a student’s academic performance and their level of participation in extra-curricular activities. All, however, fall in line with a string of hypothetical answers without anything

definitive. Ms. Lorig has her own theory on the matter. “I think overall involve-ment in the school as a whole usually indicates that a student has really bought into their educa-tion and getting as much out of it as possible,” Ms. Lorig says. “So I think that it goes hand in hand naturally. I don’t typically see kids that are struggling or kids that aren’t putting forth the effort that they could or should be really involved in extra-curricu-lars.” Senior Timothy Ma-honey agrees with Ms. Lorig, yet he goes as far as to say that a student’s par-ticipation in a club “might even worsen his condi-tion in school.” Mahoney suggests that students with sub-par grades might want to steer clear of extra-curricular clubs and focus more on their school work. Because the administra-tion isn’t responsible for providing funds for clubs, each club individually raises their own. Dozens of fundraisers take place on campus, each organized

by a club. For example, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts are sold during homeroom through the Invisible Chil-dren club. Money made through the bagel sale, sold the same way, goes straight back to Close Up, a club designed to send participat-ing students on the annual field trip to Washington D.C. “Each of the clubs are responsible for their own funding and some of course do a better job than others,” says Ms. Lorig. “Unfortunately there’s no such thing as a start up fund for a club. I wish there were, but there isn’t. So it’s really contingent on the work that the students put in and that the advisor puts in to make the club a success.” All else aside, Ms. Lorig suggests clubs like Si Se Puede! or Best Bud-dies for a student looking for a fun way to earn ser-vice learning hours. Join-ing a club is almost always a positive, as long as a club meeting doesn’t replace valuable homework time.

By Abagail DavisStaff Writer

Extracurricular activities:Many fun reasons to join

own unique, delicious holiday. What’s even more interesting is that we know practically nothing about it! Even the true origin of Halloween eludes us. Some people believe old Pagan legends mixed with newer Christian celebrations gave us the chain of events that led to Halloween. Others believe the concept developed from the ancient Celtic festival Samhain, which marked the Celtic New Year as well as the time in which dead spirits came to visit the earth. Presumably, the Irish would open their doors to the spirits of the dead and provide them with food. People eventually started dressing as dead souls and wandering around, demanding food. One thing led to another, and eventually we end up with a holiday where weird kids dress up in creepy costumes demand-ing treats from strangers that live in their neighborhood. The holiday doesn’t limit itself to only youngsters, however. In fact, many students here at Red Mountain tend to join these kids in their candy-leeching endeav-ors. “I’m probably going to go hang out with my family and trick or treat, or some-thing,” says Junior Victoria Frierson. Others are making this holiday a full-on night on the town. “I’m going to trick or treat and party,” says Sophomore Erika McKendree. “I spent about $50 on my costume. It was cheaper than I thought it was going to be.” The immense amount of teenagers planning on trick or treating this Hallow-een seems startling to older generations, yet seems to be relatively normal to mem-bers of our current age group. According

HalloweenHas it become outdated?

PHOTO COURTESY OF HISTORY.COMJack o’ Lanterns are a symbol of Halloween and fun for everyone.

The Red Mountain Roar is the monthly publication of Red Mountain High School, 7301 E. Brown Rd., Mesa AZ 85207. For information con-cerning advertising, call (480) 472-8228 and leave a message for the newspaper staff. Opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the view or official policies of the school. The Red Mountain Roar encour-ages letters to the editor on any topics of interest to the student body. All letters must be signed, and may be edited for grammar and space. Visit our website at http://www2.mpsaz.org/rmhs/staff/jxsaquella/class3/.

The ROaR

Editor-In-Chief: Valerie Nunez

Editor: Harrison Gearns Writers: Abagail Davis Jalissa Ford Brianna Pantilione William Sowards

Advisor : Mrs. Saquella

to certain students, however, trick or treat-ing truly belongs to the younger folk. “We’re getting too old for trick or treating,” says Senior Andrew Leach. “We’re in high school.” The demographically diverse nature of Halloween always seems to hit everyone

in some way. Whether you’re taking your child door-to-door, throwing a party or just relaxing at home with a nice big bowl of leftover Halloween candy, you’re sure to find something to do. Halloween’s just that awesome.

Students can easily to join one of RM’s many clubs.PHOTO BY YEARBOOK STAFF

6 October 2008The RoaR

FocusSpirit Week

PHOTO BY EMILY NISSEN

PHOTO BY YEARBOOK STAFF

PHOTO BY YEARBOOK STAFF

PHOTO BYYEARBOOK STAFF

PHOTO BY EMILY NISSEN

80’s Monday

Tie-dye Tuesday

Safari Wednesday

Egyptian Thursday

Blackout Friday

HomecomingA noteworthy experience

PHOTO BY LINDSEY TYNERSenior Taylor Jaycox showed Red Mountain spirit at the Homecoming game.


