Friday, December 9, 2011Vol. 52 No. IV

Fairview High School1515 Greenbriar Blvd.The

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Royal BanneRnewsFriday, December 9, 20112

Op/Ed:Occupy Wall Street . . . . . . . . . . 3

the Number cruNch. . . . . . . . . . . 3

Spirituality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

SpOrtS:FairvieW FeStival . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 bOyS/GirlS SWimmiNG . . . . . . . . 11 WreStliNG. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11

tablE Of

COntEntSON THE COVER: Finals week approaches Fairview (ELI BOONIN-VAIL).

Rose Lupanachi used to be Fairview’s inter-ventionist counselor, but she is now the Dean of Students. Her role has drastically shifted, but she hopes to take her experience from her past posi-tion into her new job. “I won’t be able to com-pletely change the job,” she said. “There are as-pects of discipline that have to stay the same. But I hope I can handle things in my own way. She applied to be Dean of Students after going back to school and getting an administrative degree.

Unlike most jobs, the interventionist position is not filled by BVSD. The mental health care cen-ter hires for it, and Stensrud makes the final de-cisions. The interventionist post did not remain unfilled for long. The Monday after Thanksgiv-ing Break, Jenny Hetch took over the job. She is supplemented by Suzy Ripley, who works the po-sition on Tuesdays and Thursdays, for a total of ten hours a week. The interventionist’s job is now

larger, previously 40 hours a week, and now 50. Both of the new interventionists enter with expe-rience. Ripley used to work as an interventionist councilor at Netherland High School. Hetch was previously the director of the expulsion school in the St. Vrain District. Before that, she worked for seven years as an interventionist.

Hetch is very excited to work at Fairview. “I am looking back to getting back into supporting in-stead of disciplining, and supporting the students here in any way I can.”

Fairview went for a short period of time with-out an interventionist, but, though there is no law requiring high schools to have an intervention-ist councilor, as Lupanachi said, not having one, “would be a bad idea. BVSD’s largest school won’t go without an interventionist. It’s just been hard to fill the position in the middle of the school year, so there’s been a gap.”

Across the United States, the poor economy has had a major impact on many people in our communities. This year could be maybe the most depressing Christmas due to a lack of food, gifts and shelter for the home-less of our community.

For the Thanksgiving holiday, five of the Denver Rescue Mis-sions were reporting more then 1,000 occupants per building, grand totaling 5,000 people in the Denver Rescue Mission buildings according to local ra-

dio station KBCO. Many folks at this Christmas season are suf-fering from the poor economy and cannot provide anything for their families. However, our community has great programs to aid the less fortunate.

For one, more food is always needed. In the Boulder com-munity, the Foodshare program collects food and donates to people in aid. In addition, many supermarkets like King Sooper’s and Safeway also accept canned goods to donate to the needy. It

always is great to Volunteer and Community Table, the Boulder Homeless Shelter and the Den-ver Rescue Mission, to name a few.

In addition, toys and clothes are also in short supply this year. Many charities and orphan-ages accept clothing and toys to give away as gifts. This year, our community really needs to pull together and donate any house-hold items to charities and fund-raisers.

Jenny Hetch is Fairview’s new interventionist By SHOSHANNA POLLACK

Boulder Community strives to help people in needBy BRETT MATISSEN

VAL-U-ADS™

A Proof Of Your Ad For ApprovalPrepared by Christy

DEADLINE: THURSDAY (Sept 15) 5pm

BDN Vol 18 #7Date: 9/1/11BTMails Out: 9/28/11Book Expires 10/22/11

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EntErtainmEnt:

beSt OF 2011 . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . 5

hOliday GiFt Guide . . . . . . . . . . . 9

StudEnt lifE:

hOW tO eNjOy yOur break . . . . . 6

SleddiNG hill Guide . . . . . . . . . .7 Periods 3 Periods 1 Periods 4

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday8:05 – 9:25 AM Tutoring time/makeup testing9:30 - 11:30 AM Testing Block #1

11:30 – 12:25 PM Lunch Block

12:30 – 2:30 PM Testing Block #2 Period 5 Periods 8 Periods 7 Periods 6

Finals Schedule:Periods 2

nEwS:

NeW iNterveNtiONiSt . . . . . . . . . 2

cOmmuNity helpS Needy . . . . . . 2

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Op/Ed 3ROyal BannERFriday, December 9, 2011

PSAT. SAT. ACT. AP. IB. GPA. When did my life start revolving around those little ac-ronyms? When did those meaningless amal-gams of consonants and vowels start to mean so much? And why am I even pondering this?

I know exactly when things changed. In August of 2009, I entered the halls of

Fairview High School as a bright-eyed eager freshman. High school would be my place to

shine, I thought. I had always been the smart kid, the one with all the answers. Why would that be any different here?

