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Former East principal, John Youngquist, is running for the Denver Public School Board at-large this November 7th. Mr. Youngquist has dedicated his career to Denver Public Schools and is committed to bring, as he explains in an interview, a “culture shift” to the school board. Mr. Youngquist values integrity and in that, he will one, accomplish what he pledges to accomplish, and second, ask for his fellow board members and school community to hold him accountable. Mr. Youngquist states, “I will do what I say I will do”. After a drain of hope in last year’s school board, Mr. Youngquist strives to rebuild trust among the Denver Public Schools. Mr. Youngquist understands that the results of a decision or policy are unpredictable. However, he explains unpredictability is not an excuse to impede progress when, “our community needs us to support them”. He wants to hold the school board to a higher standard and foster responsible leadership that gives people confidence in their representatives. Mr. Youngquist states that there must be an expectation to “change things that need to be changed”. Mr. Youngquist believes that trust derives from transparency, especially when it comes to allocations. Mr. Youngquist explains that the Denver Public School Board is budgeted 1.3 billion dollars a year. Various schools have shut down throughout the years due to a lack of resources. And yet, parents are in the dark when it comes to how much money is left in their district, or simply where the money is going. Mr. Youngquist believes that the Denver community should be able to ask questions and receive an honest response from the school board. In terms of policy, Mr. Youngquist was one among 17 other Denver public school principals who made a request three years ago to keep School Resource Officers in the buildings because the school board “had not developed another plan for what they would do instead.” Mr. Youngquest explains, “I am sort of pro school resources officer along with the context that we are supportive of all the needs students have and beyond.” Mr. Youngquist strives to create a baseline of support that sets students up for success and helps them in times of need. As for youth violence in Denver Public Schools, Mr. Youngquist explains that to have really strong restorative justice programs is to get, “a lot more support earlier in their experience” and to have, “consequences of behavior”. He believes students should have the opportunity to “restore commitment and trust with the school, but there is a balance.” In creating this balance, he seeks to bring more teacher, counselor and administrator employment that will bring easier accessibility to student support. Muddled in last year’s derangement, the school board needed a mediator to keep peace in official meetings. When asked how Mr. Youngquist would handle conflict, he explained that he would find compromise no matter the animosity surrounding a decision. He explains that his biggest priority is to “every single day, focus on learning.” Youngquist affirms that personal disputes are beside the point when your job is to serve a community you have committed yourself to support. Mr. Youngquist pledges to respect his fellow board members for who they are as a person, and to respect the opinions they bring to the table. When asked about lawsuits that may arise against numerous school board members in the next year or so, Mr. Youngquist understands that this may cause distraction. He explains, “Whenever you have really hard times, it's like an earthquake, there is one big shake followed by several tremors.” Mr. Youngquist acknowledges that there will be tremors, but “you cannot let them shift you away from your effort.” With this, Mr. Younquist strongly believes that outside complications should be separate from the board and its focus on education. Mr. Youngquist vouched that as a school board member, he will have, “Challenging conversations”. He explains, “We will not get better without challenging conversations.” Mr. Youngquist strives to bring the change and accountability Denver East has been looking for.