Red Mountain High went all out for Homecoming this year with a full week of spirit ending with a tailgate party, a winning football game, and an Egyptian Oasis themed dance Saturday night. Virtually no student was left out of the constant activity. The traditional spirit week kicked off the festivities encouraging students to engage themselves in the action. Every day during the school week of Oct. 13 to Oct. 18 there was designated attire theme. It all began Monday as 80’s day, then Tie-dye Tuesday, Afri-can Safari Wednesday, and Egyptian Oasis Thursday. Friday was classic black out, turning students into spirited football fans for the football game against the Westwood Warriors. Promptly after school Friday at 3:30 p.m., the homecoming parade began making its round around the school. Then at 4 p.m., tailgate began. Taking place in the south west parking lot in front of the portables, tailgate hosted a number of different club booths looking to make some funds. Clubs and sports were able to set up tables with activities, food, or spirit paraphernalia for sale. One favorite at tailgate was the Lost Boys of Sudan table where students could pay to throw water balloons at students wearing a mask of one of the presi-dential candidates up for election in November. “It was fun,” said senior Zachary Place. “I liked when we threw the bal-loons at Obama and McCain. I wanted to do it but I didn’t have any money.” Food, games, and spirit overflowed from the parking lot pumping with tunes until about 7 p.m. “It was cool. There were a lot of different kinds of booths up and stuff. The music was fun and it was cool to meet your friends there,” said senior Christen Lukert. From tailgate, students, parents, and teachers flooded into the stands of the football field for the game. Seniors Michael Jones, Christopher Bridges, Taylor Kerby, and Ian McHardy from Singers Choir kicked off the game by singing the national anthem, which finished with a set of fireworks south of the field. The JV and varsity cheerleaders revved up the spirit team in the stands while the Red Mountain Mountain Lions beat the Westwood Warriors. Tons of students decked out in spirit attire for the game. “I wore pins from the tailgate party,” said Place. “And I blacked out because it was Friday.” Lukert was in the spirit section in the bleachers, helping to enliven other

fans. “I wore face paint and they were giving away the thunder sticks and the cones and the footballs.” said Lukert. The game stopped for half time with the tra-ditional marching band performance conducted by senior Dorothy Lason along side their flag team. Then, the homecoming court rode onto the field in style in luxury sports cars to await the announcement of the homecoming King and Queen. This year, seniors Julian Madison and Amanda Scruggs were

voted Homecoming King and Queen. Madi-son is a varsity football player and Scruggs is the captain of the Speech and Debate team. The game continued into the second half and Red Mountain’s team sent Westwood’s home defeated. After the game, some students partied on by going out to eat or relocating to a friend’s house. An Egyptian Oasis summed up the long cel-ebrations of Homecom-ing. Saturday evening in the gym, students dressed in their best semi-formal attire for

the event. The gym was appropriately decorated with ivory colored cloth canopies draping across the ceilings over the dance floor. The free water bottle supply quickly depleted by nine and by the end of the night the canopy drapes had fallen onto dancing students. Despite a few mis-haps, everyone partied on until the music stopped playing at 10 p.m. nudging everyone back out the gym doors to make it home before city curfew.

7October 2008Focus

Musical passion is not exclusive to the performing arts build-ing, as is proven every Wednesday in room 163, where Music Enthusiasts meet during lunch to share and discuss music together. “The focus of this club is open discussion,” says club founder and president, senior John Quiñonez. “It’s a plat-form for kids to express their opinions on music.” Quiñonez founded Music Enthusiasts last year. In doing so, he created a place that proves there are differ-ent musical talents in the student body. “Really the only music departments we have at school are band, orchestra and guitar class,” Quiñonez says. “But those don’t cover all the kids who actually play an instru-

Music EnthusiastsBringing different musical tastestogether in perfect pitch

ment. They don’t cover modern music, per say. It’s mostly transcript and classical.” Senior Michael Madril is new to Music Enthusiasts this year. “I love music, and I wanted to meet other people who like music and share music that we listen to and/or write.” says Madril. Anyone who likes music, whether they play music, make music, or listen to music, would fit in well with Music Enthusiasts. Science teacher Mr. Turley, was “enthusiasti-cally accepting of the offer” when Quiñonez asked him to sponsor Music Enthusiasts last year. “My entire life I have been a music enthusi-ast,” says Mr. Turley. “I have been playing the piano since I was six. I’ve played other instru-ments, and I’ve always appreciated all different kinds of music, except country. It’s really fun to get around and talk with other people about what’s naturally been interesting to me my entire life.” Music Enthusiasts

