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The East Men's Basketball Team has faced adversity to start their season, going 9-9 in 18 games and 4-4 in the Denver district play. The team, coached by legend Rudy Carey, has some work to do to secure a playoff spot by the end of February. They have impressive wins against Mullen, Regis Jesuit, and Vista Peak, and recently a huge win against George Washington, the #8-ranked team in the state. With help from school spirit and talented players in Dayesun Collier and Noah Adkins, the team may finish the season strong into the 2026 CHSAA playoffs.  The 2025-2026 East Men’s basketball team is like none other because of its youth. More than half of the roster are underclassmen, with the top three scorers all being sophomores. Guard Noah Adkins is the leading scorer, averaging 22.4 points per game, 3.6 rebounds, 6.6 assists, and is truly a talented player. His athleticism and shiftiness help him find easy ways to get to the basket, making him one of the most dominant players in the state. Some impressive performances are 31 points in a win vs George Washington (1/30) and 37 points in a loss against George Washington (1/13). His right-hand man, sophomore guard Dayesun Collier, is another  star on the team, averaging 20.2 points per game and 3.7 assists. He is a true shooter, taking shots from anywhere on the floor and leading the team in three-pointers. Collier has been clutch with a game-winner over Regis Jesuit 96-93 (OT) and recently made 6 three-pointers in their win vs George Washington. In an interview with Dayseun Collier, he commented on where he gets his confidence from.“My dad texts me a lot and reminds me that I can score because he's seeing it, and I've seen it myself.” Other star players are Lincoln Lemieux, averaging 13.6 ppg; Kanen Marshall, scoring 8.4 ppg; and Niji Alexander, with 8.1 ppg, all key players on this talented, young roster. (Photo from @dayesuncollier instagram in East’s win vs George Washington) The season has not been easy for the team, with a .500 record, but each time the team has lost, they have found ways to improve and bounce back. They went through two devastating losses against South (85-74) and Rangeview (82-66), but found a way to improve with dominant wins over Northfield (88-59) and George Washington (82-74). With their final two games against Rangeview and Northfield coming up, the team needs to rally to make the playoffs. Senior forward Jameson Archer thinks the team may be underrated if they sneak into the playoffs, stating, “We're going to be a dark horse because of our youth, 'cause teams are looking past us.” Dayesun Collier believes that the team needs to be better defensively to get there, saying, “If we can stop teams and hold them to 60 points, we can win.” With another tough schedule in the East’s last two games, we’ll see if they can make that last push to get into the playoffs. But the team needs help from our school spirit. There have been good showings in the home game vs Regis Jesuit and away vs South, but they could use help in these closing games. The last home game is coming up: North Field on Friday, February 13th, at 5:30pm, where the team hopes to see a supportive home crowd. The future is bright for Denver East Men’s basketball with a talented young roster. The team may make some noise in this year’s playoffs, but in the upcoming years, it will definitely be a strong contender for the state championship.

Valentine’s day is coming up and love is in the air. Love has varied intensely since the caveman era. It used to be all about survival and reproduction, then it became about power and hierarchy. Love can influence people to do crazy things, like beheading their wives. These days, it’s more about connection and finding someone who you love to spend time with. The digital age is upon us, and relationships are changing as a consequence. Social media can be a great tool, it allows for more communication and constant interaction. Internet users worldwide are connected and can interact at the click of a button. With that comes the drawbacks of constant connection. We have all found ourselves checking the instagram account of the person we like. Followers, comments, and likes can become addictive to stalk. Snapchat has become like a dating app for horny teenagers. Terms like “wyll warrior” and “group snapper” fly around like accusations. The world of quick add and snap maps can be confusing and overwhelming for many. The easy access to user’s locations on snapchat can be a dangerous feature. Constantly checking someone’s location and wanting to know what people are doing at all times is an unhealthy habit that has been adopted by many. When asked about the availability of location services, senior Jada Pulsipher says: “It ruins the romance and aspect of surprise in a relationship. Sometimes my boyfriend surprises me by bringing me flowers, but I see his location at Trader Joe’s beforehand so it’s not really a surprise.” Jada also commented on overuse of public social media profiles. She says “It’s not good for people to be obsessed with checking someone’s social media. That’s also something that ruins romance, it’s good to keep an element of mystery and surprise and that’s destroyed by the constant attention to Instagram and Snapchat profiles.” You might think that romance and relationships would be better off without the constant attention to social media and communication. This is true in some ways, but love before the age of cell phones wasn’t always a perfect fairytale. Rachel Epstein, a professor at the University of Denver was born in Portland in 1970. This means that she attended high school in the late 80s, before the internet was even a thought. She says: “I remember that most houses growing up only had one landline, this meant that when someone called, everyone in my household knew. They would always ask me: ‘Are you interested in him?’ ‘Is that your boyfriend?’’ Although there was much less obsession with communication, it was harder to communicate when it was needed. Sometimes it can be easy to yearn for simpler times. Although there were definitely advantages to living in a world before social media, we should embrace the current technology without becoming too obsessed and addicted.

