Do You Know the News?

Answers to the current events test from page 6 of the November 2010 issue of the O&B

Questions 1-3: match the proposed amendments with what they would have done if voted into law:

 

Question 1: Proposition 101:   Lowers the driver registration fee

Question 2: Proposition 60:  Property taxes are lowered

Question 3: Proposition 61:  The government cannot borrow money

Questions 4-6: match the political candidates with their opponents and their political party:

     D: John Hickenlooper         R: Dan Maes

     D: John Salazar       R: Scott Tipton

     D: Michael Bennett            R: Ken Buck

Question 7:  The Gulf Coast oil spill began with an explosion on what oil rig?

     Answer:  Deepwater Horizon Rig

Question 8: Is America Currently in a recession?

     Answer: No.  According to economists, the recession has now ended.  We are, however, still suffering effects of the recession.

Question 9: Which Current major political party is the Tea Party movement trying to re-energize?

     Answer:  The Republican Party.

Question 10: Which country recently released Sara Shourd, one of three American hikers held for the past 13 months in prison?

     Answer: Iran

Question 11: Which of the following is not a political party in the USA?

     Answer:  Red.  GOP (a.k.a the Republican party), Libertarian, and Green are all political parties in the USA.  “Red” is a color associated with the Republican Party, but “Red” itself is not a political party.

GJHS Grad and her Supreme Court Possibilities

     Monica Marquez, a GJHS graduate, will have the opportunity to serve on the highest judiciary in the state: The Colorado Supreme Court.

      The new Justice did not grant interviews to any other news sources than the Orange and Black.

The class of 1987 co-valedictorian graduated from Stanford University and she later earned her law degree from Yale Law School.

      An opening on the court was created after Chief Justice Mary Mullarkey announced her desire to retire and Marquez was one of three nominated by the Supreme Court Nominating Commission to replace the longtime Justice.

      The other two nominees were Front Range Judges David Prince and Robert Russel.

 Marquez was born on Bergstrom Air Force Base in Texas but grew up in the Grand Valley. 

     At GJHS, Marquez credits Counselor Norma Shulz and teachers Jacquelyn Palmer, Dennis Kiefer among others for helping her to pursue her dreams.

     “They were really instrumental,” she said. “They taught me to dream big.”

     Her father, retired Judge Jose D.L. Marquez, worked on the Mesa County District Court and then became the first Latino on the Colorado Court of Appeals.

     “It was certainly interesting to grow up with a judge [as a father]” Marquez said. “It doesn’t make you especially popular.”

     Still, insists the soon-to-be sworn in Justice, having a father as a Judge helped her to pursue law.

     “Getting to work with two judges plus my dad got me inspired to be a judge [myself],” Marquez said.

      Marquez, who currently serves as a deputy attorney general under Colorado Attorney General John Suthers, brings an extensive resume to the bench.

      Earlier this year, Marquez won the Richard Marden Davis Award, a prestigious accolade.  Only one other state-employed attorney has ever won the aforementioned accolade: current Governor and former prosecutor Bill Ritter.

     Marquez also spent time abroad, gaining perspective and knowledge in countries such as Germany and Poland.

     “I had a kind of weird high school experience because I spent my entire junior year in Germany,” she said.  Marquez spent time in Germany after college as well, during which time the Berlin Wall came down and the Iron Curtain began to crumble.

      “Everything went haywire,” she said.  “It was a really cool experience.”

Marquez also brings experience working with at-risk kids in places such as Camden, NJ, for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  She worked as both a teacher and a community organizer before attending law school.

     Now, she’ll rule on the most important judicial decisions in the state.

For high school students, the road to the top may seem like a long one, but Marquez insists it is not impossible.

     “Obviously work hard,” she said. “Take school seriously.  At the same time, do what you love do, because if you enjoy it you’re going to shine.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              Story by Paul Harmon

Rachel’s Challenge by Chrissi Gillispie

     Rachel Joy Scott was the first girl killed in the Columbine shooting in 1999. Scott was a girl that lived by compassion and kindness, who wanted to help people and change the world.  

          Rachel’s Challenge is a program that her father, Darrell Scott, founded because he was not going to let Rachel’s message of compassion die with her.  

         The foundations of this program are six diaries that the Scott family found after Rachel’s death, and the essay she wrote before the shooting. They also found her handprint traced on the back of her dresser with a message inside it that said, “These hands belong to Rachel Joy Scott, and will someday touch millions of hearts.”  

            Mrs. Deers, a teacher at Central High School, brought this program to the administrators of the district to make it happen. All the principals in the valley were very supportive and agreed to the program.  

            “When you go back and look at what this is all about it goes with what we want to do with our students,” said Principal Jon Bilbo.  

            With the help of sponsors around town, including Alpine Bank, the district was able to pay for Rachel’s Challenge to come to the Grand Valley.  

            Rachel’s Challenge starts with an exposure assembly at 7:30 a.m., which will last about an hour, and after that there will be a poster outside to sign up for Friends of Rachel. Friends of Rachel is a group of students that want to be more involved with the Challenge and want to help make our school a better place with the help of our administration.  

            Bilbo said as a school we want to represent PRIDE and Rachel’s Challenge goes hand-in-hand with that. The administration wants to help new students feel welcome. “That’s what it’s all about, is trying to commit to be a better person,” Bilbo stated.  

            Administration plans on setting goals with the Friends of Rachel to continue progress throughout the year. At the beginning of the second semester Mr. Bilbo hopes to come back with a refresher assembly and possibly get Darrell Scott to come speak. “If we get committed we could really start something,” Bilbo said.  

            This program is designed to make an impact. Last year there were 3,484 presentations made to 1,315,370 people, and this year the numbers continue to rise.  

            Other school administrators that have had Rachel’s Challenge come to their school have said they noticed a significant change in the student body, and our administrators hope to see the same positive change at GJHS and other schools in the district.  

            Darrell Scott hopes to see Rachel’s compassion continue on through millions of teenagers and communities. “I have a theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion then it will start a chain reaction of the same,” Rachel Scott said.