club does not exclude any music genres from their club. Interests in all kinds of music are welcome and encour-aged. “This is not a discriminatory club,” Quiñonez said. “This is open to everyone no matter what kind of mu-sic that you like. It’s not something I want people to be intimidated by. Opinions should be able to be expressed fully with out criticism.” Because Music En-thusiasts is a fairly new club to Red Mountain, it’s still in the organizing stage. Quiñonez says that he and his “unof-ficial vice president,” senior Jake Heidrick, are working hard during club meetings to publi-cize the club. “I joined Music Enthusiasts because I thought it was a good idea when John ap-proached me with it,” says Heidrick. “I thought that it could get a lot of people inter-ested in music to come together and share what they’ve written or what they’ve listened to.” “We’ve been doing a lot of preparation for our relay team at the end of the year and try-ing to figure out some fundraising things,” says Quiñonez. Despite the slow start this year, Quiñonez has high hopes for the future years of Music Enthu-siasts. “I want it to contin-ue,” says Quiñonez. “I want it to become sort of a tradition and make it a self-motivated club.”


Academic Decathlon is a 10-event scholastic competition for teams of high school students. Each school’s team consists of nine students: three "A" or Honor stu-dents, three "B" or Scho-lastic students, and three "C" or Varsity students. It is the “sport” for academics. Each year there is a new theme. The 2008-2009 year is Latin America. Students are studying the art, music, literature, history,

and economics of Latin America with an empha-sis on Mexico. The stu-dents are also learning about science, math, and public speaking. Here at Red Mountain we run a highly competitive pro-gram. The class meets fourth hour to study the curriculum and learn skills that will help them prepare for competi-tion. The Red Mountain team will be studying hard and preparing for a scrimmage tournament

in November and then a competition in Decem-ber to see which of the 16 students will make the Official team. The official season begins January 30 and 31 with a Regional Competition and a statewide competi-tion March 6 and 7. You might be think-ing, who takes tests for fun? But it is so much more than that. This program offers scholar-ship opportunities and more. So be on the

By Ms. Christensen and Mr. Kaufman

Club Profile:

At this time of year there are basically two things that you can be sure will happen: Class and the RIF assembly. This year the assembly took place on Sept. 19 and it was one of the biggest yet. After all, who doesn’t like the fun skits that RIF puts on ev-ery year? Some people, though they find it fun, ask why the assembly takes place. What is its purpose other than to entertain the masses at Red Mountain? “The assembly is ba-sically an advertisement for what we do. We try to showcase everything that we do in this one single effort. Everything there is fun, and when it comes down it is about reading,” said senior Mariah Kohles one of the presidents of Club RIF. The assembly takes alot of hard work and preparation to put to-gether. “We began planning last August. The pro-cess begins with every student in RIF writing a skit and then we see if we can work them into something reading related,” said Kohles. “Everything that goes into the assembly is us. The choreography, costumes, stage crew, everything; it’s all us.”

Now we know why RIF holds the assembly and that they put close to a year of work into this single production, the next question is inevita-bly why should you join RIF; why should you a high school (insert grade level here) with (insert activity here) and (insert hard class here) do RIF? “I do RIF because you get to see just how big of an impact we have on the community,” said senior Jennifer Mor-rissette. “You see how grateful people are that we are helping them and how grateful we are that we get to have that op-portunity.” At this year’s as-sembly, like those of previous years, Red Mountain’s Club RIF was honored for being in the top 25 of over 20,000 RIF clubs around the nation. “Out of 20,000 RIF programs, we are ranked in the top 25,” said Morris-sette. Our Club RIF here at Red Moun-tain is the recipient of many other awards and honors as well, “We are one of the largest RIF’s in the en-tire organization and one of the only Club RIF’s to be recognized as a Point of Light by President George H.W. Bush in 1991. We have won a lot of school awards, like

Best Club, as well,” said Morrissette. So, does the assem-bly and the multiplicity of awards bring more people into Club RIF or is it all for naught? “After the assembly I have had people come up to me and say, ‘Oh my gosh, that was so awesome how can I get into that class?” said Morrissette. Junior Lorraine Longhi agrees, “Last year I wasn’t in RIF, and when I saw the assembly I wanted to join.” In fact, so many people want to be in RIF it has caused a bit of a problem. “Right now we have more people that want to be in RIF than we can fit in the class,” said Ms.

Heck. “With us doing this assembly I am sure that our numbers will only grow.” If you would like more information about RIF, see Ms. Heck in room 255.

RIF AssemblyExemplifying club leadership


look out for this year’s team. We are lucky to have each of them and hope to finally be able to beat Mountain View this year! Go Lions. This year our team consists of our three returning competitors: senior Amanda Melcher, senior Nick Cates, senior Christian Hoyt; our returning support team: senior Ethan Sheffield, senior Kelly Kennedy, senior Sarah Simsyk, se-nior Tenneille Choi, se-nior Will Emigh, senior Nate Paulson, and senior

Gerald Eddins; and those joining the team this year: senior Sean Mor-rissy, senior Dominic Mayr, senior Cody Price, junior Michael Przeslica, junior Kaci Jensen, and

junior Cory Hernandez. Please help support and cheer on this year’s team.