My favorite thing about this school year is definitely Con law. When I first signed up for the class, I was intimidated by the summer homework and the initial workload of biweekly essays and reading guides. I even considered dropping the class for fear that I couldn't handle it but when we started to work with our panels toward the actual competition all of my doubts went away. Throughout the year we worked in a group of five with our coach Justice Melissa Hart and our teacher Ms. Hostetter to study the Constitution, case law, and government functions. We prepared statements and evidence for our state and national competitions that consisted of mock hearings. We met as a panel 2 times a week and rehearsed after school and on Sundays. While it seems like a big time commitment, all of our meetings were fun and interesting so I didn't even think of it as a task to do. Conlaw for me means way more than a trophy or a resume builder, it has truly enhanced my knowledge of the US government that I didn’t know I was lacking. Throughout my time at East, I have often been confronted with wanting to make policy changes after something unfortunate happened. While speeches are a powerful part of making change, knowledge of how federal and state policy works as well as the processes for legislation changes are social justice skills I would never have known without con law. It’s genuinely not a boring history class but something competitive and fun that teaches useful information for the future. Not only is the content and public speaking good for everyday life, but the people within the program are some of the kindest and most intelligent students I’ve ever met. I interviewed my panel members from this year to hear what they thought about con law. When asked why he joined the class despite the workload, Junior Reid McCarty said that he, “stuck with it because I find it fascinating and I wanted to go hang out with my friends in DC.” Additionally, another of my panel members Merle Hezel said that, “I would recommend the class to others because you get to learn a lot and have fun, also the stuff I learned is important to the world ya know.” One thing about con law that I found intimidating and I’m sure other students as well, is the exclusivity of con law. So I asked students what they thought about it. Merle Hezel said that “it’s not actually exclusive in terms of who joins the class but it is exclusive in the sense that people who don’t want to work don’t join or stay in the class.” I would agree with this as I think the exclusivity in terms of who is willing to join the class and take on the workload is a good thing. He also commented that “everybody has to keep up the work equally but the goal should be to include as many people as possible”. Another of my panel mates Lila Brimah also agreed with this saying, “Because not everyone can handle the class, not everyone should take it, it should be small.” Reid also said, “I think that it is good, everyone should have the opportunity to apply but I think people should self-select based on how much work they're willing to do.” Overall con law is a great program that I feel is truly not exclusive in a negative way, so I encourage anyone who has an interest in government, law, or social justice to take the class and stick with it.

As the 2022-2023 school year draws to an end, we wave goodbye to Sammy and Hadley, our graduating head angels, and look to the future. Student Council elections took place on April 27th Head Angel positions were announced the following day. As the loudspeaker crackled to life, Noah Vong, Junior Vice President, was glued to his seat. When his name was announced, he stated, “All the emotions were released, relieved, happy, confused.” His fellow head Lily Bujanda, Junior President, explained that “her heart dropped.” She adds that she has wanted this opportunity for so long and that when she heard the loudspeaker, it was truly liberating. Before we get into their plans for next year, let's meet our Head Angels. Noah Vong is the leader of APSA and has been a vital part of the Student Council since freshman year. He is known for his wide assortment of bucket hats and his love for green. Lily Bujanda is a Poms dancer and part of LSU. Both love the East community and can not wait to give the East Community, specifically the class of 2024, a fantastic upcoming year. What are the plans for next year? As our new Head Angels Lily and Noah have many plans for the upcoming 2023-2024 school year. Lilly Bujanda explains she wants to “turn the year around after a hard year we have had, as well as go all out for pep rallies and dances.” As a dedicated part of the student council for the past three years, she has watched the last Head Angels' successes and failures and believes she can follow in their footsteps to make a difference within the school. She says that “Sammy and Hadley really inspired me going into next year.” Noah's goals include “Making the 2024 school year good and improving safety at East.” Noah is an approachable person who is edited to work hard and represent East High School. The future heads plan to make Pep rallies and dances exciting for East Students. How are you going to increase morale at East after the difficult year we have had? After this school year, many in our East Community fear they are no longer safe within the East building. When asked about addressing safety concerns within our school, Vong said, “Tragedy has brought us closer together; it will build our spirit and unity.” Noah plans to build a connection with the SROS and stay in touch with the school board. He believes that as a school, we will recover and show why East truly is the best high school in Denver. Lily Bujanda wants to “rebuild the foundation that East stands for '' she believes the first step is keeping the safety policy “consistent” Bujanda spoke on how pep rallies and school dances will rebuild the morale in East High School. Are you excited to work with your fellow Head Angel? Both of the head angles are ecstatic to work with one another. Lily says, "Noah and I have wanted to be heads ever since being elected next year.” Noah adds that “Lily and I are really close. She is president, and I'm vice president, and we are strong leaders, and we both really care about the community.'' Each is thrilled that they get to work together as representatives of the East community. I personally am excited to see what they do next year and what change they will bring to East High School. What is your favorite song? It is no surprise that our head angels have an excellent musical taste. Lily Bujanda says her favorite song is “Hasta Cuando” by Kali Uchis, whereas Noah's tastes steer more to the music of “ I thought you want to dance” by Tyler the Creator. Talk to them at any time if you want to exchange songs! Our new Head Angles are excited for next year and cannot wait to support the student body and make changes at East. Lily Bujanda says, “We are that angel nation, and next year is going to be amazing for all of us!”

