Students Published by Creative Communication
My Days in Track
by Mallory Mills
Have you ever been in track? Did you ever get close to winning? I have participated in track for two years. This past year when I was running the 800, I was in the lead by 15 meters. On the last turn, my knee gave out on me.
I finished the race in a fair amount of pain. I went over to talk to coach. I didn't tell him I was in pain so I would be able to finish the rest of my races.
Track is a sport that you can’t just go out and run hard especially the long distance. To be in track, you need to be in shape first and second you have got to love to run a lot.
There are many different events in track to participate in. Some are 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600, 3200, long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, discus and javelin. All through junior high, I participates in the 800m, high jump, discus, and sometimes the 200.
Track is one sport I love along with besides basketball. In track there is more than one team. There is usually five or six at a meet. At league there is eight or ten teams. You get to meet many of your competitors while waiting for your event.
When it is time to go we get on the bus, our team tells each other how we did. We always stay positive to ourselves and our team.
What events did you do in track? Did you ever cheer for your teammates?
The Coach?
by Jylian Later
Did you know the Dallas Cowboys’ coach is Jason Garrett? Jason Garrett was named eighth head coach in Dallas Cowboys’ history on January 5, 2011. Jason Garrett played and worked alongside four of his predecessors. He is also the first former Dallas Cowboys’ player to coach.
Jason went to prep school at University School in Hanting Valley, Ohio. He was a letterman in football, basketball, and baseball during high school. In football, he won the All-Star honors as the safety and quarterback. In 1984, he graduated from the University School.
Jason Garrett played football in college at Princeton University. Garrett later transferred to Columbia University when Jim Garrett, his father became head coach. When Garrett’s father resigned as head coach of Columbia, Jason and his brothers transferred back to Princeton.
Retiring as a player, Garrett became the quarterbacks’ coach for the Miami Dolphins in 2005-2006 under head coach Nick Saban. In January 2007, Garrett was hired to be the offensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys. He led the Cowboys to the second best offense in the NFL. That made him an attractive head coaching prospect. In January 2008, Garrett interviewed for the head coaching job for the Atlanta Falcons and the Baltimore Ravens, but ultimately opted to remain in Dallas. Garrett worked hard to get where he is now.
Are you a fan of the Dallas Cowboys?
The Fantastic Bolder Boulder
by C.J. Sherman
Do you like to run? If you do you, you will love the Bolder Boulder. It’s a 6.6 mile run. I bet you’re wondering why I would want to do a run that is over six miles. If you are wondering that, it’s not crazy. It’s actually really amazing. I get to see many people run.
How long will it take you to run the Bolder Boulder? I ran the Bolder Boulder in an hour and a half. For other people, it could be longer or shorter depending on how long you train for. Most people will take longer to run due to stopping to get water and rehydrating.
What should be worn to run the Bolder Boulder? I normally wear a short sleeve T-shirt and shorts. When I first started, it was really cold out, but then after 80 minutes it got warmer out. Once I finished the race, I was dripping sweat. After the race, I changed into clothes that weren’t sweaty so I didn’t stink on the way home.
Staying hydrated is very important during the race. The Bolder Boulder will have stations which have water cups so I could drink. If I would get thirsty during the race, I would hurry and get to the next mile point. After I got done with the race, I drank a lot of water so I could feel better after I would get home.
The Bolder Boulder is amazing: it shows the people around me what I am capable of. The Bolder Boulder is great to run, because I can have a great time running with other people. Would you ever run the Bolder Boulder?
Frustration at School
by Jesica Pacheco
Frustration….. is something that is not great. Something that makes you mad or just plainly want to give up. Frustration for me is usually the case at school and even sometimes at home. When I get frustrated, I get mad and just try to give up. When I give up, the consequences aren’t going to be fine. Being calm is the answer to all my problems; staying calm will help me.
When you're frustrated, you might get mad at someone you shouldn’t be getting mad at. You might even take it out on the teacher or even another student. Taking it out on other student or teacher isn't the right thing to do. You just need to stop and take a big breath and relax. It’s just going to make you feel bad afterwards when your anger is all over with.
Have you ever had that feeling when you get so tired and frustrated with school? Plus you have homework and can’t wait for the weekend? Well, I have. It has happened to me often, especially with homework. All I can do is calm down, take a little break from the homework, and then I can come back to it later after I'm stress free. My weeks go by so fast I don’t even notice what day of week it is until it’s Friday. It’s an amazing feeling knowing I get a break. How do you handle school frustration?
The Art of Quilling
by Tressa LaBarge
Do you know what quilling is? Quilling is an art which involves complete concentration. You have to have lots of time to work on your quilling. When working on quilling, you also need patience.