Academic Decathlon

PHOTO COURTESY OF RIFClub RIF members gathered together for a picture before their annual assembly.

Membership is made up of listeners and writers of music.PHOTO BY BAILEY HILL

8 October 2008Focus

With the intention of putting an end to the bullying and discrimina-tion of LBGT (lesbian, bisexual, gay, and trans-gendered) people not only in the community, but around the globe, in-cluding Red Mountain’s Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club, participated in Ally Week, a nation-wide event that ran from Oct. 13 to 17. “Ally Week was originally started by GLSEN,” said sopho-more Elizabeth Scott, an officer in GSA. “People participate in order to stop bullying against the LBGT community.” Red Mountain stu-dents were able to partic-ipate by signing the Ally Pledge, which is a way of making the statement that they will not bully

or harass those with different sexual orienta-tions. GSA members set up a booth at the top of the amphitheater and asked passersby to sign the Pledge, however, some chose not to. “Some people just ignored us and kept walking, others said no thanks, and we’ve had

a few people be rude,” said Scott. “We tried not to get too defensive about it. It would send


Ally Week

In previous years, the walls of the main build-ing have been trans-formed into a collage of neon-colored flyers striving for students’ attention. Among them, Mind’s Eye posters pose the question, “Are you in it?” but what most students probably end up thinking instead is “What is it?” Mind’s Eye isn’t just another club. In addi-tion to meeting every Tuesday after school in room 223, the editor-in-chief, senior Kayleen Lilly, and other club members put together the a yearly issue of “Mind’s Eye” composed of the artwork, poetry, short stories, and other

literary work of Red Mountain students. Mrs. Baack, the club sponsor, founded Mind’s Eye 20 years ago. “We decided that we needed a forum for students to share their artwork, their writing, and their poetry,” Ms. Baack said. “We decid-ed to create a magazine that would give them an opportunity for them to share their [work].” What’s even more intriguing is the story be-hind the name “Mind’s Eye.”

“We did a thesaurus hunt that first year, and we started looking for words that meant the same thing as imagina-tion,” said Ms. Baack. After searching for synonyms, they all agreed that the phrase “mind’s eye” fit per-fectly. This year, members started meeting and brainstorming new publicity tactics. At their meeting on Sept. 30, Lilly helped the club plan ideas for a commer-cial for RMTV. In the


Mind’s Eyepast, Mind’s Eye has had difficulty attracting and maintaining members. “I don’t think people felt as welcome as they probably should have, so it deterred a lot of people from the club,” Lilly said. “[As] editor this year, one of my big goals is to make sure everyone gets their voice heard, and everyone feels like they’re a part of this club.” Lilly and Ms. Baack have been busy reach-ing their goal, and it has definitely paid off.

Members this year are positive about their par-ticipation having found a club that best reflects their interests. “I get to do a lot of drawing and a lot of writing,” says sopho-more Davina Cooper. “It’s interesting for me. It’s a great way to express myself.” “Last year, my sister Kayleen was in Mind’s Eye, and she always seemed to have fun,” said Kayleen Lilly’s sis-ter, sophomore Anissa. “I always liked to draw and write, and it just seemed really fun to do.” This semester, Mind’s Eye focuses mainly on getting Red Mountain writers and artists to submit their work, while next semester will focus on reviewing and ap-proving submissions. To publish a finished “Mind’s Eye” book, student’s must sub-mit finished work by December 12 this year, so next semester the

club members can sift through all the submis-sions, edit if needed (with permission from the author), and vote to decide which submis-sions will be published. To accomplish this, members meet Tuesdays at 3 p.m. for somewhere between a half hour to an hour. Student’s looking to submit their work can ask any English teacher for an entry form. Com-pleted entry forms with attached work can be collected by any English teacher or dropped off directly to Ms. Baack in room 223. Kayleen Lilly is ex-cited about her position as Editor-in-Chief of “Mind’s Eye” this year, and encourages any stu-dent who has a passion for art or literature to get involved. “Don’t be afraid to submit your stuff,” Lilly said, “and don’t think it’s not going to be good enough.”

the wrong message for us to try to shove this down their throats.” This year, about 120 students signed the Ally Pledge, which is about the same as last year. GSA will be involved in a plethora of other activities toward spread-ing tolerance throughout the year.

“We will be par-ticipating in the Day of Silence in April. For Day of Silence, we give

Many people committed against bullying and signed the Ally Pledge, shown here.