Then, I walked into my first class: Pre-IB Government. To my shock, I was among people who also had all the answers (I had a pretty big ego at the begin-ning of freshman year). It only got worse in science - there, people knew things I didn’t. For the first time, I truly experienced the cutthroat competition of the academically gifted. For the first time, the difference between a 91% and a 98% became terrifyingly clear.

The school year rushed by in a flurry of homework, tests, and essays. With ev-ery graded assignment I got back, a hum of muttering would break out, a frantic competing and comparing of scores, feeling a sick sense of pride every time your score came out on top. People would (and do), I think, calculate their GPA in their heads, and then hasten to share the number with everyone else.

“Mine’s a 4.5 at the moment,” a student would proclaim.“Really? Not bad, but I have a 4.75,” came the reply from their neighbor.“Oh, I’m a 5.0,” a voice would cut smugly into the conversation, and the first

student would be left wondering how the heck someone maintains that kind of average (no electives freshman year, that’s how).

And there was that transition. From “I have” to “I am.” Increasingly, the num-ber that indicated academic prowess became the value that defined worth. Yet freshman year, we were only mimicking the upperclassmen spouting off SAT and ACT scores like doctors diagnosing a patient. As scores got lower, the pa-tient’s chances of “survival” plummeted. Keep in mind, in the IB program, an unweighted GPA of 3.6 is considered on the low end of decent.

I think most of this crazy is restricted to Fairview. This summer, I visited University of Pennsylvania. While there, I asked about minimum GPA for ad-mittance. I expected it to be around a 3.6, if that low. This place is an Ivy, after all. But surprise surprise! Minimum GPA for consideration at Penn? 3.3. My jaw dropped. For two years, I had been led to believe that a 3.3 was absolutely em-barrassing. What is this madness?

So apparently we at Fairview place rather a lot of importance on the high

numbers. And we definitely should take pride in our academic competitiveness. But what happens when everyone is at the top of the curve? The curve adjusts. Students who would be brilliant elsewhere are only average. Their self-esteem drops through the floor. Their confidence plummets. They start to stress. They forget about being a well rounded person and having fun and focus on what they seem to think will look best on college applications: SAT and ACT scores, their GPA, the IB Diploma, and clubs they don’t always care about but pour their time into anyway.

Now, as a junior, I do realize why those scores and school activities seem to matter so much. Colleges consider them when looking at your application, true. What many people seem to fail to consider is that when applying to an extreme-ly competitive Ivy, let’s say Harvard, all the applications are going to be high on the curve, exactly like yours. When the application board has a thousand other applications from people who have a 34 plus on the ACT, a 2300 plus on the SAT, a near-perfect GPA, and hundreds of volunteer hours, it’s pretty much a straight up lottery on who gets in and who doesn’t. Yeah, they may weigh in your essay, but unless you’re the next Mark Twain, it’s only going to matter so much.

Take a step back, people. Do you really care all that much about the presti-gious reputation of this college or the other? Does that school really comple-ment your interests? Or do you just want to be able to name drop about where you’re applying to? You should be choosing a college that suits you, not everyone else’s expectations.

I don’t want to tell you to give up on your dream Ivy League school. If you are truly passionate about academics, and only academics, by all means, take advantage of that strength. And everyone should learn to push themselves to be their best. But to the rest of you, those of you struggling to keep up with those high achievers, those of you who aim for Ivies just because it’s what everyone else is doing, those of you who forget your strengths because your weaknesses are what everyone is judging, to you I say this: don’t let the numbers be who you are. How do you want to remember your time here? As time you spent forcing yourself towards a goal that others have set for you? Or do you want to recall it as a time during which you made amazing friends and learned who you really are? I know which I’m choosing.

The number crunch: Why cutthroat academics are pointless

Eliana Goldstein

Ever since... Well, forever, America has al-ways been divided into economical classes. Ever since the recession, the majority has been discontent with the economical and political policies of the United Sates gov-ernment, tilting to the side of open protest more and more as United States’ politicians uselessly stuck themselves in the power struggle for votes as the next year’s election neared.

Well, the water has spilled. The spilled water has burst a pipe, and now the water pouring from the pipe has begun filling the house called the world, making it impossible for the world leaders to ignore the protests.

It all started in September 17th, when protesters gathered outside of the Wall Street to protest the disproportionate power of the U.S. corporate elite, when anarchists, socialists, and liberals spent their nights in the Zuccotti Park near Ground Zero. Then, the protest continued, and the majority noticed the move-ment as something more than just a simple small protest.

In a span of few days, the unemployed, underemployed, middle-age activists, and other dissatisfied people began to join the fray, swelling the crowd day by day. By October 10th, the protest had gone nationwide with protests being incited in almost every state. However, it did not stop there, as the demonstration con-tinued to expand over the Pacific Ocean to Hong Kong, Tokyo, and other major cities.