Many students at East High School are familiar with Advanced Placement classes. At East, eighty-two percent of the student population has taken at least one of the AP classes. The driving point for most high schoolers who sign up for the class is that it will make them “college ready.” Students prepare all year for a difficult exam that corresponds with their class. Due to the diligent studying students complete before the AP test, one would imagine that the test would commence without a hitch. This year it was far from true. Two AP exams were interrupted by fire alarms which led the tests to be canceled, and the students were forced to take the test the following week. Fire alarms are a sad reality at East. We seem to hear the alarm go off every week, mostly due to vaping in the bathrooms which sets off the smoke alarm. However, now the problem has gone too far. Not only disrupting AP Seminar but AP World. It raises the question, does the administration at East high school no longer have control over the student body? Ally Carrier, a junior at East, says, “East Administration has to get a grip over the kids vaping in the bathrooms.” She and the East community are frustrated with the constant fire alarms disrupting class and even our AP exams. Ashlyne Barringer, a junior at East who plans to take five AP classes next year, asks, “I wonder if this is going to continue to be a problem next year.” Not every student is blaming the East Administration. Reid McCarty, a student who experienced the disruption of the AP Seminar class first hand explains that the fault lies with College Board. College Board switched most of their AP classes to digital exams using the Bluebook app in 2022-2023. McCarty narrates his experience saying at the beginning, there were problems with the exam as the Bluebook app would not work for some of the students. He even said that they “probably would have finished the exam before the fire alarm went off if setting up the test had not taken as long.” He then explains that halfway through the test, the alarm went off. Since the disruption was over ten minutes long, the protractors had to call College Board and the exam was canceled. McCarty voiced his frustration over the fire alarm but disagreed with the statement that the fault lies with East. He believes it was an “unfortunate situation, and fire alarms just happen.” Mrs. Rich, a teacher of AP U.S history and AP Seminar, agrees that fire alarms are “frustrating, but an everyday occurrence.” McCarty and Mrs. Rich believe that the solution must come from College Board. Rich states, “The College Board needs something in the digital system that allows us to pause the test.” She argues that the College Board needs to be aware that fire alarms will inevitably go off in a high school, and they need something in their system to deal with it. What are our future steps? If fire alarms continue to be a problem in AP testing, how can we remedy the situation? One option is going back to paper testing. While an annoyance and causes significantly more hand cramping, paper tests are easier to work with and do not have the unfortunate track record of digital exams. The other option is that we hope the College Board alters Bluebook the following year, making the system run smoother and allowing the proctor to pause the exam.

On Thursday morning, the day after hearing the news of classmate Luis Garcia’s passing, hundreds of east students gathered in silence around a memorial made of flowers in front of the building on the ‘E’. They stood for almost an hour in silence, and then the following morning, those same students made sure that they were heard loud and clear as they made their way down to the capitol. On Friday the 3rd, a student lead walkout meant to advocate for legislation against gun violence, began bright and early here in front of East’s campus and ended 2 miles west on the steps of the capitol. The event began with speakers, which consisted of fellow classmates, administration, and words from Luis’s teammates on the boy’s soccer team. Not long after the speeches ended, the crowd started to make their way down 16th on foot, with picket signs in hand. News coverage showed a sea of red as hundreds of students, teachers, parents, and other community members marched closer to their destination. Once finally at the capital, even more students were given the opportunity to grab the mic and shed light on the heartbreak they’ve felt over recent events. Some students were even able to make it inside the building and sit in on conversations about the issue at hand. With emotion and power, students spoke up on the injustice students and teachers alike continue to face every day in our schools, and how the time has come for change.