PHOTO BY VALERIE NUNEZ

up our voices for a day,” said Scott. Day of Silence has a goal similar to that of Ally Week—to raise awareness towards bul-lying and spread toler-ance. A lesser-known activity for GSA will be “No Name-Calling Week” in January. The

Red Mountain Lions Fight Song

Let’s face it Red Mountain; spirit can really affect how we live our student lives here at school. In order to make this year the best it can, get involved with your school traditions! You can start by learning your school’s fight song.

Roar, Lions Roar; Stand up and show your Spirit to the school we love

We will fight for victory and everyone Raise our colors hear us shout and

cheer you on RED MOUNTAIN PRIDE,RED MOUNTAIN PRIDECalling her name forever

ROAR LIONS ROAROur spirit lives forever more!

PHOTO BY YEARBOOK

goal of No Name-Call-ing Week is to stop the derogatory use of words like “gay” and “fag.” “When people say things like, ‘That’s so gay,’ in a bad way, it really ruins the message we’re trying to send,” said Scott. In the works for GSA

is a protest for Proposi-tion 102, which states that if a same-sex couple was to wed in another state, their marriage would not be valid in Arizona. “We want to spread tolerance, not hatred,” said Scott.

Creative Writing with a purpose

Aiming to end bullying

A&E 9October 2008The Roar

With All Shook Up!Audiences can’t help falling in love



When a roustabout rebel stumbles upon a plain Midwestern town in which excitement is outlawed, things get “All Shook Up” in the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre’s latest show, which kicks off its eighth “electrifying” season. Set in the 1950s, All Shook Up stars Chad (J. Michael Zygo) and Natalie (April Monte) and features over 20 Elvis Presley songs. A somewhat callous heartthrob, Chad, instantly causes a stir of excitement among the townspeople and hilarity en-sues. In Act I, the dull life of townspeople is primarily spent in Sylvia’s (Chelsea Waller) Honky Tonk Bar until Chad rides in, but his motorcycle keeps making this “jiggly wiggly” sound.

Broadway Palm Din-ner Theatre is opening its eighth season with an unexpected mash of Elvis rock and Shakespeare plot. All Shook Up, based on the plot of “Twelfth Night,” is structured simi-larly to the popular ABBA tribute “Mama Mia!” All Shook Up follows Natalie, a mechanic in a podunk town stifled by an authoritarian mayor who prohibits public necking, dancing and above all rock-and-roll music. It’s the summer of 1955, and Chad, a character remi-niscent of Elvis, rolls into town on his motorcycle. He has just been released from jail and is determined to bring life to the town while his bike is being fixed. The women of the town all fall for this “roust-about” including Natalie; but Chad has his eye on someone else, Miss Sandra the attractive curator of the town’s museum.

The cast of All Shook Up! dances to one of Elvis’ tunes.

PHOTO BY BROADWAY PALM

Luckily, Natalie is an expert mechanic, who is more than happy to fix Chad’s bike. And trail him around town in hopes of winning his affection. A simple enough situation, right? Well, add in Natalie’s best friend Dennis, who is secretly and kind of pathetically in love with her, and there’s the setup for a confusingly come-dic scenario, not to mention the budding relationships of everyone else in town. When Chad deems Dennis (Ben Martin) as his sidekick, Natalie envies her friend, before realizing that the way to get close to Chad is to become one of the guys. Donning masculine clothing and faux facial hair, Natalie (er—Ed) is able to deceive her way to Chad’s heart, maybe a little closer that she intended. As everyone falls for everyone else in a tangled web of affection, it is up to Mayor Matilda Hyde (Regina Harbour) to put an end to the tomfoolery, despite that her very own son Dean (Erik Keiser) has joined the craze. Although musicals can sometimes tend to drag following the first act, All Shook Up stays strong throughout, thanks to a hilariously attention-grabbing plot. The audience just “Can’t Help Falling in Love” with this show. Tickets for All Shook Up, now playing at the Broad-way Palm Dinner Theatre on Higley and Brown, can be purchased at the box office or broadwaypalmwest.com for $45 to $54. Show only student rush tickets (for current high school and college students) are available 30 minutes prior to curtain for $10.

In the day that Chad is in town, love triangles and confusion ensue making for a very enjoyable show that will have you wanting to sing and dance along to songs such as “Jailhouse Rock,” “Hound Dog,” “Can’t Help Falling in Love” and of course “All Shook Up.” This adorable musical features Broadway Palm veterans, J. Michael Zygo as Chad and April Monte as Natalie. There are no Elvis impersonators, so even non-Elvis fans can enjoy this musical from the same writers as “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change”. Possibly due to opening night nerves, some of the dance routines were not as tight as they should have been. As the play progressed, so did the quality of the play. Most of the ensemble is new, and they have big shoes to fill to compare to those of previous seasons. New to the Broadway Palms stage is Chelsea Waller, an amazing performer who plays the role of Sylvia, the owner of a local pub. She steals the show with her amazing voice;

possibly the best seen on the Broadway Palm stage. Broadway Palm veteran April Monte also did a spectacular job. Proof that big things come in small packages, she carries the show amazingly. The writing is not by any means true to the times with issues that were very prominent such as integration and interracial relationships, but all in all it was a very light, enter-taining show, especially for those who could recall when the rock and roll culture was a part of their everyday life. All Shook Up is running until Nov. 15 at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.