The protest that started in Wall Street has escalated to similar protests world-wide at more than 900 cities. With 70 cities and over 600 communities in the United States being filled with protesters. Some of these protests in the U.S. have gotten violent, forcing some government to consent in sending riot troops, plac-ing more police forces for patrol, and arresting particularly violent individuals.

Why is this protest happening? There are multiple reasons, Corporate influ-ence of government, wealth inequality, desire of Social Democracy, etc. What do these people want? It is not clear, but some of the big ideas are representation of the vast majority of the country that has been suffering under the economic recession while the wealthiest flourish, collective liberation, new taxes on finan-cial transactions.

The protesters came together to have their voices heard, and so they have. The government is responding to the movement through either support or opposi-tion. The White House is trying to join the parade, while the Tea Party is trying to control the crowd to their advantage.

The time for a change has arrived. Obama tried to change the country for a better nation, but failed as he is just one man. However, a new force of frustra-tion majority of the nation has begun to rise up, crying for a new policy that would satisfy their American dream.

I, as a guy in his Junior year, have nothing to say. The direction of this world-wide protest is too murky, and until a direction of all these protests are deter-mined, I cannot place my personal opinion on this subject. What is evident though, is that these protests have definitely attracted my attention. All I have to do is wait and see what happens.

Occupy Wall Street: The increasing chaos

Brian Lee

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ROyal BannERFriday, December 9, 2011

the royal Banner

11-12 staffeditorial Board Print Editors-In-Chief: Eli Boonin-Vail

RachEl JoycE

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Adviser SaRah M. ZERwin For Subscriptions: SEnD $25 to Royal BannER, faiRViEw high School, RooM 814, 1515 gREEnBRiaR BlVD, Boul-DER, co 80305, call 720-561-3259 oR contact uS at

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About the Banner The Royal Banner Newspaper is a 12 to 24 page newspaper. The

Banner is written primarily for the over 2000 students attending Fair-

view High School and is distributed free of charge to all members of

the school community. Accurate reporting of fact is the goal of the

staff. Commentaries, opinion columns and letters to the editor are the

expressed opinion of the author and not of The Royal Banner and its

Editorial Board or its adviser.

Special thanks to Carson Kahn and Victor Chen for designing our

front page logo.*Disclaimer: Under Colorado law, no expression made by students in the exercise of free speech or freedom of the press

shall be deemed to be an expression of school policy. No school district, employee, legal guardian or official of such a

district shall be held liable in any criminal action for any expression made or published by a student. The Royal Banner sells

advertisements for publicity and to pay for printing costs. We reserve the right to refuse to run any advertisement deemed

inappropriate to the Fairview community.

What does the word spirituality mean to you? This is the question I posed to a few Fairview students of different re-ligious backgrounds and beliefs.

Spirituality can be perceived as faith in

that which is supernatu-ral, but it can also be a personal path to becoming a more compassionate, loving and full human being. In other words, some people think of spirituality as the way one becomes a “better person.” Others view it as simply religion without the strict rules and traditions.

Jacob Needleman, a well-renowned phi-losopher and profes-sor at San Fransisco State University, says that “to do spiritual work, you must invite into yourself a high-er force or identity: God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, Higher Self, Brahma, Atman, Bud-dha-nature, whatever you want to call it. It’s a force that redefines the ‘you’ who works on yourself.” This unique perspective merges the belief in a supernatural being or force with the idea of self-improvement through spirituality.

The word spiritual-ity has a very unique connotation, however, in the Boulder community as a whole. If a friend invites you to the Boulder Center for Spiritual Living (tagline: “It feels good here!”) you will most likely snicker at them or wonder whether they have been celebrating 4/20 five months early.

I will admit that I wouldn’t be the first to rush to that Sunday morning service about “growing in one-ness,” but why not? The idea that one should be at peace and unity with themselves is a core belief that has been explored for years in literature, art and mu-sic.

Not to mention the practice of meditation, which has been proven to help relieve stress and keep people healthier overall. Doctors have recommended medi-tation especially to Type A workaholic people. Sound like anyone you know, IB/AP students?

According to a study done for a Sun Maga-zine interview on spirituality, the last couple of decades have shown a rapid increase in the number of people who identify themselves as “spiritual but not religious,” especially among young adults.

So back to my original question. What is spirituality, and how is it different than re-ligion? You can be a spiritual person and not align yourself with any particular religion, but you can not be religious without having some spirituality instilled in you. Basically, when we

scoff at the idea of spirituality, we are also scoffing at faith, religion, and the idea of unity with oneself. And who hasn’t, at one point in their lives, felt that bliss that comes with being perfectly content and happy in your own skin? I sincerely hope that every person will, at some point, be in that place.