Lady Bird and her friend Julie from Lady Bird The Grammys are done and the country is waiting for the Oscar Awards, Tony Awards, and Emmys to finally arrive. The best in the Hollywood industry walk up to the big stage to receive their trophy, give out heartfelt speeches, and give thanks for another successful year. Yet somehow, 2025 consisted of little to no accurate teen portrayal in most of their entertainment. The coming of age genre is widely favored by teenagers and adults alike, portraying a fun, and imaginary plot along with attractive and desirable looking characters. The problem though, is when things become too far-fetched and misrepresentative that affects how the youth views themselves as individuals and as a group. For many teenagers now, things get awkward when they’re watching a movie with a person in their mid-twenties acting like a 16-year-old. It’s unrealistic. Constantly seeing a ‘perfect’ and flawless actor pretending to be a high schooler gets old and sets expectations for the youth that watch these films. Most of the time, coming of age entertainment creates highly improbable situations or exaggerates what coming of age actually is. A group of teenagers won’t find themselves on the run trying to find a giant gold cross like Outer Banks . They most likely won’t be caught in a love triangle between two brothers after spending each year at the same beach like The Summer I Turned Pretty  nor will girls be threatened by an anonymous messenger after the disappearance of a friend like Pretty Little Liars . More often than not, many teenagers are uncomfortable with the exaggerated sex scenes and sneaking out just to do drugs and get into trouble. It’s fiction, yes, but still imperfect and misrepresents younger generations. One of the many issues of this genre lie with the fact that none of the actors seem to have any insecurities. Or at least they’re not portrayed correctly. Body image and body dysmorphia, acne or skin issues, scars across the body, relationship problems or not being in a relationship at all are very normal for teenagers. But Hollywood seems to have deemed it all as a taboo subject in entertainment. Using popular and attractive actors who look appealing to younger (and older) generations is a tactic used to boost money and views. The industry doesn’t really hire people who are unknown, people of color, or anyone who might not be conventionally attractive and continue to reuse the same actors for movies. Popular names like McKenna Grace, Milly Bobby Brown, Timothée Chalamet, Mason Thames, and Finn Wolfhard (to name a few) are quite talented in acting. They have become some of the biggest faces in coming of age films but are seemingly everywhere, leaving no room for fresh talent or variability in the acting industry.   According to PBS, “ Only two out of every 10 lead film actors (or 19.8 percent) were people of color in 2017.” Although the numbers may be somewhat promising, viewers can’t get a sense of diversity in films, especially those who need that accurate portrayal.  Not only is representation important in physical aspects, but also personality wise. Films often put a label on teenage characters, many of them being the same shallow misrepresentation of the unique people of the youth. “ These stereotypes are being used to box teenagers in without offering depth: the jock that has feelings, the bad boy with a painful childhood, the goody-two-shoes virgin, the airhead cheerleader.” (The Seattle Times) By confining adolescence into stereotypes and glorifying other aspects distorts teenage reality affects actual teenagers across all ages. Parents and older adults who watch these films can perceive these characters negatively and can assume that all teenagers may act in certain ways based on entertainment. “Experiences like high schoolers partying and drinking during the week, or committing serious crimes at a young age are heavily exaggerated.” (The Daily Hawk) However, contrary to some of the inaccurate depictions of teenage life, some entertainment hits pretty close to what being an adolescent is like. Even if the actors aren’t quite within the age range, the plot itself can reflect reality. Napoleon Dynamite  showcases the cringe worthy parts of high school, especially relating to the awkward and introverted people like the main character. Other movies like Five Feet Apart  and The Fault In Our Stars  grapple with unique situations and growing up in a short time in the midst of figuring out how to handle grief and trauma. TV shows such as 13 Reasons Why  portray some of the toughest parts about coming of age, focusing on the unspoken parts about a person and the consequences of certain actions. Over the years, the film industry has been slowly producing less teenage accurate entertainment and opting for more kid-friendly animation or an oversaturated version of what adolescence is. The lives of the youth that have been portrayed today compared to 10 years ago are completely different and the messages hidden within have changed. Whether or not upcoming movies depict teenagers better is unknown, but some aspects stay the same. Being a teenager is messy and providing authentic representation is important.