PHOTO BY BROADWAY PALM

April Monte was a hit as Natalie.

A&E10 October 2008

Produced by the Ari-zona Theatre Company, “Enchanted April” is a ro-mantic comedy set in the 1920’s that brings together four unlikely women who are in desperate need of a holiday. Trapped in the gloomy English rain, fate brings them together to es-cape life for a month on the Mediterranean. When at her women’s club Lotty (Finnerty Steeves) notices an adver-tisement: “To those who appreciate wisteria and sun-shine. Small castle on the Mediterranean, Northern Italy, to be let for the month of April.” This ad begins a series of events that brings together two acquaintanc-es, an extroverted dreamer and a quiet and composed woman, both faced with empty, unsatisfying mar-riages. In order to make vacation more affordable, they locate two more very contrasting ladies to join them on their adventure, a high society socialite and an old, straight-laced wid-ow. Together they not only

go on a holiday but also go on an emotional journey discovering what they truly want in life. Adapted from a book by the same name by Elizabeth von Arnim, “En-chanted April” explores the new attitudes of women in the post-war world. Lotty and Rose (Kathryn Meisle) exert their independence, much to their husband’s frustration, and take time away from their men to re-evaluate their lives. Opening for the Ari-zona Theatre Company’s 2008-09 season, “En-chanted April” is outstand-ing to say the least. From the opening scene you are thrown into the lives of the women and find yourself c o n n e c t i n g with the char-acters. The actors do a stupendous job of embody-ing their roles and even the smaller char-acter such as Costanza (Lynn Soffer) were superbly cast and helped make the show as enjoyable as it was. Though the scenery is dark in the first act, the dreariness

ads to the beauty of Kent Dorsey’s elaborate and beautiful set of the second act. The costumes, the stag-ing and all of the technical elements fall into place to support the wonderful acting making for a really pleasurable experience. Director Timothy Near did his job perfectly. For those who enjoy a good laugh, and do not mind a naked bottom, “En-chanted April” is a great play and a great reson to spend an evening at the theatre. “Enchanted April” is running through October 26 at the Herberger Theatre in Phoenix.

When? What time?VenueMarquee Theatre

Performing Artist(s)All Time Loww/ Mayday Parade, The Maine, Every Avenue

October 28 6 p.m.

Rialto TheatreHinderw/ Trapt, Rev Theory October 29 6:30 p.m.

Marquee Theatre Kottonmouth Kingsw/ Hed pe, Sub Noize Souljaz with Big B and Dirtball, Short Dawg

October 30 6:30 p.m.

Martini Ranch Mickey Avalonw/ Beardo

November 1 6:30 p.m.

Marquee Theatre The Faintw/ The Show Is The Rainbow

November 1 7 p.m.

Martini Ranch Hawthorne Heightsw/ Emery, The Color Fred, Tickle Me Pink, The Mile After

November 3 7 p.m.

Marquee Theatre Cobra Starshipw/ Forever The Sickest Kids, Hit The Lights, Sing It Loud

November 4 6 p.m.

Marquee Theatre DragonForcew/ Turisas, Powerglove


Dodgee Theatre Jason Mraz November 16 6:30 p.m.

Marquee Theatre Underoathw/ Saosin, Devil Wears Prada, The Famine


How much?$16.50 presale, $17 @ door

$27 presale, $28.50 @ door

$26 presale,$30 @ door

$18 presale,$20 @ door$18 presale,$20 @ door

$23.50

$15 presale, $17 @ door

$20 presale, $23 @ door

$38

$22 presale,$23 @ door

Concert calendar

Enchanted April ATC’s season opener is a hit



Catapulting four diverse women from their dull England lives to a gorgeous vacation villa in Italy, The Enchanted April, produced by the Arizona Theatre Com-pany, is a charmingly humorous show. When Lotty and Rose respond to an advertisement (pronounced ad-vur-tis-muh nt), they cannot possibly anticipate the life-changing antics into which they’ll get themselves. This show, based on the 1922 book by Eliza-beth von Arnim and adapted for the stage by playwright Matthw Barber in 2003, is set in the post-World War I era and focus-es largely around women’s much-changed lives. Some were widows, others lost brothers, fathers, but all were affected. Desper-ately longing for an escape from her ordinary life with her attorney husband Mellersh (Matthew Floyd Miller) is primary pro-tagonist Charlotte “Lotty”