East High school is a community filled with pride. Our clocktower is clear evidence of East tradition. As you walk around the small room black and white pictures stare at you, sweaters hang collecting dust on a coat hanger and footballs sit on tables covered with names. As you sit in that dark room with a yellowed yearbook sitting before you, curiosity may take over and cause you to ask, what happened to the cute football player, or the girl dissecting a frog. Sometimes East students forget about the thousands of people who have stepped through the hallways of this historical building. We are one of many. We have all walked past the iconic East Hall of Fame and wondered will we someday be on that wall. Khadija Haynes is an East graduate of 1976, she is a proud East Angel who never gives up the chance to brag about where she graduated. She went to undergraduate at Colorado Women's College for Arts. She is co-founder of Colorado Black Arts Movement (CBAM) and served as the Chief of Staff for the majority senate leader; she also served on many boards including the Scientific and Cultural Facilities District Board, Denver Parks and Recreation Advisory Board; and Colorado Black Women for Political Action. She informed me that during her time at East she participated in theater and speech and debate both of which rival schools feared. And was head girl of her grade leading multiple traditions and planning senior prom. When asked what she loves about East she responded saying, “East is great because of the different students, there is a ton of diversity.” A statement that holds true today, there are so many different students within the building all of which contribute to the success of the school. Ryann Short, an East Graduate of 1993 ( best known for being head coach for the girls soccer team) added on to Haynes, explaining that East offers so much, “there is something for everybody they can find a club or group of students or class that meets their interests.” Every person in the East has the ability to find something or someone that they can connect with. This being one of the benefits of having such a diverse school with over 60 clubs, 29 sport teams, and 2,555 students. Short was an avid member of student council, soccer, basketball, lacrosse, and con law (in which they went to nationals taking second place) -he must have had a difficult high school experience- yet, he says that each pushed him to success later in life. East is a community where each student plays an important part which creates a vibrant culture. That is expressed through countless East traditions including painting the parking spots, senior sunrise and-of course- signing the E. Each alumni had a personal favorite, Haynes, while laughing told me about the walkout day where they ate on the South lawn and the homecoming floats where each grade competed against one another. Both traditions are no longer seen in the East, should we bring them back? Short had different favorites, including pep rallies, and painting the pump house for senior prank. Each of these traditions was an exciting moment in each of their high school experiences. Traditions are what make the school even more special, each expanding East spirit. Each student has a different favorite tradition and will look back at it after they leave high school. The allmini stated that if they could go back and speak with their high school self they would offer this advice, and they recommended that East students now follow it. e. Haynes offered up two pieces of advice first, “hang out with different people, I have learned so much from different people.” and second “Don’t be so sure where you are going that you miss opportunities.” Short’s answer “Keep in contact with people and hold onto your relationships in the East and strengthen them even after you leave.” All good advice for juniors and seniors who are ready to take the first step into the real world. Both alumni though from different time periods and with different perspectives love East. After high school they created magnificent lives and hopefully it calms the nerves of the upperclassmen as they realize that they will accomplish their dreams, and maybe one day wind up in the East Hall of Fame and their yearbook stored up in the clocktower for future students to examine.