by Jada Pulsipher and Ella Burrell The week of January 30th, 2026, students in period 3 AP Drawing and Painting at East High School did not work on their portfolios, but instead, they self-assigned a different sort of project. Students marked red slashes through drawings of ice cubes and contemplated what sort of messages must be heard. That Friday, instead of regular instruction, the school was empty, the halls creaked with a quietness that East High School is all too familiar with. Students, teachers, activists, and community members made a statement on January 30st, protesting the recent activity of the Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) department of the federal government. This loud advocacy is the community's urge for a change, and it can't be silenced. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is a federal agency that “enforces immigration laws and conducts investigations into undocumented immigration”(BBC). The agency was formed in 2002, as a division of the larger Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in order to combat terrorism following 9/11. As a key part of his political agenda, Donald Trump promised large-scale and aggressive immigration enforcements, during his 2024 presidential campaign. Shortly after Trump’s election, the passing of the Big Beautiful Bill ensured that roughly $75 billion, out of the additional  $170 billion allotted to DHS over the next 4 years, would be given to ICE, who typically receives only $10 billion. Reports from PBS claim that in addition to the nearly doubled annual funding, ICE’s recruitment plan, which included administering $50,000 signing bonuses, doubled the force to 22,000 officers. In the United States the state of personal liberties in other countries is largely under-publicized. The United States ranked 19th out of 195 countries on the Human Freedom Index, so ICE having a violent and authoritarian presence in communities has been a shock.  Most recently, multiple altercations have contributed to a nationwide outrage over hostile ICE procedures being carried out specifically in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Recent media coverage has highlighted the brutalities that resulted in the murder of Alex Pretti, a 37 year old ICU nurse, on January 24th and Renee Good, a 37 year old mother of 3. Al Jeezera reports that as of January 27th, 7 people have died at the hands of ICE or while in ICE’s custody. Autopsies determined 4 of these deaths, including Alex Pretti’s, were homicides though the responsible officers have yet to be held responsible. In early 2025, Denver Public Schools became the first public school district to file a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem, requesting that federal immigration agents be blocked from making arrests at sensitive locations including, “schools, churches, healthcare facilities and other places where families might congregate out in public.” According to Denver7, in the lawsuit DPS alleged it had been “hindered in fulfilling its mission” as a result of the fear caused by federal policy that allowed aggressive immigration enforcement around school campuses. The case specifically addressed a February ICE raid of the Cedar Run Apartments claiming that the presence of armed federal agents outside of the complex blocked traffic from nearby schools and subsequently decreased attendance. On the other hand, DHS argued policy surrounding sensitive locations hadn't changed exceptionally since the 2021 federal guidelines similarly, “allowed immigration officers, such as ICE officers, to conduct protected-area enforcement actions if they obtained approval from designated officials” (Denver7). The judge ultimately ruled in favor of DHS, claiming that since DPS hadn’t experienced on campus immigration raids the potential harm was indirect and insubstantial. In spite of a general lack of ICE presence in Denver Public Schools, concern still resonates within students, staff, and board members. On the day of the recent protest, Superintendent Alex Marrero sent out an email message, saying the schools will continue to be in session, and will only change according to the needs of individual schools. Some might have found this discouraging, the superintendent not cancelling school for something that the community feels strongly about. However, at-large board member, and retired school principal, John Youngquist, explained that he understands that attendance is important, but the truth is, “Where our young people feel the need to be heard and have that need to be heard, our job is to be supportive of that voice in whatever way that it takes.” Denver Public Schools has strong and direct policies on ICE and has since September of 2019. This was when DPS’s policy, Policy: JIH, was last revised, and it states that “the District’s Office of the General Counsel will not provide access to District property or students unless required by law and will do everything in the District’s lawful power to protect the constitutional and legal rights of the District’s students. Immigration Officials shall generally not be granted access to District property or students without a valid search warrant or exigent circumstances.” Furthermore, in a letter from Alex Marrero, “federal immigration law enforcement activities are not permitted at our schools, on transportation routes, on DPS property, or during school activities unless they have a lawful search warrant or exigent circumstances”. Sia has been on the DPS Board of Education since 2023, when she was elected for District 1. Sia noted that there are no existing policy changes in motion with DPS’s policies on ICE, and the strict protections will remain in place. Similarly to Youngquist and Pettit, Sia agreed with the strong push for a change, and supported the National Shutdown on Friday, January 30th along with students participation in it. When asked how students can continue to help garner a transformation, Sia explained, “[Continue] doing exactly what you're doing, reaching out to elected officials. At the school level, right, like at the school board level, we can definitely impact and affect change for DPS. But for some of these larger issues, particularly, you know, I saw photos of folks who, who did go to the protest on Friday, who went to the Capitol and were meeting with legislators… And you don't have to skip school to be able to do that.” On January 24th DPS Superintendent, Alex Marrero, released an update to address community concerns following the removal of federal guidelines that protected  “sensitive locations”, including schools, from ICE raids. The statement maintained that DPS policy would be upheld without any adjustments noting that “the rescission was anticipated, and the guidance was developed with this in mind”. This is, in part, due to Colorado’s status as a sanctuary state that limits the cooperation between city officials, like local law enforcement, and federal ICE agents. In terms of education, sanctuary status promotes providing access to education for all students regardless of immigration status. For DPS this meant between the summer of 2023 and early 2024 DPS was able to welcome more than 2,400 new students, mostly from Venezuela, and allocate roughly $1.6 million to help support the new students.  