Wilton (Finnerty Steeves). It’s Lotty’s lack of timid-ity that drives her to talk to Rose Arnott (Kathryn Meisle) about renting an Italian castle for the month of April. The new friends then find two additional vacation mates, the formi-dable Mrs. Graves (Patrica Kilgariff) and Lady Caro-line Bramble (Monette Magrath). Act Two begins with Lotty and Rose’s arrival to

their gorgeous San Salva-tore castle. The beautiful colorful set of the latter half of the play was in drastic contrast with the dreary English scene of Act One, which assisted in showing the transformation of the four women. As Lotty, Rose, Lady Caro-line, and Mrs. Graves learn to abandon inhibition and grow as friends, they are met by numerous surprises, including Frederick Arnott

(Al Espinosa), a.k.a. Rose’s husband and writer under the pseudonym Florian Ayers, with whom Lady Caroline is enam-ored. Although the sudden appearance of Rose’s and Lotty’s husbands some-what detracts from the idea that the play centers around the four ladies’ budding friendship, this show was still heartwarm-ing.

The magic of En-chanted April is not the comedy; the idea that anyone can find happi-ness in such dark times is awe-inspiring. The Enchanted April gives audiences a chance to connect to characters as they find friendship and love. The Enchanted April is playing at the Her-berger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix until Oct. 26. Ticket

prices range from $26 to $59 and can be purchased at the box office. For more information, call the Her-berger at (602) 254-7399 or visit www.herbergerthe-ater.org.

“Enchanted April is a charmingly humorous show.”

PHOTO COURTESY OF ARIZONA THEATRE

Actresses perform under the amazing set.

11October 2008SportS

The Roar

Okay, what do Tiger Woods and our Red Mountain boys golf team have in common? Hint: It is just one word. Answer: wins. This season has been one of the best for RM golf and these guys are well on their way to a state title. “This season we are going great! We have finished at the top of every tourna-ment we have been in, and right now we are one of the top three teams in the state,” said Coach Ross. “This season we have nine kids on the team, and they are bring-ing their A game to each match.” So, how exactly does one train for a sport which seems to depend more on form than pure brute force? “Every morning I get up and run about a mile and a half,” said junior Bobby Rob-inson. “Then I do some general calisthen-ics, and a lot of stretching. For weight training, we mostly focus on free hand work, too much muscle in the chest can do more harm than good when it comes to golf so we try to keep balanced.” Though they have been doing amazing-ly well, ranked number two in the state, the golf team does have challenges like in any other sport. “Our biggest challenger this year is Hamilton,” said Robinson. “We don’t know exactly what is going on over there but they are pretty good.” Some challenges are at an individual level. “A big hurtle this year is having our guys play well,” said Coach Ross. “We have some younger guys that are really good; we just need to help them get used to the pressure of a tournament. It’s hard out there and when it comes down to the line you need to be at your very best.” With talk about both individuals and teams, how exactly is golf scored? After all, this is an individual sport being played at a team level. “In most cases a team plays five play-ers and the highest score is thrown out so the officials take the total of the four low-est score and from that number the lowest scoring team wins,” said Coach Ross. “I’m coaching a great group of kids,” said Coach Ross. “They love to play golf and they play all the time. If they play well then we have a good chance of win-ning a state championship this year.” For information on where the tourna-ments take place see the sports calendar on page 12 or visit http://www2.mpsaz.org/athletics/fall_sports/golfb/.

The Red Mountain badminton team won their third consecutive Region cham-pionship. This badminton team is the first Mesa school to ever have three Region championships three years in a row and the first Red Mountain team to make it to the state semi-final state championship. Senior Kayla Ensminger took first place in singles, and junior Emma Hansen and

By Jalissa FordStaff Writer


senior Karen Jordan took first in doubles. The team is currently 15-0 and ranked fourth in the state. “No other Mesa school has ever won three consecutive championships, said Red Mountain High School’s badminton coach, Dr. Gillen. “We just set a new dis-trict record. I feel pretty good about it.” The players agree that hard work this year has led them to this championship. “We work and practice really hard constantly. I’m proud of my team,” said senior Rebecca Rubin, a player on Red Mountain’s badminton team. “We’ve ac-complished a lot this year.” The badminton team has worked diligently at practices to keep up their place in the region and state. RMHS has the only undefeated team in the state, but