We were sitting, anxious, preparing for the daunting 60 shot standing regional competition that was about to fill up over an hour of our lives. In the most expensive range set up I had ever seen, high tech equipment and range gear. Trying desperately to focus but not stress, slow our heart rate but not feel tired, stretch but not to move too much. Amidst this is when I looked up to see a large N.R.A. promotion sign. The N.R.A. or National Rifle Association is one of the largest gun lobbying groups in the U.S. with over 5 million members. They are known for their motto of ‘the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun’. The N.R.A. is against common sense gun laws that the majority of Americans support. In fact, 72% of N.R.A. members support expanded background checks. The list of N.R.A. controversies are long, such as wanting to pull out of the Arms Trade Treaty which regulates the export of weapons to countries where they could be used to infringe on human rights. The N.R.A. has actively fought laws that would prevent the exportation of illegal arms to Mexico, when 70% of guns in Mexico can be traced back to the United States. The N.R.A. complains about immigration, however they are still fueling the violence that forces people to flee. The N.R.A. has been donating money and equipment to JROTC programs for their air rifle teams. Many school’s JROTC programs have a marksmanship team where they compete with air rifles, shooting at targets in three positions: standing, kneeling, and prone. It focuses on accuracy, alertness, focus, and breath control. Rifle teams do not promote guns or the deregulation of them, so why was it ever acceptable for these teams to willingly take support from a partisan and polarizing organization? How has this organization been given a platform to influence American youth through their school? N.R.A. donations to JROTC programs can be in the form of money or equipment such as off-hand stands (used to rest the rifle and hold pellets), scopes, updated shooting ranges, and other gear. These donations are generally in the form of equipment. The Coloradan explains that “Nationally, about $1.3 million was provided as cash, while $6 million was provided through equipment, training and other costs.” According to the Associated Press, more than $7 million in grants have been given to hundreds of U.S. schools in recent years from the N.R.A. In Florida, after a gunman killed 17 people on February 14, 2018. Florida’s Broward County school district stopped allowing programs to receive N.R.A. funding as the gunman was on the school's rifle team which had been given funds from the N.R.A. Soon after, Denver followed by banning N.R.A. grants as well. However, officials in other districts of Colorado don’t plan to do the same. In Indiana Donna Corbett, a Democrat on the school board, explained how she had not heard about $65,000 that went to a JROTC program at one of the high schools. Corbett explains her conflicting feelings saying “I am not a big N.R.A. fan, but I also realize that ROTC is a good program,”. She said “I’m not sure I would be willing to pull it to the detriment of the kids and their programs.” As someone in East’s rifle team, I was appalled to learn that other schools had been given N.R.A. grants. Before even learning this was fairly commonplace, I was at a competition in Colorado Springs when I glanced up to see a massive poster with the N.R.A. name and logo. Shameless promotion of an organization I despised, was now being promoted in an activity I participate in. Being a school activity, I was surprised by this, enough to even take a photo of the poster. At East’s program we learn discipline, breath control, and extreme caution whenever handling a rifle, even when the ones we use only shoot pellets using compressed air. I don't think I could continue to be in something if it was being supported by such a destructive organization. Thankfully, Denver could not have this either. “Denver JROTC programs did accept N.R.A. grants that provided equipment utilized in conducting air rifle marksmanship training in previous years,” DPS spokeswoman Alex Renteria explains in an email. George Washington had already received a total of over $11,000 in N.R.A. grants and Thomas Jefferson has been given $5,400 since 2013. Organizations spreading hate and dangerous thinking should not be allowed in our schools, JROTC or not.

February: think about that month for a bit, let it settle in. It’s the worst month in existence! Coming in the new year with a “new year new me” mentality, then being bombarded with the worst holiday known to man…Valentine's Day. American capitalism profits off small-minded Americans making them think this day is more special than any other day to be the best person to your significant other. Now that I sound like a pessimist, I will express the logical part of hating Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day didn’t even originate from being a cute day about romance. It started with a man's decapitation. Many believe that Saint Valentine was a Roman priest that performed secret wedding ceremonies that were against the law. That law prohibited young men from getting married because unmarried men made “better soldiers”. So I guess in a sense Saint Valentine was a hopeless romantic and got killed because of it but that doesn’t excuse how Valentine’s Day is a stupid holiday. Valentine’s Day used to be sweet and lovely when we were children; it was like a pre-Halloween without walking around in the cold dressed up like zombies. Getting candy from friends and innocent crushes was the dream. But now it’s like an unbeatable contest that everyone is losing at. And maybe it’s always been that way: we were just too young to realize