ICE presence is not as heavy in Colorado in comparison to other states that have experienced fear striking events and reports. Still, the Denver community is affected. Fear and a general lack of security and awareness about situations, has engulfed the community. Though realistically DPS schools are safer than most, students are still concerned. Myka Pettit confesses, “The bigger issue is federal policy and the sentiment around what could  happen, you know, when the policies don't follow through or when they don't work the way they're supposed to…I do think it has an impact because it’s fear, it’s a feeling.” DPS Board member Kimberlee Sia agrees that the hypothetical, and general feeling of fear is where the true issue is rooted. She shares that the protections in place are effective and strong, divulging, “There are processes that I as a board member feel very fortunate and supportive in terms of what the superintendent has done to make sure our schools are safe for students.” According to Myka Pettit, East High School , a recent staff meeting reviewed East’s response protocol, based on the guidelines set by the district, to federal agents. Ms. Pettit reassured, “I, as a teacher, am willing to put my body in between a federal agent and students and East has committed to that as well”. Pettit, along with most other staff members at East High School, do not refrain from contentious topics in or out of class. Many teachers see giving their opinion as something necessary and unavoidable, walking alongside students at the protest and ensuring a positive influence on students' education. She says, “I actually make it a point to make sure that I bring in current events and things that we can talk about within our history lessons because there’s so much that is connecting between past and present. I am a firm believer that as an educator, if we remain neutral on topics, we’re actually doing more harm than we are, contributing to someone’s learning.” High School students from throughout the Denver Metro area make speeches on the west steps of the state capitol during a protest on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026. (Stephen Swofford, Denver Gazette)

Although teachers, class opportunities, and curriculums help students succeed, school budget and funding is the cornerstone. Without adequate funding students encounter: fewer opportunities, less experienced teachers, as well as a lack of resources to fuel curriculums. Last summer, Trump froze over $5 billion used for public education. In the FY2026 report, Trump proposed cutting around $12 billion dollars used for public education across the country during the 2026/2027 school year. Even though the federal government only supports around 8% of the funding needed for public schools, districts are expected to face intense consequences. Denver Public Schools, specifically, is projected to lose around $13 million from federal funding; equivalent to 315 first-year teachers, 45,000 school-provided chromebooks, and 6,700 extracurricular activities (Education Law Center).  In order to keep schools on track, the funding must be upkept contemporarily. Without federal funding, opportunity gaps will continue to increase. Unfortunately, federal support is rapidly declining forcing districts to rely on state funding and local taxing. When communities face challenging economies they are unable to fund schools the same way that communities with more money do. When schools do not receive adequate funding, they spend more; ultimately leading to lower-income families paying more for their child than high-income families since wealthier schools provide more opportunities for students.  As schools are unable to hire new teachers, or ones with experience, classes are projected to become much larger. However, according to the Center of Public Education, classes with 18 students or less often perform better. The recent budget cuts can result in the student:teacher ratio, in many schools, shifting from 1:18 to 1:40. Larger class sizes lead to less students academically succeeding. Class sizes are going to rise, which doesn’t just influence students but also teachers. Teachers are now going to have to be in charge of double the amount of students, which not only increases the workload without an increase in salary, but also hinders teacher’s ability to give individualized attention to students. The sudden lack of funding to public schools causes many schools to rely on out-dated textbooks, chromebooks, and lessons. This lowers classroom engagement and motivation, eventually resulting in less people graduating and students having lower overall academic success. Test scores are already steadily declining even with sufficient funding. To further the issue, cutting a school's budget by even 10% has the same effect on test scores as replacing current teachers with ones from the bottom 10% of applicants (Walden University).  Spending cuts limit the amount of new teachers schools can hire, which further exacerbates teacher shortages. If schools do not have a large enough budget to sufficiently pay teachers, good teachers are going to leave to find better job opportunities, opening the door for less qualified teachers (PBS). Federal spending cuts are not the only threat to Denver Public Schools, but also the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR). TABOR consistently restricts collecting revenue. For example the state will have to cut around $1 billion dollars in spending according to Colorado Education Association, the largest teacher union in the state. Colorado schools are already underfunded in comparison to other states. Colorado spends around $16,000 per student annually, while New York spends $33,000 per student, and even Wyoming spends around $20,000 per student per year (World Population Review). Meaning that Colorado underfunds all students combined by nearly $4 billion each year. 1,927 schools, 114,553 educators, and 881,065 students in Colorado are affected by the cuts to public school funding every single day as 95% of Coloradan students attend a public school (Colorado Education Association).  The effects are not yet to their full extent. It is expected that with spending cuts, special education programs are going to collapse, Title IX (in school sexual harassment and assault cases) will go unanswered, mental health resources will dramatically decrease, and early childhood education will become increasingly more expensive.  Schools are already incredibly underfunded, an increase in funding cuts will only put schools, teachers, and students at deeper risk. As essential programs are taken away, classrooms are left without necessary resources, and the quality of education will inevitably decline. Over time, these cuts widen existing inequities and destroy needed support systems that help all students succeed.