There are certain things you need to have to work on for quilling. First, you will need a special type of paper for quilling. Next, glue the paper together. You will want to know what you want to make. Lastly, you will need to have a tool that rolls your paper into a circle.
To make quilling, use your tool and make many different sizes of circles for the different items you want to make. For example, if you were to make a flower, you can have the same size or different sizes. It all depends on the type of flower you are making. You would pinch one end of the circle so it looks like a teardrop. For the middle, make a plain circle and glue the teardrops onto the circle. Then you would get one piece of paper which is straight. You will need one more teardrop for the stem’s leaf. In the end, you should have a beautiful flower with whatever colors you want them to be.
You can make cards for people in different seasons of the year. When you have contests, you can enter quilling into the contest. I hope you will try quilling. You can make awesome items. Are you going to start quilling today?
Western State Colorado Wrestling Camp
by Trayton Doyle
Do you remember the first time you went to a camp as a freshman with other upperclassman? This year I went to wrestling camp as a freshman. I was nervous because I would be the youngest there. Also, my team already had a 220 pound senior. So I had to go to another team to wrestle 220. I got transferred to a Syracuse team from Utah.
At first it felt weird being on a team with people I did not know at all. Also, I did not know what to say to them to start a conversation. Although, I still got to know them fairly quickly. Also, the Syracuse team I wrestled for that weekend, had to wrestle my home team. The Syracuse team lost, but I still felt great I had won.
At nights, my home team and I would go out to get some ice cream or a snack. We also went river rafting. I thought the time at camp brought us closer together as a team, and I can not wait to see what we can do this season.
At the end of the camp, I was fourteen and four. I think I did decent as a freshman and I can not wait for next year. That camp left so many memories I will never forget. It also taught me many lessons, of being more responsible and taking care of myself better. So do you remember your favorite camp when you were in high school?
1200+ Pounds of Therapy
by Emileigh Dinkel
Have you ever had anything which means the world to you? I’ve had many, but right now it is my horse Maddie. She is always there for me and will let me do pretty much anything to her. Even though she has her days... (like all girls do), she never lets me down.
When I am feeling angry, frustrated, happy, sad, confused, or just wanting to give up, I always go out to her and somehow she makes me feel better. She is probably the best therapy for me. I mean I’m trusting a 1200+ pound animal with a mind of its own who could kill me with one kick, but I am trusting her to get me through. If I didn’t have her or any other animal, I would probably not be here right now.
My horse means everything to me. I mean when there is a storm, whether it is major or not, I worry about her. Whenever I have free time, I will always go out to her. After school, I go out to her for an hour or two, then I go home. On weekends I will go out to her just to goof around.
She is my rock and I know she would do anything and everything in her power to keep me safe, and I would do the same for her. People make fun of me for loving her so much, but honestly in my opinion your friends DON’T have to be people. Do you have any animal you would consider one of your best friends?
Future Career
by Reagan Beims
Have you seen those little children walking down the street with no hair? Have you thought about what could have caused their hair loss? I have, and I believe they have gone through the procedure of brain surgery. My dream is to help them, and here is what I’m going to do to make that dream a reality.
Brain surgeons have to go through many years of college and undergraduate school. You have to have at least four years of undergrad and also four years of medical school. That’s not the worst of it though, you need to go through six to seven years of neurosurgical residency. That’s going to be a blast...NOT!
It will take many years of schooling, but in my opinion it’ll be worth it in the end. I researched how much the income would be within a year or so, it is between 400,000-666,000. That’ll be just enough for me and my future family to go through.
The downside to this is I will have to live close to the hospital I work at and no long vacations until I retire. On the other hand, when I do retire I will have the best vacation in the whole world! I can’t wait to get the education I need to help the poor people with brain damage or brain tumors.
If your dream career is to a brain surgeon, are you willing to give 15 years of your time and money to become one?
Spring Fling
by Zoe Sundstrom
What is your favorite season? My favorite season is spring because of the warm weather. In spring all the flowers start to bloom and the grass turns green. Days get longer and I can hear kids playing outside. I like looking at all of the beautiful animals coming out of their dens.
In spring I like to camp for vacation and spend time with my family. Usually my family takes a vacation to look at all the beautiful sights. We look at the trees, flowers, and anything which comes out in the spring. I love spending time with my family and looking at all the pretty spring sights.
At the beginning of spring, my family plants a garden. We plant everything from tomatoes, peppers, watermelon, corn, and sunflowers. I like watching the crops grow, and I enjoy eating the fresh foods we've grown.
We also get chickens in the spring. I love watching my chickens start out as baby chicks and then grow to be full sized. My sister and I like to watch the chickens eat weeds and bugs. On warm days we spend the whole day outside playing with the chickens.
My favorite thing to do in spring is being outside to enjoy the weather. I like to take my dogs for a walk or go on bike rides with my friends. I also like to relax outside drinking a glass of cool lemonade while listening to the birds sing. Spring is my favorite season of the year; what is yours?