So the next time you feel the urge to laugh out loud at the idea of spirituality or, for some of you, the idea that there could be a god, consider the implications and consider your own definition of spirituality.

I have spoken to students who feel that their be-liefs, especially belief in God or other supernatural beings, are looked down on in advanced classes be-cause faith is not considered logical. “It’s like they

[non-believers] con-sider themselves more evolutionarily advanced because they don’t believe in anything that can’t be proven,” said one Fairview junior in the IB program.

Now you’d think that people who are self-defined as intel-lectuals would have the sense to broaden their perspectives and look beyond their own beliefs. And yet, we are still faced with the prob-lem of students not feeling comfortable sharing what they believe in, in fear of being judged by their peers. That shouldn’t be a problem in a school that proclaims itself to be welcoming

and tolerant of all people. Besides my personal be-

lief that everyone integrates some aspect of spiritual-ity in their own life, it seems contradictory that we Boulder-ites who preach tolerance so often would be judgmental of our friends and classmates.

Just consider how much more you could learn in your all of your hoity-toity IB classes if you simply opened your mind to others’ beliefs, be they religious or not. Just asking someone what they believe in with the intent of being respectful and just listening can spark an inspirational, deep and highly intellectual conversation. Think about it.

Katie Steen

Consider it: The definition of spirituality

Spirituality has a very unique connotation to many people

(ZOE POLANDO)

Royal BanneRenteRtainment Friday, December 9, 2011 5

Best f 2 11MOVIES: BY ELI BOONIN-VAIL

X-MEN: FIRST CLASSI’m tired of artsy films.

2010 wore me down with a parade of cacophonous challenging pictures like “Black Swan,” “127 Hours,” and “The Social Network.” I’m glad 2011 was here to let my brain melt. Sure, there have been splashes of avant garde this year in cinema. Terrence Malick’s “The Tree of Life” comes to mind, as does grumpy Dane Lars Von Trier’s apocalyptic de-pressathon, “Melancholia.” “Drive” had the potential to sate my intellectual ap-petite this year, but that po-tential vanished in a cloud of needlessly graphic blood and laughable moody sto-icism. These films are out-liers, freaks of nature who don’t fit in. 2011 has been the year of the blockbuster.

“X-Men: First Class” em-bodies all that is good about such blockbusters. It man-ages to be intelligent with-out pretension, moralistic without overreaching, ex-plosive but not overblown, and delightfully enjoyable. In the undeniable slosh of terrible previous X-men films, “First Class” is a true diamond in the rough, an unexpected alternate history that plays coolly into its 1960s period piece setting without coming off as trendy. The films delivers no more or less than what its audience would want, achieving blockbuster Nirvana.

OVERALL: PJ HARVEY – “LET ENGLAND SHAKE”The coupling of Harvey’s intense

war imagery (“I’ve seen and done things I want to forget / I’ve seen soldiers fall like lumps of meat”) with her consistent, remarkable arrangements makes “Let England Shake” the most memorable album from 2011.

Despite its gruesome subject matter, the music is pretty serene, and it manages to be very pop

friendly. There’s really nothing else like it. Even Harvey herself has described it as a “grand departure” from anything else she’d ever done, and it takes us to unbelievable places.

RAP/HIP HOP: DRAKE – “TAKE CARE”“Take Care” is Drake’s break-

up album. He sings mostly about his own mess ups and laments the way he’s treated people, and effec-tively captures the cathartic expe-rience of moving past heartbreak with this album.

This is a welcome departure from the subject matter of most hip-hop, often discussing misog-yny, excessive substance abuse, violence, and rampant egotism. If

nothing else, “Take Care” has more heart and soul than all other rap albums from this year.

Yes, it’s moody, but it’s still super chill, and a very strong fol-low up for Drake.

Runner up: THE BEASTIE BOYS – “HOT SAUCE COMMITTEE PT. 2”

ROCK: ELBOW – “BUILD A ROCKET BOYS!”With “Rocket,” England’s Elbow

builds on the Coldplay/U2 aesthet-ic of their previous album, “The Seldom Seen Kid,” by employing an even greater level of intricacy and intimacy.

The heart of the album comes with its resolving track, “Dear Friends,” a very beautiful song about sinking friendships. This album is poignant, and above all, relevant for everyone.