it! Valentine’s is a make or break for most couples. The commercial holiday already has its downsides with the cheap chocolate and flowers combo, but what makes it truly unbearable is social media and the pressure from others to be the best. The craving to post your relationship for everyone to see is one thing, but the thousands of Snapchat and Instagram stories showing off “how much your partner means to you” is another add to the materialistic world we live in. Valentine’s Day makes everything so surface level. If someone didn’t get the most expensive thing then their relationship isn’t valuable enough. And if you don’t post your relationship then people will think you’ve broken up or you guys don’t really care about one another. Valentine’s Day is a double edged sword. V-Day isn’t good for couples or the environment. On average every Valentine’s Day “more than 250 million roses are produced for Valentine’s, emitting approximately 360,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.” (vox.com) Also “in the weeks leading up to Valentine’s Day, gold jewelry sales generate 34 million tons of waste.” (buzzfeed) Buying expensive gifts isn’t going to help your boring relationships, it’s only going to destroy the planet more. The anti-singles holiday makes everyone feel worse about themselves. Not only does the gift giving holiday and new year kiss make singles feel even more out of the loop with the rest of their coupled up friends, they also have to endure this fake holiday. Singles already feel worthless but a holiday strictly about love is their own personal hell. Valentine’s Day sucks for everyone; couples, singles, the planet, even the guy it was named after. So stop celebrating this fake holiday and leave it to the cheesy Hallmark movies.

We put out a poll on our Instagram asking East students about their favorite ski/snowboarding resorts in Colorado. The following are the most popular. #1 Winter park It is no surprise that Winter park is students' favorite resort since it is so close to Denver—just 67.5 miles from East. Winter Park is fairly large, covering 3,081 acres of skiable terrain. The peak is located 11,220 feet from sea level, over twice as high as Denver. The mountain can be divided into seven different regions, including the notorious Mary Jane. There is something for everyone at Winter Park, making it attractive for all levels of skiers. For instance, the resort has a unique region called The Cirque, which is extreme backcountry terrain that is still within the patrolled area. Yet, the main and most popular region is full of flat, groomed terrain. It also is scattered with a staggering 7 terrain parks, each varying in size and type of features. Winter Park receives over 344.6 inches of snow annually, making powder days quite frequent. The resort mentions recently being “voted as North America’s #1 ski resort by USA Today readers” on the website and claims to be “Colorado’s longest continually run ski resort.” Winter park is quite close to Denver considering its somewhat large size and has very attractive features for all leaves of both skiers and boarders. #2 Copper Just past Winter Park is Copper mountain, 80 miles away from East. Copper is notorious for the other activities located on the mountain, including tubing, zip lining, snowshoeing, ice skating, and the mountain even has a roller coaster. The resort is far from small with 2,500 acres of skiing terrain and has quite a high elevation—12,313 feet at its peak. Similar to winter park, Copper has a wide variety of terrain and can be enjoyed by all levels of skiers. More advanced skiers can enjoy the rare experience of cat skiing, skiers are taken up Tucker mountain via snowcat, with no extra fees. #3 Vail Vail mountain is a bit farther away but still relatively close to Denver: 100 miles from East. Vail is a huge resort, the fourth largest in North America, at a whopping 5,317 acres and 31 lifts. The resort claims over 354 inches of snowfall every year. However, Vail is stereotypically very crowded and you might find yourself spending more time in lift lines than skiing. At times it is only the main lifts that are crowded, but the back bowls can get backed up to. During the pandemic, videos circulated the internet of lift lines stretching hundreds of yards up the run in the back bowls. Additionally, both the food and the lift tickets are exceptionally expensive. While few would recommend doing a day trip to vail on a Saturday, it can be a great place to ski on weekdays where there are fewer people; the absurd amount of terrain and variety in the type of runs make it impossible to get bored. # 4 Crested Butte Crested Butte is no day trip from Denver: the resort is 230 miles away from East. The resort is smaller compared to the others on the list with only 1,537 acres of skiable terrain. Yet due to the long drive, lift lines are minimal compared to resorts closer to Denver. However, Crested butte might not be the best place for all skiers. More than one-third of the runs are double black diamonds, and the resort only has 17 greens. The mountain is known for its challenging terrain and beautiful landscape. #5 Aspen Snowmass Aspen Snowmass is one resort, encompassing four different mountains: Aspen Mountain, Snowmass, Buttermilk, and Highlands. Snowmass is a more traditional ski mountain with 3,332 acres and a variety of terrain. Buttermilk is a simple, smaller mountain with lots of beginner terrain, and only 470 acres of terrain. Buttermilk also hosts the X-Games every year. Aspen Mountain and Highlands are much more difficult mountains. Aspen Mountain has zero green runs— not a single beginner trail in all 673 acres. Highlands is notorious for its exceptionally steep terrain, including the famous Highlands bowl.