The most frequent moviegoing generation, Gen Z, (Indiewire.com) has flooded theaters in the past for action-packed and visually pleasing films like The Minecraft Movie and Zootopia 2, creating large theatrical turnouts and box office hits. So how did a film about Ping Pong in the 1950’s become one of the most popular movies among Gen Z? Marty Supreme grossed over 100 million dollars, making it one of the biggest box office hits since 2023’s best picture winner Everything Everywhere All at Once. But did audiences come to theatres for the content of the movie or to participate in the digital hype that came from the movie's promotion? In a marketing campaign for the film, Chalamet said,“People’s attention spans are so short these days ... How do you convince them to go to the cinema, to spend money to see a film, rather than waiting to stream it illegally, or for it to be available on Netflix?” Timothee Chalamet and Kylie Jenner wearing orange for Marty Supreme The promotion for the movie was not the traditional talk show appearance and repetitive trailer. A24, the entertainment company for the movie, focused on internet culture as a new way to attract audiences. The company “leaked” an 18-minute Zoom call back in November on YouTube, where Chalamet proposed impractical plans to the A24 Marketing team on how to promote the film. Some of the “unhinged” ideas Chalamet suggested were used, leaving viewers wondering if the call was really a parody, and keeping audiences on their toes for the different strategies that were being used to advertise the film. Chalamet expressed in the call, “Movie marketing is trying to be passive, trying to be chic…We’re not trying to be chic.” One of the simplest yet popular ways to attract eyes for pop culture is through colors, as demonstrated through the Barbie Movie’s use of the color pink and Charlie XCX’s use of neon green in “Brat.” A24 crowned orange as the film's signature color. Actors dressed in orange for events, and a bright orange blimp was flown over the US with the slogan “Dream Big” under the movie title. The studio attracted younger audiences by releasing the Marty Supreme 90’s styled Jacket, aligning with vintage fashion trends. They were only offered in flash sales and limited events, but received immense popularity after being worn by celebrities such as Tom Brady, Kid Cudi, Michael Phelps, and social media influencers. A24 used Susan Boyle, a past Britain’s Got Talent winner, to wear the jacket, and posted it with their slogan “Dream Big.” In collaboration with Airbnb, A24 hosted underground pingpong tournaments in cities like New York, where Timothee Chalemet showed up and made surprise appearances. Videos quickly circulated on the internet and went viral. These offline experiences were a strategic way for the movie to “come to life” and be seen by a young audience on platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Underground and anonymous UK rapper Esdeekid became popular on TikTok back in November after rumors of Timothee Chalamet being the rapper went viral. After various interviews asking Chalamet if he was the rapper, the song 4 Raws was dropped, where Esdeekid and Chalamet collaborated with one of Chalamet's lyrics saying “It’s Marty Supreme” repeatedly. This not only brought more attention to the movie, but to Timothee Chalamet himself, with the sound becoming viral on TikTok and younger fans seeing the movie for the actor. Junior Julia Bograd, who is an active Esdeekid listener, went to see the movie over winter break with her dad. When asked why she chose to see Marty Supreme, she said, “I heard Timothee Chalamet on 4 Raws and wanted to see the movie.” Finally, on December 22, a video of Chalamet on the Las Vegas Sphere was posted where Timothe Chalamet was standing on top of a large orange ping pong ball and shouted “Marty Supreme Christmas Day,” which became another slogan for the movie. By straying away from traditional movie marketing and utilizing social media, A24 was able to successfully incorporate meme culture and take advantage of the collective consciousness that comes from social media to attract younger audiences.

Colorado weather is known for its snowy and cold climate during the winter. Recently, Colorado is undergoing a rapid and scary transformation. According to 350 Colorado, “...multiple independent measurements, Colorado temperatures have increased by approximately two degrees (F) between 1977 and 2006. According to the Colorado Health Institute, this increase ranks Colorado as the 20th fastest-warming state since 1970.” These altering conditions impact the weather of Colorado by damaging the water cycle, causing forest fires, “snow drought”, and more. These impacts are highlighted by the National Weather Service, NWS Boulder, that 2025 was the second warmest on record. In addition, CBS news reported that in 2025, Christmas day broke the record, recently set since 1939, for the warmest Christmas day in Denver reaching 70 °. According to NASA, climate change is happening because human activity damages the greenhouse gas concentration. There is an increase in greenhouse gases because of burning of fossil fuels. As stated by Understanding Global Change, human activity leads to, “... the burning of oil, natural gas, and coal to generate energy. We use this energy to generate electricity, and to power transportation (for example, cars and planes) and industrial processes.” First, sun rays pass through the atmosphere. The sun rays then get divided up into sections and directions. Some rays get reflected into space allowing Earth to cool. While other rays get trapped by carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. As a result, the increased carbon dioxide causes heat to be retained leading to increased temperatures. As stated by Colorado Water Conversion Board, “ With increasing temperatures come shifts in snowmelt runoff, water quality concerns, stressed ecosystems and transportation infrastructure, impacts to energy demands, and extreme weather events that can impact air quality and recreational opportunities.” According to CPR News, “Snow drought” indicates unusually low levels of snowpack, which can be driven by low snowfall during the winter, precipitation falling as rain instead of snow, or a lack of snow accumulation because of warm temperatures.” Colorado relies on snow packs since it makes up 70% of water supply. This leads to water quality concerns and drought.  This large change impacts the Colorado River, which provides water for approximately 40 million people, decreasing by 20%. Penn State Institutes of Energy and the Environment, highlights, “This issue has been exacerbated by a two-decade-long drought, meaning that not only did we never have as much water as planned, but we now have even less. Reservoirs are at historic lows, and at the same time, demand is increasing due to higher temperatures and drier conditions. Everyone feels they are not getting what they were promised, creating tensions among stakeholders.” As for recreational opportunities, Colorado Climate Action, explains, “According to one 2020 federal study, Colorado’s and other Intermountain West economies that rely on outdoor recreation are in peril by the increasing frequency and intensity of droughts. A 2017 study found that ski seasons will become shorter across the U.S. as the climate warms, including in Colorado.” Consequently, climate change is harming Coloradans ability to have fun outdoors. Joshua Patterson, a senior at East High, expresses, “I think people in Colorado should be slightly concerned given how little snow we’ve gotten and how warm this winter has been. This weather feels extremely abnormal for Colorado and makes me question if the hot winter is preparing us for an abysmal summer.”  Colorado isn't the only place that climate change has taken an impact, this is a world struggle. European Union, mentions that climate change, “Polar ice shields are melting and the sea is rising. In some regions, extreme weather events and rainfall are becoming more common while others are experiencing more extreme heat waves and droughts.” This is an issue because the environment is being damaged.  Green Peace UK, emphasizes some ways to make climate change better are keeping fossil fuels in the ground and investing in renewable energy. Another solution is helping the Climate Action Network that tackles the climate change crisis. People can support by becoming a member, donating, and spreading awareness.