Runner up: THE BLACK KEYS – “EL CAMINO”

HONORABLE MENTION:Bon Iver – “Bon Iver, Bon Iver”

Wilco – “The Whole Love”St. Vincent – “Strange Mercy”

LET DOWNS:Radiohead – “King of Limbs”

Red Hot Chili Peppers – “I’m With You”Metallica & Lou Reed – “Lulu”

MUSIC: BY SAM ROCK

SUPER 8Yet another blockbuster to top my list for best of 2011 is J.J. Abram’s retro-fixated “Super

8,” the tale of a boy, his dead mother, and a thoroughly misunderstood but clearly scary mon-ster from planet god-knows-where. Built on the film lore of pop culture classics, the film fol-lows a strict regiment set by its precedents. It has a cast of preteen jokers (“The Goonies”), 13-year old protagonist (“E.T.”), and, of course, shiny spaceships (“Close Encounters of The Third Kind”). Coincidentally, Steven Spielberg directed all three of the films I just refer-enced. Spielberg also served as producer on “Super 8.”

“Super 8” is a film you probably won’t enjoy as much as your parents will, but it’s a rare one that you’ll be able to enjoy together on near equal levels without feeling lame.

PHOTOS: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS

6 Student Life 7Royal BanneR

Friday, December 9, 2011Royal BanneR

Friday, December 9, 2011

Fill in this winter won-derland coloring page! Turn in your submis-sions with your name and grade to the envelope on door 831 by Wednesday, December 14. The two best pictures will win a stellar prize that may or may not change their lives. You may submit as many pictures as you want and creativity will likely boost your chances of winning.

Winter Wonderland: Enjoy Your Break & Your FinalsName: __________________Grade: ____________

Feeling creative? You can learn how to construct a homemade gingerbread house in less than 2 hours! The project requires a few simple ingredients and a little patience but in the end you’ll have a masterpiece that is both festive and de-licious. If you’re not interested in mak-ing the gingerbread from scratch you can watch Megan and Paige’s video at fhsroy-albanner.com and buy a ready made gin-gerbread house kit at your local grocery

store or Michael’s Craft Store.

If you’re looking to try something new to get

into the spirit of the holidays this year, try

getting a group of friends together and drive

through the most decorated neighborhoods

in Boulder. The residents of certain neighbor-

hoods throughout the area have amazed people

every year with their creativity. Colorful lights

illuminate the houses and for many people view-

ing the displays is a holiday tradition. A map of

the most recommended neighborhoods can be

found by going to the Daily Camera website

and looking up “Holiday lights.”

By MEGAN DEBRUYN

Thinking of a special someone this holiday season? Cut out this mistletoe and hang it up some-

where that they will see it! You’ll be sure to have

the happiest Ha-nukkah of them all!

It’s time to take advantage of the long

awaited snow! If you’re feeling more

adventurous and want to try something

other than skiing and snowboarding,

give snowmobiling or snowshoeing a

shot. Even cross-country skiing can mix

up your routine. Typically everyone pre-

fers to go to a certain Ski Resort but the

closest snowmobiling is in the Winter

Park area this year. You may want to sign

up for a snowmobiling tour before going

on out your own.

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Here are some words of wisdom about maintaining your slender figure this holiday season from Buddy the Elf: “Try to stick to the four main food groups: can-dy, candy canes, candy corns and

syrup.”

By KATIE STEEN AND ELLA JENAK

Although it may not be as steep as Tantra, this hill has plenty of room for multiple sledders and

there are different spots along the hill where you can sled. “I’ve gone there ever since I was little because it’s the right amount of scary and fun,” says Katelin Yearsley, senior. “It’s long enough to be worth going and a lot of times people make jumps, so that’s pretty fun.” Scott Carpenter can be lots of fun on a snowy day, but be warned: it is often over-run with small children and their extensive families. Just be on the lookout so that you avoid flattening any kids, and you

should have a wonderful time!

This petite sledding hill is conveniently located just outside Fairview behind

the South Boulder Rec Center. “It’s quite lovely,” says Lena Christianian, sophomore, “but the trek back up sucks.” Chil-dren flock to this hill every snowy day but, unless you’re under the age of 6 or over the age of 60, this practically flat “hill” will hardly thrill you. However, if you’re confined to Fairview grounds and you feel the urge to sled, whip out your

binders and enjoy!

Don’t let the size of this hill, wedged in

the corner of Tantra Park, deceive you. What it lacks in area it makes up for in steepness. “Pretty solid hill,” says senior Daniel Halpern. “It’s pretty much deadly.” The trees at the bot-tom of the hill are padded and the fenc-es are lined with hay bails. Think about it. If you’re looking for a fast and furious sled-ding experience, Tan-tra won’t disappoint.

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Best of Boulder: Sledding Hills

Take a study break!

8 Royal BanneRFriday, December 9, 2011 enteRtainment

THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM

Bethesda software has been one busy company. Since releasing their last in-stallment in the “Elder Scrolls” Series over five years ago, the company reboot-ed its Fallout franchise with tremendous success, challenging the concept of gun-based combat in video games and redefining the concept of a role-playing game while accumulating a staggering fan base.