Many teenagers and young adults are terrified of getting flu shots and bleeding from their paper cuts, but when it comes to witnessing a serial killer melt the bones of victims in acid, teenagers are seemingly fine. Nausea and gag reflex apparently dissipate the moment Netflix opens, and the ruggedly handsome Evan Peters appears as Dahmer — a less handsome cannibal. Who would've thought that a docu-series detailing the horrific killings of 17 people would be so binge-worthy? Well, Netflix sure did: a total of 701.37 million hours of Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story have been streamed since its release on September 21st. The sick lives of psychos are oddly fascinating and surprisingly relatable. For those who aren’t privy to the world of serial killers, Jeffrey Dahmer is widely regarded as an individual who committed horrific, unthinkable crimes. Born in 1960, Dahmer was brought into a household run by two neglectful parents; his mother suffered from depression and attempted suicide multiple times, while his father was largely absent as a response. The ten-episode series walks the audience through his disheartening childhood as Dahmer learns that loved ones aren’t always reliable. His main reason for killing and consuming his victims? He was frightened that they would leave him just as his parents had. Over the course of high school, Dahmer was diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, schizotypal personality disorder, and psychotic disorder. He exhibited intense interest in nothing but taxidermy, dead animals, and other queer boys. He was also characterized as an outcast who often enjoyed chugging a bottle of scotch and other alcohol in his morning history class. Not to scare anyone, but if a classmate starts showing pictures of murdered dogs (with a scent of Budweiser on his breath), please contact an East faculty member. Now, one might inquire as to why it is acceptable to compare Dahmer to any other living (or dead) individual. Any true crime enthusiast knows that all criminals have a motive for their crimes, no matter the scale. The docu-series seems to re-humanize Dahmer as not only a neglected boy but a man who carried generational trauma and fear of loss. Despite being aware of the heartbreak Dahmer put dozens of families through, viewers have responded with a resounding sigh. A cannibalistic serial killer is not the ideal candidate to receive loads of sympathy, although Dahmer is stirring up just that. Now, why would a high schooler care about Dahmer's impacts on the average Joe? What are those impacts? What are some lessons to be learned? First off, sympathy is not as simple as one might assume — it can be found in the depths of hate. Next time there is juicy gossip circling, maybe take a step back and re-examine all perspectives. However, don’t forget that crimes like murder (hopefully not an issue at East) are never justified. Second, if worries about a loved one leaving appear, remember that murder will not keep them close. Show your appreciation and dedication to their presence without “pulling a Dahmer.” And third, please don’t eat others.