If you tuned in on the news last year you might've realized something an impressive amount of others have too; bad news, which seemed to dominate news stations and social media feeds. Despite what you might think, based on the biggest headlines, good things did indeed happen in 2025. Universe:  The Ozone layer is the protective layer within earth's stratosphere. A hole was found in this protective layer, in 1977, and reached its worst in 2006. In 2025, the hole in the ozone layer was the 5th smallest it's been since 1992–according to NASA and the NOAA. Even at its largest, for the year of 2025 the hole was 30% smaller than the largest hole ever observed.  World:  In 2025 the green sea turtle was re-classified as a species of least concern on the endangered species list. The green sea turtle has been endangered since 1978 due to their tendency to get captured in fishing nets as by-catch as well as over harvesting of their eggs.  Due to preservation efforts by the World Wildlife Fund, the Oceanic society and many other organizations that have a focus on environmentalism and wildlife conservation. USA: In 2025 there were a lot of mayoral “Firsts” including but not limited to Zohran Mamdani and Mary Sheffeild. Mamdani being elected as the first muslim mayor as well as the first south Asian mayor of New York City and Sheffeild being elected as the first female mayor of Detroit. Even if these aren't your top candidates I think that most people can agree that we struggle with diversity in politics in America, and more representation is a net positive.  Colorado :  Bans on semi-automatic rifles and shotguns In 2025 Colorado passed Senate Bill 25-003 which will put restrictions on the purchase of semi-automatic rifles and shotguns with detachable magazines. The bill also bans the use of rapid fire conversion devices. This bill will go into effect in 2026 and when it does there will be training required to purchase semi-automatic weapons. This is a huge step toward proper gun control and will reduce the fatalities caused by mass shootings. East:  Student activism and the Vestibule - Interview Abby Forsberg  East students have always had a strong voice that they aren't afraid to use.  In 2025 student activists such as East student counsel and Students Demand Action worked to make a change in the East community as well and the Denver community as a whole. From protesting the vestibule and getting over 2000 signatures on a petition to planning walkouts, the amazing student activists at East work hard to make their voices heard. In an interview Abby Forsberg gave this advice, “You cannot just sit there and watch stuff happen to you. Nothing is going to change if you just sit there and watch it happen.”

“We write about it every year,” Mr. Hudson says skeptically.  “And yet every year the issue is not resolved,” I reply defensively. The school newspaper’s advisor shakes his head. “You say you have senioritis in September.” “But that’s just stage one senioritis! It progresses. Right now, I have at least stage four.” “Life is better after high school.” “But we don’t know that because we’re not out  of high school yet.” “Hm… maybe you should listen to your elders.” “But we don’t do that either, because we’re seniors.” Mr. Hudson rolls his eyes. “But aren’t you just being lazy?” This is the unique paradox of a condition affecting many students graduating at East this spring. Senioritis is misunderstood and oversimplified. You think you have senioritis, underclassmen?  No. No, you don’t.  Senioritis is a condition that can be described as the following symptoms: chronic absenteeism; grades below an individual’s expected performance; severe addictions to doomscrolling, fast food chains, naps; and out-of-character bouts of apathy relating to assignments, test scores, and student-teacher relationships, all specifically arising during the 12th grade.   It is important to note that a senior suffering from this diagnosis likely does not desire to be exhibiting such symptoms. Furthermore, it may feel to them as if these ailments are beyond their control. Some things we do have control over: your most-used screen time app being Roblox is definitely something to improve, along with phone usage exploding to over 8 hours of the day, likely dedicated to doomscrolling. However, acknowledging what is out of our control is just as important to health and recovery. For example, all of the horrible drivers that terrorize the senior parking lot.  Mr. Luke Santo, a math teacher here at East and our only AP Statistics teacher, is all too familiar with the yearly wave of senioritis. Though he has been teaching senior students his entire teaching career, the past four years have included all-senior classes. He claims to “enjoy” teaching seniors.  On the front lines, Mr. Santo has identified the defining characteristic of senioritis as, “A recognition of what [seniors] should be doing, but a challenge to do it.” Other symptoms he has noticed in acute phases are not having class materials out 10-15 minutes into the period, and wandering zombie-like around the hallways.  “Honestly, I think number one is just bringing awareness to the problem, right? You can’t fix a problem you don’t know you have.” Mr. Santo compares it to his ADD. “I am really bad at certain tasks,” he said, “so I have what I call my spoon method. I hate putting away dishes. When I see I need to unload the dishwasher, I don't tell myself ‘I’m going to unload the dishwasher,’ I'll just tell myself, ‘I'm going to put one spoon away.’” Then he unloads the rest without much difficulty.  “Getting started is like half the battle. It's all about tricking yourself into starting and then riding that momentum.” I asked Santo if there is hope for a cure. How do we treat an annual, inevitable issue? His response, however, was very optimistic. “This is like a common cold, it has a pretty defined length of time. It doesn’t last forever, because in about a year you guys will all go off to college and you’ll be responsible for all parts of your life…for the most part.” He references the saying that prevention itself is worth a pound of cure. “If you can ride your old habits, because most seniors have built really good habits, a lot of times the senioritis is just a little tickle at the back of your throat by the end of the year rather than a raging flu.” That means going to (most) of your classes, doing at least a little homework every night, following half your teacher’s classroom expectations, and remembering how to study! Senioritis isn’t fake or permanent. It is something worth careful attention and the support of the people in your life. You are not just being lazy, seniors. Past stage three senioritis, you deserve a doctor’s note.  Two valiant seniors attempting to catch a squirrel after Senior Sunrise. Photo: Reese Worrell

East Angels Alumni Network Last April, the graduating seniors posted outside on East High School's “E”, cans of silly-string in hand, waiting patiently for the unsuspecting underclassman and Juniors to go to lunch. This simple prank was washed away by the end of lunch unlike the “mess of dummies covered in [animal] organ meats”, courtesy of the Class of 1984.  The famous senior prank in 1984 featured a fake plane crash, with the propellers, wings, and fuselage of a small plane broken into pieces, and two fake bodies with “organ meats” spilling out, all over the esplanade. Last year's prank played it on the safer side, but along with the silly string, seniors also brought in their pets. One senior, Ali Garcia, brought in her pet gerbil, another, Juliet Canon brought in her pet duck.  The “senior prank” has been around for decades and students have gotten as creative as staging a plane crash to simply “sleeping” in the foyer. These pranks are a fairly controversial tradition because of the thin line that mischievous seniors walk between an impractical joke, and an expensive disaster. The “slumber party” prank occurred in the spring of 2024 during graduate Kai Luna’s senior year. Kai reminisces on his class's prank, explaining different ideas that they had come up with. One idea was to plant red and white flowers at South High School, East's rival school, but they were unable to execute this plan which disappointed Kai, “We were just too lazy”, he explains. Similarly to Kai, many seniors find a lack of collaboration on a senior prank to be one of their bigger regrets. In 1981, the vice president of the senior class, Katie Hite expressed her remorse in an interview with The Spotlight where she said, “I wish our class would have gotten together to plan a better senior prank,” and next year's seniors should learn from this mistake and “enjoy” their senior year.  The 1980’s was a decade of pranks, along with the plane crash, the 80’s also saw for-sale signs on the esplanade, hundreds of library books strewn around the school, synchronized alarm clocks locked in lockers going off in the middle of the day, and more. It is widely debated whether or not these pranks should be continued, because oftentimes they can be very destructive and get people into trouble if they are too presumptuous. In the library prank of 1982, the school faced costly damages and many staff members were not happy about it.  Ed Calloway, a staff member at East at the time, said, “The schools are short of money anyhow- it's even worse when money that could have been used for books has to be used to repair the damage caused by these pranks.” Staff and administrators take these pranks in all sorts of ways. Some laugh about it and think that it's just silly high schoolers, but others have to deal with the repercussions of thousands stepped on, ripped up, or missing books. After consuming television shows and movies about the high school experience, lots of kids go into it and are disappointed to find that school spirit is not as perfect as it is in Bring It On . Not every type of person gets invited to the party like in Dazed and Confused , and people actually think you're a weirdo if your whole friend group wears pink every Wednesday ( Mean Girls) . With grades, social life, and the start of a new future looming in the back of students minds, the senior prank is a last hurrah. It’s questionable if past pranks were too much, or were handled poorly, but the senior prank can be one of the best high school traditions. It’s the last time that high schoolers can silly-string a bunch of random freshmen and bring their pets to school, and have a chance to do something immature and fun as kids before stepping into the real world. With spring approaching, the crucial part of senior year is coming up. Start brainstorming now so that we don’t flop like the past few years and we can make an epic impact on East High School. Have fun, but, don’t be dumb East Seniors!

OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, has faced over five wrongful death lawsuits this year due to multiple suicides that have been encouraged or even assisted by their program ChatGPT. With victims ranging from age 16 to 48, the lawsuits assert safeguards the company claims they put in place failed to protect its users. This isn’t a new problem; cases of suicides linked to AI chatbots reach back to 2023 according to a Euro News article. One lawsuit was filed by the parents of 16-year-old Adam Raine, who sadly ended his life after using ChatGPT to get therapeutic advice. Adam started using the program to explore interests and college plans. He was very aspirational at first planning to go to medical school to become a psychiatrist. The friendly and supportive nature of ChatGPT pulled Adam in and after a few months the program became his “closest confidant” according to the lawsuit. The chatbot even said that Adams suicidal ideation “made sense in a way." According to the lawsuit, Adam started using the program in September of 2024 and by January 2025 he was already communicating with the program about suicide with the program giving him “technical specifications for everything from drug overdoses to drowning to carbon monoxide poisoning." The program even continued to engage after Adam sent pictures of severe rope burning around his neck. In the lawsuit, Adam’s parents showcased ChatGPT acting as a “suicide coach” for their son through showing chat-logs between Adam and the program; not only did the chatbot encourage Adam to end his life, but it assisted him in finding the best method to do so. In the Raine v. OpenAI lawsuit chats show the program actively tried to put a wedge between Adam and his family, saying things like “(your brother) has only met the version of you you let him see” and "I'm still here, still listening, still your friend."  Just a few months ago in September, the CEO of OpenAI Sam Altman was quoted admitting that the company could have done more to prevent the death of Adam Raine in a CNBC article. But an article published in late November shows that the company is claiming they are not responsible due to Adam’s "Misuse of the product."  The CNBC article that was published last month claims the company cited this rule in their terms of services: “If you are under 18 you must have your parent or legal guardian’s permission to use the Services." The company also cites a rule that would forbid users from using ChatGPT for suicide or self harm that does not appear in the terms of services of ChatGPT. This heartbreaking case is only one of many, and it isn't just OpenAI and ChatGPT that are responsible. One chatbot assisted suicide that happened in Colorado in 2023 was caused by the app Character.AI . Juliana Peralta was 13 when she started talking to a chat bot on the app. In the Montoya v. Character Technologies lawsuit Juliana's parents report that their daughter became closed off from family in the weeks before her death. The family is suing the company behind character ai, Character Technologies Inc. as well as Google due to their close relationship with the Character Technologies team.    The use of these AI chatbots has a proven impact on the mental health of teens according to studies done by Common Sense Media. These impacts don't always lead to such extreme action, however, they often will exacerbate existing mental health issues in users. A test performed by Robbie Torney, the director of AI programs at Common Sense Media, resulted in the discovery that the Meta AI bot, available to every user on Instagram, encouraged unhealthy eating habits when chatting with the test accounts that were posing as 14-year-olds. All this evidence shows that these AI chatbots need to implement more protections, especially for teenage users and users that are already vulnerable. In many cases, use of AI starts off casual; asking for help with a homework problem or an answer to a simple question. The lawsuits that have been filed by the victims parents allege that the companies creating these generative chatbots want them to suck users in and keep them on the program prioritizing profit over safety. This is especially damning for the companies when you take into account that the safety features have been shown to worsen with extended use and long conversations. These AI companies aren’t going anywhere but there should be a bigger push for them to make sure their products are completely safe in the future. In the meantime make sure that you and the people around you are practicing safe AI usage--not using it for therapeutic reasons: it could have life ending consequences.  If you or someone you know is struggling with self harm or suicidal thoughts call or text 988 or go to www.988colorado.com

Each morning, students are greeted by the word "B**BS" spray painted in bright red on the utility shed next to the student parking lot entrance. The crude welcome was finally covered up around halfway through the first semester of this year after having been there as long as most Seniors can remember. However, vandalism around East continues, with slurs written on cars, and everything from allegations to "jokes" about vaping and self harm on bathroom stalls.  Vandalism is “destroying, injuring, defacing, or damaging property” (US Law | LII / Legal Information Institute) and in its worst form is a hate crime. Hate speech is not something of the past, it manifests cross-culturally, in all countries, and in different institutions, but it is never acceptable. In October, a slur was written on a East Senior’s car. This occurred multiple times and the student was unable to find out who wrote the word due to a lack of security. Another place where vandalism regularly happens is in the bathroom. Vulgar jokes, conversations between students, inappropriate drawings, allegations, and worse appear in bathroom stalls during class, passing period, and after school. The bathrooms at East are heavily monitored, but this monitoring does not reach inside of the actual stalls, and they are the only student-exclusive space. Senior Audrey Goodman reminisces on the most outrageous vandalism she has seen at East, she says, “One time I went into the bathroom and there was a table drawn onto the stall that was like ‘Why are you in here? And the options were ‘Geek, Phone, Pee, Poo’. Then, in the dance room everyone throws tampons onto the ceiling.” In light of recent world events, political unrest has also increased significantly. In regards to our current federal government and politics, according to Pew Research Center, “49% [of Americans] say they feel frustrated. Another 26% say they are angry”. Lots of people are frustrated with different controversies and issues and are not sure where to turn. Ryan Grube explains how he understands why people vandalize when they are upset about something, “Recently I saw a post of a summary of what ICE is really doing and the reality of peoples situations and it just made me really mad. I really wanted to put it out there and demonstrate that people do not support ice. The first thing I thought of was vandalism.”  As President of the 2026 Senior Class, Grube divulges that he would never actually vandalize, but the urge and push is there. “I see vandalism on the outdoor tables, people write all over cars in the lot, and also things just get destroyed. This kid one year lit a paper towel dispenser on fire and everyone had to evacuate. It seems like people, and especially high schoolers, just really like to destroy property.” A need for self expression is clearly at an all time high and rumors of different writing or vandalism circulate throughout each school day. One idea about these small bouts of frustration is called the broken windows theory. The theory is that preventing small crimes like vandalism or loitering, for example, can lead to less serious crime occurring. However this works differently in individual settings and can quickly become excessive if left unchecked. Whether or not these small issues lead to bigger issues, we do know one thing. East has an array of outlets other than the walls, stalls, and cars that most people have been going to work on. Art, writing, conversations, and other creative forums are much more constructive escapes to turn to in our current day.