Dreams too Big?
by Madison Tice
I have always had this dream to be able to participate in sports all my life. Yet, very few make it past college into the pros. Although, I have also wanted to work in the medical field. Do you have an occupation you have dreamed about all your life? I have and mine is a sports medicine doctor.
I want this career for several reasons. First, I love sports and wish I could play all of them, but being a doctor is more logical. I would be able to travel along with a sports team to help those who are injured. I probably would want to travel with a football team because I love to watch football. It also seems there are many injuries from this sport. Therefore, I would try to help the players prevent them. When I become older with a family of my own, I will settle down and work in a hospital. It would be just as superior and I would have more free time along with more medical supplies.
This big dream of mine also has a few downsides to it. I would go into school for four years to take the premedical classes. After I get that, I must pass my Medical College Admissions test so I could be admitted to a four year medical school. After I graduate, I must serve a two year residency.
You may think my dream is too big for a small town girl to achieve. Although to me, these dreams will become reality if I keep up my hard work. Do you have big dreams like these?
The Job that Saved My Life
by Mattisen Witzel
When people hear pediatric cardiologist, they think it must mean someone who is playing with bloody hearts and cutting people apart. That is exactly what I would have said it meant too. Well, that was before my life was saved by a pediatric cardiologist.
I now see a pediatric cardiologist as someone who is saving people’s lives. My cardiologist was so understanding and was on my level. He made me feel so taken care of. I hope I can help another little child the way he helped me as I was going through such a traumatic experience.
I absolutely adore kids and it breaks my heart when something is wrong with them. I saw kids in the hospital when I was there and I just wanted to make them better. It was so reassuring to me to know many procedures had been done before mine.
It takes about 14 years of schooling after high school to become a pediatric cardiologist. There is a growing number of pediatric doctors being needed. By the year 2020, there will be a 24% increase of doctors needed than in 2010 (education portal).
Heart problems have killed my aunt and have affected many other family members of mine. If it wasn’t for my heart doctor, I may be dead. I feel as if I need to give back to the next generation so I can help save other lives. Is there a job or an experience that saved your life the way my pediatric cardiologist saved mine?
Life at Montbello
by Blake Utsler
Montbello is a very interesting neighborhood to live at or near. It is located near the Denver International Airport in the city of Denver, Colorado. This place is very large and has a large diversity of people living there.
The neighborhood has a lot of diversity in it, but in a horrible way. But where I lived, there wasn’t much activity going on. Near the east side of the neighborhood though, there were many crimes and trespassing happening. I was lucky to live in the somewhat better part of the neighborhood.
When you go farther into the neighborhood, more crime happens, graffiti, trespassing, hit and runs once in a while, and even drug dealing. This neighborhood was a horrible place to be living in, but I had friends who had my back at any time, so that made me feel more safe. Also a bit safer, because I had the friends to back me up and nobody had a problem with me there.
I wouldn’t go back to this neighborhood because of the major crimes that happened. I don’t want to risk getting hurt if I offend a person and he/she take a compliment wrong. I feel more safer in St. Francis. I plan to stay as long as I can and persuade my family members to come here, too. They can live closer to me and it will be in a better neighborhood than where I spent my childhood. Would you think like me and move to a better place or would you move to Montbello and live like I did?
Freshman Year!
by Nick Paulsen
Freshman year is kind of scary at first! It is the same feeling as when you enter junior high for the first time just a little scarier, since there are more grades with students who are older than you. So people older than me probably have felt the same nervousness that I do.
As a freshmen, goals need to be set. In sports I have set goals for myself to do almost all the sports in order help our teams succeed. To be able to play a significant amount of sports as a freshman, takes hard work and more effort, but in the end it can all be worth it.
One of my classes is English class, which is a class we stick with from seventh grade till ninth grade and maybe even farther. English class isn’t a class that I hate, but it also isn’t my favorite class. I like English class because without it I wouldn’t be able to write as well as I do today! Taking notes is how I learn best because if I write the notes down it is easier for me to remember them.
During the school year, there are also other activities which take place, like youth groups. Youth groups are fun to go to because you get to be with friends and learn about God.
So far I am enjoying my freshman year and being able to be with the older high school students. I am looking forward to the rest of my years in high school. How did you feel when you first went into high school?
BMX Racing v.s. BMX Freestyle
by Dennis Potter
There are only a few things which really interest me. One of those things is Bicycle Motocross (BMX). I’ve always loved anything which dealt with BMX since I was nine years old and wanted to grow up to be a BMX freestyler.