CU Boulder Football has a history of excellence, talent, and winning. 716-520 is a phenomenal overall record from the past 130 years they have played football at the school. With that being headlined by their national championship win in 1990. Since 2000 they have had six years of a winning record which is horrible. 13 million dollars of revenue and reaching over 5.6 million fans each year would make you think the Football team would be good. We can't say they are good though CU is ranked the third-worst football team in the entire FBS, according to Ralphie Report.Com. Buffzone.com states the Buffs have been outscored 87-229, averaging 14.5 points and less than 300 yards per game. At the same time, opponents average 38.17 points and almost 500 yards per game on them. CU Boulders leading passer this year is true freshman Owen McCowen with 600 passing yards, two touchdown passes, two interceptions, and a Qbr of 110. Owen has shown great potential and poise for a true freshman quarterback, but potential doesn't translate to wins for the buffs. With limited arm strength and overall not a tremendous amount of confidence in him from the coaching staff, they haven't been able to rely on him. That didn't help when they just fired their head coach Karl Dorell and bought him out for 8.7 million dollars having the assistant coach Mike Sanford Jr. come in as interim head coach. One problem the Buffs have been having is recruitment. They are ranked 53 in this year's 2022 recruiting class, which has been a recurring theme. CU\ is bringing in zero five or four-star recruits which isn't an issue for some schools, but it is for the buffs. This is because they don't have the staff to mold these players into the stars they can be. Schools like Tulane, Illinois, and others are ranked top 25 without having any notable recruits. What's the problem, then? We can chalk that up to coaching in the Karl Dorell era; the school went 8-15 while overhauling the entire Buffs coaching staff because they were so bad. It's really pathetic to look at what CU has and the fans who show out every game but they just can't put it together. They did end up getting a courageous win over Cal with fans storming the field after the first victory over the season. Rick George a CU Buff student and fan has this to say about the start of the season. ¨We have not come close to meeting expectations for this season and it's very disappointing to watch them play¨. As Rick stated it's hard to watch the buffs because we just want them to be good. The Buffs have no potential for the rest of this year. They need to get their minds right for next season and try to improve. Luckily with a new coaching staff coming in and some new recruits next year, there is only up from here for the CU Buffs.

In 1942, 400 East High School students were drafted to fight in World War II. Out of those who left, only 100 made it back. “These boys wanted to go to war, they wanted to stand up for their country,” said Dick Nelson, the author of Flights of Angels. In January 1942, American soldiers were sent to Europe to fight Germany, Italy, and Japan. At that time, Germany was invading many European countries as well as imprisoning and murdering Jewish in concentration camps. By 1945, 400,000 Americans had died in the war, 300 of those being students that came from East. Students today face many problems, but nothing compared to losing 300 friends so unexpectedly. Once the East students heard about the war many were eager to fight for their country. If a person was 17 or 18 years old and male, they were drafted. While half of these students were glad to go, others went against their will. East students left behind their friends, teachers, and homes when they became soldiers. It wasn’t only students who went to war at that time, but teachers too. In 1942, sixteen teachers served in the nation's armed forces. The yearbook of 1942 quotes, “To these teachers go all the best wishes from the faculty and the student body.” During the war, the highschool held many patriotic assemblies and events. These events were appreciated because the war encouraged a strong patriotism among the majority of students. In our divided time, not everyone shares that kind of enthusiasm for our government, though we might all be patriotic in our own way. This is another one of the many differences between East High School now and East in the early 1940s. During the war, there were shortages of many items, including resources that East students relied upon. “Families who lived on farms had it easier than the East families who lived in the city,” Nelson says. Farm families had all their food right in front of them whereas city families had to buy everything from the store, which was often low on food and goods. Nelson remembers having to make his butter by hand. In addition, paper was scarce, which made it impossible to print an East yearbook in 1943. Students that were not eligible to go or who were not selected, including all of the girls, were left behind having to live an everyday life when they had no idea if their friends, siblings, or teachers had died that day. This was hard for the left-behind students, so they decided to find ways that they could help. One way girls helped was by volunteering in hospitals, which was called candy striping. So many doctors and nurses were needed in the war to help soldiers, so hospitals were short-staffed. Another way the students helped was by knitting socks for the soldiers in class. As the 1942 yearbook states, “Mrs. Anderson’s office was besieged by almost hysterical girls who wanted to start a motor corps, do red cross work- anything.” The school allowed the students to start many new clubs such as red cross club, knitting, and fundraising. They ended up knitting many socks and clothes for soldiers and raising at least $45,000 for soldiers and soldiers' families. The patriotic assemblies that the school held were called “Salute to America” and included presentations of the pledge of allegiance and the Gettysburg address. As the writers of the East 1942 yearbook wrote, “And inside each of us is something new, a new feeling of esprit de corps, a new sense of having a place, of being needed.”