“Skyrim” is putty in your hands, allowing you to develop your own style of game play to suit your fancies. The conventions of playing as a “good” charac-ter or a “bad” character are thrown out the window. You can slay a dragon and save the town in one moment, and commit cannibalism in the next. “Skyrim” is the most engaging single player experience to date, and any person who calls themselves a gamer is incomplete without a copy of it.

UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION

The “Uncharted” series is practically the opposite of “The Elder Scrolls.” A set of rigorously confining games with a focus on combat, “Uncharted” does not want you to write your own story because it already has one for you. Fortu-nately, that story is massively entertaining.

“Uncharted 3” follows the series’ protagonist, Nathan Drake, as he globe-trots about killing bad guys in exotic locals while rescuing precious artifacts a la Indiana Jones. The game is well written, with witty dialogue and enjoyable character development, but it’s really the scenery that’s the selling point. “Un-charted 3” is more than just eye-candy, it’s brain-candy. Its sets are almost al-ways massive levels consisting of collapsing ancient architecture, with perilous enemies around every corner. Its graphics, once again, set the standard for con-soles everywhere, but then again, so does nearly everything else in this game.

MINECRAFT

Though it’s been out in beta format for over a year, 2011 has truly been the year of the block for video games. “Minecraft,” an indie game from Sweden, combines expansive open world exploration, survival strategy, and excellent creative interface. Essentially, its brings Legos to life.

“Minecraft” has managed to capture the hearts and minds of millions, and its obsessive fan base appears both communal and sustainable. Mojang, the game’s developer, has taken on the development process with both nurture and wis-dom, building the game from the ground up with the insight of its millions of players. “Minecraft” gives me hope for future generations of video games. It’s a smart game that’s both intuitive and challenging, it’s something that’s fun for people of all ages, and it redefines what video games are capable of.

PORTAL 2

Though “Portal 2” has nowhere near the replay value of the other games I’ve listed, it’s undeniably a masterpiece. A beautiful hybrid of excellent storytell-ing and gameplay, “Portal 2” uses standard video game mechanics like the first person perspective for completely original and unimagined means.

You play the game with a gun that shoots holes. Not bullet holes, as there are many video games that allow you to do that, but rather two interconnected holes in space-time. “Portal 2” begins with the simple premise of Point A to Point B traversal and ends with massively complex puzzles and problem solv-ing. Its co-op campaign ups the ante by introducing another player into the mix, as well as adding trickier puzzles.

Within the six months since its release, “Portal 2” has already established itself as both a classic and a standard. We will all be judging future puzzle plat-formers on the success of this game.

Video Games: by Eli Boonin-Vail

EntErtainmEnt 9royal BannErFriday, December 9, 2011

The gift-giving season is comin’ ‘round. Yes, gifts may come your way, but most people with brain stems would agree that it’s a good idea for YOU to invest some of your hard-earned cash in the purchase of material goods for the important people in your life.

The gift selecting process is difficult for every-one. Many people have written books and entire encyclopedias solely about gift giving. But fear not—we are here to remedy your gift choosing shortcomings.

Buy these things, and you’re sure to earn the respect and affection of your favorite people.

For your significant other: If you are willing and able to spend a little extra mon-ay, tickets to something you both enjoy (a sports game, a concert, a play, etc.) are really nice, however some-thing personal that alludes to an in-side joke you share or a quality you admire about them is always good. Just make sure you don’t go over the top spending money before you talk to your s/o, because you don’t want to be in the awkward situa-tion of exchanging gifts and realize that yours cost tons more (or less) than your man/woman’s.

For your crush-from-afar: If you’ve talked to him/her more than three times, maybe a candy cane and a note or something else subtle. If you’ve talked to him/her LESS than three times--nothing, nada, zip-a-dee-do-da. You don’t want to be creepy, especially during the holidays.

For your lovely mother: Give her something special to make her feel loved, you don’t want it to be too generic. For example, jewelry of her fa-vorite color or style is a go but target-brand body wash that “smells pretty nice” would be a poor choice and probably result in you being demoted to the second-most loved child.

For your padre: If your dad is the type who constantly does all the chores and doesn’t com-

plain, maybe give him a homemade coupon saying which of his chores you will take over for a while (or even just for one time if you’re feelin’ lazy like Bruno Mars). Otherwise, consider a new movie, book, or game that your dad is dying to try out. Dads generally love entertainment and having a high school kid isn’t always enough to entertain them.

For your sibling (hated or loved): Do your sibling a favor this holiday season and give them

something they really want and that mom or dad may not have thought

of. You want to be the “cool” sis-ter or brother, and sometimes parents just don’t understand pop culture these days. Howev-er, if all your little sister wants for Christmas is a Justin Bieber CD and a life-sized poster to go along with it, do her a favor and get her some nice tube socks

instead.