RM Badmintoncontinues to look for ways to improve the team and to meet expectations. “We have practices everyday, 2 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.,” said Coach Gillen. “I expect them to be the number one or two seated in the state tournament. The team will play as hard as they can and possibly come out with a win.” The badminton team depends on each player in order to win the games. “I’d be crazy if I didn’t name all six of my varsity players as key players. We are a team,” said Coach Gillen. “You score points for the team, and so without ev-eryone pulling together and winning, we can’t be the region champs and a team.” The badminton girls are practicing ev-ery day for three and half hours, compet-ing in every game to the fullest potential, and earning a reputation of being a powerful team. “I want people to appreciate how hard it is to be at the level we are at. Red Mountain is a three-year school, and when we compete against four-year schools, it is not leveled,” said Coach Gillen. “For a three-year school, we are ranked highest in state, so I wish they would appreciate how much work we put in.” The team’s goal is to defeat any competition that might stand in their way of being state champions by constantly practicing and being on top of their game. “I’m basically setting up drills to the highest level of any state team, so we are practicing everyday to be the best,” said Coach Gillen. Congratulations to each member of the girls badminton team for a job well done: Kayla Ensminger, Karen Jordan, Rebecca Rubin, Emma Hansen, Erika Rascon, and Ashelyrose Spearin. Excellent job girls!PHOTO BY PORTRAITS BY REG

This year, Red Mountain’s badminton team is having a superior season.

PHOTO BY PORTRAITS BY REG

This season, golf is teeing off for success.

Goes for greatness GolfA successful season

12 October 2008SportS

Varsity Football

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JV Football

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Boys Cross Country

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Red Mtn. ParkCave Creek

Girls Cross Country

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Red Mtn. ParkCave Creek

Boys Golf

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MaryvaleCave CreekAguilaMaryvale

Boys Swimming

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ChandlerChandlerASUASU

Girls Swimming

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ChandlerChandlerASUASU

Varsity Volleyball

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JV Volleyball

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Girls Golf

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This month in

It’s been affectionately known as one of the most selfish sports around, as players shout “MINE!” and dive for the ball. However, Red Mountain’s JV and varsity girls vol-leyball teams are far from self-centered. These girls practice daily, learning how to work with one another in order to improve themselves and the team. “We’ve changed for the better since last year,” said junior Madeline Cypert,

who played on the JV team her sophomore year and is now on varsity. “We have a lot more spirit and a lot more players, which helps us to be the best team we can be.” Both JV and varsity have been working on perfecting their games by focusing more. “We’re working on

focusing and staying on task, but we work hard,” said sophomore JV player Stephanie Kha. “That’s what’s great about our team.” Junior Kaitlyn Chartier, who plays on varsity this year and was on JV last year, believes that both volleyball teams are great, but could always improve. “It’s really fun and we’re all really close this year. It’s like another fam-


Lady Lions Volleyball

The boys over in the junior varsity football de-partment got a booster shot of confidence on October 8, beating the Desert Vista Thunder in a heartwarming match. The home game showcased JV's healthy balance of both offensive prowess and raw defensive power which allowed the

boys to unleash a wave of touchdowns on the Thunder. Within the first quarter both a touchdown and a two-point conversion combined with a safety gave the lions a 10-0 lead. Red Mountain also opened the second quarter with an-other touchdown and two-point conversion, bringing the score to 18-0. From there, the thunder put up a decent fight second quarter, scoring two touchdowns and startling the Lions into taking the game even more seriously than before. The Lions pushed the game into overdrive, scoring two touchdowns in the last half of the second quarter to bring the score to 32-12.

The Lions scored two touchdowns in the third quarter, bringing the final score to 53-26. Although Desert Vista's organized defense seemed to control the field at cer-tain moments, ultimately it was Red Mountain's spectacular offense and tenacious attention to the game that scored those points. Red Mountain also showed extreme skill in turning Desert Vista's holes into touchdowns, consis-tently finding slivers of open space to slip through another six points. Another interesting thing to note is the amount of talent our JV team pos-sesses this year. With 53

points being the most points scored in a single game this season as of October 8 2008, the boys have a lot to be proud of. Additionally, 3 out of the 7 touch-downs scored by Red Mountain were made by #28, Xavier Parsons. With the raw power our JV team has, hopefully they’ll perform beyond everyone’s expectations this year.


ily,” said Chartier. “But to improve, we can commu-nicate more when we’re on the court and come together more.” For Cypert, volleyball is much different from other sports. It requires teamwork and determina-tion. This year’s JV and varsity teams have been addressing the importance of focusing when they’re on the court. “Volleyball’s really a mental sport, more than a physical sport,” she said. “It’s a physical sport too, but you have to think a lot about it. You can’t let anything get in your way from focusing on it.” “I love my team,” said Kha. “When we’re focused and on task, we’re a great team.”

JV Football

PHOTO BY PHOTOS BY REGRed Mountain’s Lady Lions are trying to improve team focus this year.

PHOTO BY CLINTON COGSWELLIn preparation for their upcoming games, JV football does high knee exercises.

Improves teamwork sports

Takes the field

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