At first, I will talk about racing a BMX bikes. Usually the races take place on a half-mile dirt track with small dirt ramps. You can do small tricks on the ramps to gain points and gain speed. Most bikes have skinny tires which add traction so you don’t slip and get injured. The bike has a wider frame on it for weight. The weight will give you more control when you’re going ten miles per hour down the hill where you start.
The freestyling events are way different in the bikes and the tracks. Freestyling is the one I really like, and it’s all about stuntriding and injuries. You do more tricks than anything and are high in the air, at least 20 feet on some ramps. There is pavement along with concrete, rather than dirt, along with heavy plastic or concrete ramps which are much bigger. There are way too many bike brands in freestyling and I only know a few.
BMX isn’t only one event, like most people think it is. Most people will argue it’s only freestyling or only racing. The reason they think that is because freestyle would be in the X-Games and racing isn’t.
Would you ever think about doing BMX once in your life? If so, now you would know quite a bit about Bicycle Motocross if anyone asks you about it.
My Career
by Dalton Straub
Do you have a profession or job you want to enter when you graduate from high school? What does your future career specialize in? Is it in carpentry, technology, or maybe even coaching for a sport? My profession involves working on older vehicles.
When I graduate, I plan to go school and learn about restoring old vehicles. My brother goes to school for that now. By going into this profession, I have to know how to paint and many other details. I also have to know how to do upholstery and bodywork.
This career is an excellent paying job. I’m not going to go into this field of study just for the money. I’m in it for the love and passion I have four old cars. I recommend others to do this as well, only if you have the same interest like I do.
Why do you want to do this career when you get older? Is there a specific reason why you want to do this? I want to because my dad has many old cars he has restored. So I want to help him on different cars if he buys anymore to restore.
Where are you going to go to college to learn this field? Or are you even going to go to college for it, I am. I plan on going to McPherson College to go into this profession. McPherson is the college where my brother went to learn the same thing. He is another reason why I want to do this career.
After reading this story, have you decided to pursue the same career as me? Or is there another career you want to pursue?
Football Practice
by Luke Lampe
Did you really ever work hard in high school football? Have you given all your effort just to play in a game? This can all be done in football practice. Even though football practice is tough and tiring, it’s worth it when you know you gave your best effort to make others better.
Even though I don’t start on the varsity team, I still try to make the team better in practice by giving all my effort. While doing this, I am also making myself better for my future years of football. By practicing hard as a freshman, this could mean I will be much better at football by the time I become a senior.
Practice is all about getting better, but in football it also means helping others get better. Without your teammates to help you in practice, how would you expect to get any better? Teammates are a huge part of any sport practice, especially in team sports.
Practice can also give you a look for what you're going to expect in a real game. Without practice, there would be no way you would be able to know what to do in a game. This is why practice is necessary to be able for your team to succeed in a sport such as football. So have you ever worked hard in practice to succeed in a sport or activity?
Why I Game
by Luin Norris
Why do I game? I game because it is really exciting. Most people who play video games have a favorite brand, console, and games. That is all just part of the fun. A perfect example is me. My favorite console is Xbox; my favorite game is the Halo series.
The reason I play video games is because it’s extremely fun. It’s even more fun when I play with friends or play online with people across the world. I usually play with friends because I’m always hanging out with them. When I play online, I’m usually playing alone.
Many people who play video games play for many hours of the day. I, however, can not do that. I can only play for an hour or two. If I play too long I begin to lose, then get extremely angry. It’s not fun to play video games when you’re mad at the game.
There is also some positive things about gaming. Gaming improves your hand-eye coordination and improves focus. People who play video games are really focused when they play. One can usually transfer their focus from gaming to something else.
Everybody plays different kinds of games. The kind of games I play are super exciting. I play war-games which take place in space and on other planets.
So I game, because it’s an extraordinarily great time. Why do you game?
Indifferent
by Hanna Bracelin
When you see people with different styles of clothing on, what do you think? Oh, that person is “weird”, “different” or “he/she needs to get into style”. I’m sure that’s what half or more people think.
To me, clothing expresses way more than just who is in style and who isn’t. Clothing is your personality. Your favorite colors, what you like do in your free time, and whether or not you like who you are as a person. In other words, the way you see the world, bright and cheery, or sad and depressed.
The public eye looks at people and judges them by what they wear. Whether they wear hardly any clothes or are covered head to toe, doesn’t say one thing about who they are as a person.
Have you ever heard an adult say “That girl must be wearing those pants and shirt to get boys to like her?” Well, I highly disagree with that statement. I particularly don’t dress for any guy. Simply, because I dress for myself and want to make myself feel “put together.”
Clothing does much for the human body and feelings. People who dress in sweats are more likely to feel down in the dumps about themselves. On the other hand, people who dress like they function in the world have a higher self-esteem.
Next time you see people with different clothes, don’t judge them until you figure out who they are. Their clothing expresses who they are, and it is not for you to judge them.