For your BFF to the max: It’s always nice to get friends presents, but be careful not to give them out at school if you don’t have one for ev-eryone (remember kindergarten?). For that one awesome person who you are proud to call your best friend, get them something fun and personal. If you don’t have a lot of cash to spend, a creative-ly packaged batch of your homemade cookies is always a great option.

For your pet: You don’t want your feline or ca-nine companion to feel left out during that annual morningtime gift splurge. Luckily for you, ani-mals do not have the ability to discern the level of for your love for them by the quality of the gift, so a nice bucket of Spam or another equivalent synthetic meat will suffice.

For Santa: Santa is defs tired of your incredibly banal yearly offering of chocolate chip cookies. Make a conscious effort to mix it up this year. Santa will probably value a creme brulee or may-be a bit of mousse. Fat men like Santa appreciate these kinds of things.

Gift Guide for the HolidaysBy KATIE STEEN and SAM ROCK

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Royal BanneR SpoRtSFriday, December 9, 201110

The Fairview girls basketball team got their 2011-2012 season rolling this past week, competing in Fairview’s annual Festival tour-nament.

The Knights, who bring back a solid core of seniors that played on last year’s squad, were looking forward to the Festival and com-peting on their home court.

“We’re pretty excited,” senior forward Hannah Hyde said before the tournament. “It’ll be exciting to see how the team does, be-cause I don’t think anyone really knows how good we’re going to be.

“I like to have [the tournament] at home. It’s good. And it’s good to get the feeling for our season.”

Coming into the game, Hyde cited ball control as a key point of emphasis for the beginning of the 2011 season.

“We will definitely need to handle the ball really well, because we lost our really good point guard [Carlee Lough] [from] last year,” Hyde said. “I think we’ll have to make up for that a little bit, and basically focus on winning games.”

The Knights will certainly miss Lough the rest of the season, as she averaged 11.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in 2010-11. Although the backcourt might be depleted, the frontcourt appears solid, with Hyde and fellow senior Sonia Ghosh back after contrib-uting a combined 15.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per game last season.

The Knights will have their hands full the rest of the season, with talented teams arising around the region.

“Monarch, Legacy, Horizon, [and] Longmont,” Hyde said, were several teams that might give the Knights trouble this year. About Longmont, Hyde added, “This year they lost two of their good players, but they’re still supposed to be good, I’ve heard.”

The Knights continue their season December 17th at Montbello.

By MATT JOHNSON

Girls basketball enters Fairview Festival

The Fairview boys basketball team is set for another great season and a deep run into the playoffs. With nine seniors on the team and only two underclassmen, the team has plenty of experience and strong leaders. Players to watch include seniors Holden Killeen, Jacob Lorentzen, and Shane O’Neill.

They kicked off their season (after an away game at ThunderRidge) with the Fairview Festival occurring Monday, Wednesday, and Friday of this week. “There’s nothing like the season and we’re excited for it,” said head coach Frank Lee. This team hopes to continue working well together and according to senior co-captain Shane O’Neill, “We have good team chemistry.”

The Knights know they have strong competition and have been working since Labor Day in preparation. “In preseason we did early morning practices and worked hard in the weight room,” Lorentzen said. As for the team’s focus in prac-tice, “We’ve been working on offense,” said O’Neill.

In the Fairview Festival, Monarch was expected to be their hardest opponent because of strong returning players as well as other opponents Broomfield and Fountain Fort Carson. “We always expect it to go well,” said Lee.

While this year’s team must overcome losing two starters from last year’s squad, Lorentzen says the current Knights are “a lot bigger, more skilled defensively, and better shooters than last year.”

This team has more than just skill. “We care more about each other this year,” O’Neill said.

”We have more cohesiveness,” Killeen said. “Overall, I think we are better than last year’s team. We’re lengthy and athletic.”

The Knights hoped that skill and team chemistry would be enough to come out on top this week. As O’Neill was travelling throughout the week, he was only available for Wednesday’s game. “Hopefully some other players will pick up the slack” said Lee. They will be relying on their defense because as Lorentzen says, “At Fairview, defense is our staple.”

“I think we’re gonna win it,” Lorentzen said before the Festival. “You always think you’re going to win everything.” This sentiment is echoed by co-captain Killeen, who believes in his team. As he says, “We all have a big desire to win.”

Boys look to pick up early season tourney win

By PIPER SALVATOR and PAIGE LINDGREN

Above: Senior Jake Lorentzen defends junior Cubby Lane in practice (MATT SPARK-

MAN). Below: The Knights in Fairview Festival action against Cheyenne Central

(MATT JOHNSON).

Above: The Knights talk things over after a timeout (MATT JOHNSON).

Below: Jonah Crespi hits a layup in warmups (MATT JOHNSON).

11 Royal BanneRFriday, December 9, 2011 SpoRtS

The Knights swim team is looking to have a strong year, and just like many other Fairview sports teams, this squad seems to have a chance to make some noise in the postseason.

Fairview won the Boulder County Invitational last year, one of the many highlights from the talented group. The Knights are also coming off of a top 10 finish in state last year, but according to senior Nicolas Ledru, Fair-view could finish even better this year.

“We have a lot of people who were fast last year who will be faster this year,” Ledru says.

The Knights have a core group of veteran swimmers who are going to contribute greatly this year, as well as a strong group of young swimmers led by sophomore Miles Mackenzie.

Along with having a strong showing at state as a team, Ledru thinks the Knights could see over 20 individuals qualify for State this year. “I predict 22 state qualifiers this year,” says Ledru. If this prediction comes true, the Knights will definitely be in a good position at the end of the year.

The Knights started the year with conditioning and “dry-land” practices (practices out of the water, usually strengthening workouts). Then the team moved to normal practices to begin preparing for the season.

Ledru is excited for the year, and he thinks the rest of the team will be just as pumped as he is. Hopefully, we’ll be hearing about their success at the end of the year.

The wrestling season has finally started up again and the boys are looking forward to an exciting year. Some of the toughest schools in the state are in Fairview’s league, including competitors from Mountain Range, Poudre, and Monarch.

Last year Chris Chavez broke Fairview’s upstanding record with 130 takedowns. Chavez graduated last spring, but with skilled wrestlers on this year’s team, the Knights hope to become recognized in the league.

“There’s ample opportunity for them to break a new re-cord,” says Coach LeFebvre of the wrestlers this year.

The appointed captain this year is Andrew Bedell while the second captain will soon be voted on by the rest of the team.

“He shows up, works hard and he’s a great model for how we want guys to wrestle,” LaFe-bvre says about choosing Bedell for team captain.

Last year Bedell was one match away from reaching 50/50 for wins and losses and is anticipating a great season this year. Other wrestlers to watch for are returning varsity seniors Conner McGraw, Mady Lignell, and Kevin Lohndorf. Returning varsity junior Chris Robinson is another promising wrestler.

Unfortunately, returning senior Ben Bulow injured his knee in the last football game of the season and is now unsure if he will be able to partici-pate in matches this year. Compared to last year the team is more promis-ing, even with a few injuries.

“We’ve got better senior wrestlers this year as well as better junior class to support it,” says Bedell about this year’s team.

The wrestling team’s next scheduled duel is Saturday December 10th at Palmer Ridge. The much anticipated season is upon us and students sup-port is appreciated. Be there for the wins!

Skilled seniors lead wrestling team By CALEB PYKKONEN By KALI CROSSEN and ALEX FLYNN

Boys swimming about to hit the pool

Nicolas Ledru (right) and Will Conway, two of the Knights’ returning senior swim-

mers (MATT JOHNSON).

As part of a recurring Thanksgiving Break tradition, Fairview’s girls’ swim team packed up and took off for Orlando, Florida during Thanksgiving week. They trained, tanned, vis-ited Disney World, and ate enough food for a small army.

This year the girls trained for the upcoming season by swimming intense workouts twice a day, but they had plenty of free time to enjoy showing off their newly toned swimsuit bods at the beach. They slept four to a hotel room, and each room had its own theme that corre-sponded to an overarching concept. This year, the themes were all countries.

Overall, the experience was intended to be a fun way to get into the groove of swim season.

“Florida is a great opportunity for us. We get to make really good friends and bond as a team, and get in great shape so we can kick everyone’s butts at meets,” said Junior Madeline Kasic.

The girls’ first meet was last Friday.

Girls swim team enjoys Florida training tripBy ELIANA GOLDSTEIN

Senior wrestling captain Andrew Bedell will

lead what he says is a balanced Knights

squad (MATT JOHNSON).

Enter a Poster Contest and win a free Kindle Fire!

Did you know that in CO and WY, 1800 people are waiting for life-saving organ transplant? Did you know that 21% of the transplant candidates in CO have been on the waiting list for five years or more?

Donor Dudes is an educational program which aims to eliminate the wait. You can help! Help Donor Dudes raise awareness and save lives by entering this poster contest.

For more information and inspiration contact Donor Dudes peer educators:Ethan Bialick ethanbialick@gmail.comJessie Smith smithers.jess@gmail.com

Create a poster that promotes the life-saving message of organ donation. Winning poster will be published in the Royal Banner in April, 2012.

All entries will be judged by Ms. Sarah Hal-stead and displayed at Fairview.Drop off your entry at Fairview on the bricks Fri mornings in Jan and up to Fri, Feb 10.

Royal BanneRadsFriday, December 9, 201112

Happy Holidays from the Royal Banner!

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