Rockies Look for Another Pennant

It’s official… Colorado Rockies baseball has finally returned to Denver.

By Scott Bruskin

Who could forget about the Rockies magical run to the World Series, which really did turn the month of October to “ROCKTOBER” in the state of Colorado. The success was brought about by the entire 25-man roster of the Rockies as they were able to scratch and claw their way to the biggest stage in all of baseball: the World Series. (Where, as everyone remembers, the Rockies were swept in convincing fashion by a red hot Boston Red Sox team. Who won its second world series in four years.)

    The Rockies should be contending this year again, as they basically return their nucleus of young players including Matt Holliday, Brad Hawpe, Jeff Francis, and Troy Tulowitzki, as well as some savvy veterans such as Todd Helton, Yorvit Torrealba, and Willy Taveras. The Rockies did, however, lose a few key contributors this off-season in starting second baseman Kazuo Matsui, relief pitcher Latroy Hawkins, and “The Dragon Slayer”, pitcher Josh Fogg, who received the nickname because of his ability to go head to head with the opponents’ ace pitcher and lead the Rockies to victory. Read more

Sit and Knit Club

TJ’s new knitting club is for beginners, experts, and everyone in between.
by Christina Danek

    The craft of knitting has experienced a widespread comeback in recent years as a trendy craft, hip hobby, and even a Zen form, and the movement has spread to TJ. “Sit and Knit” is the new club, started by TJ Librarian Sudi Stodola, aimed at teaching students the ropes—or strings, rather—of knitting.
    The group meets every Wednesday in the library, from 3:00 – 4:00 pm. Anyone who is interested is welcome, whether one is a purling guru, or has never seen a pair of needles before. “If you’ve never put that first stitch on a needle I’ll help you with that. If you’ve always wanted to learn how to cable, I can help you with that, too,” Stodola said. For those who are beginners, Stodola is providing a start-up kit with all of the necessary materials for the craft, including yarn, needles and everything in between. Those who already have supplies are welcome to bring what they have and join the group, as well.
     Stodola says that she has always enjoyed knitting, which is the reason she started the club. “In high school I wanted to learn, but didn’t know where to go, or how to start. It wasn’t until later—when I was in my twenties—that I learned how,” she explained. As Stodola sees it, knitting is a very worthwhile skill to learn for many reasons. “Scarves, sweaters, socks, shopping bags…there’s so much you can do with it that it’s an awesome hobby.”
    Stodola’s vision over the next few years is to build a close-knit (pun completely intended) circle – a community where people can come to knit, discuss what’s giving them trouble, share ideas, and relax. In the words of Stodola, “Even if you have nothing but your interest, bring that and we’ll get you set up.”
    So for all the knitting fans out there: the place to be is the library on Wednesdays at 3:00.

Tennis Tops West

Three game win streak for the Lady Spartans.

By Keenan Moore

Photo by Ryanne Mollo

The girls’ tennis team had their third match of the season and they pulled out another win, beating the West Cowboys 6-1.
    This is the third win in a row for the Lady Spartans and they have had total success in all of their games so far this season.  In fact, the Spartans have outscored their opponents 19-2 in the three matches they have played.  They have now beaten three tough league opponents and have started their season just like they wanted.
    Having to play West brought some controversial calls in the past matches.  However, this time proved to be just the opposite, as nothing seemed to be a major issue in the matches.  All of the matches were clean, and there were no major issues that were brought up by either of the teams.  Read more

A MacBook Aboard 815: Meet Kevin Johnson

A LOST addict types really, really fast between commercials.
CAUTION [If you didn’t see last night’s episode STOP! Spoilers Ahead!]
By Manny Perez

[I CANNOT believe I missed the first half-hour! IT’S MICHAEL. How do I miss it!?]

8:30 – Michael puts a fully loaded gun to his head in front of his TV. It refuses to fire, TWICE. A news report breaks where it tells him about the fake 815 flight. Obviously, this is extremely odd so he goes and visits one of the now-dead Others, Tom. He lets Michael in, but not before sending his boyfriend away with a kiss. [Ha! Never would have guessed.]  Anyway, he explains how Widmore faked the plane “discovery”, (apparently Others can come and go). Tom asks about the gun, “Did the bullet bounce off your head? Or did it just not fire?” Michael wants proof of the hoax. Tom shows how Widmore got the bodies from a Thailand cemetery, bought the plane, and dropped it all in a trench. Tom wants Michael on the freighter. “I can’t go back to the island!” he says. But Michael is not going to the Island, he’s the spy on the boat and he’s supposed to kill everyone there. Read more

Baseball Tops Ralston Valley

Solid hitting and defense lead the Spartans over the top-ranked Mustangs. 
by Marc Houghton
photo by Ryanne Mollo

    The Spartan baseball team came away with a big win on Wednesday, beating the pre-season, number-one ranked Mustangs from Ralston Valley by a score of 9-2.  This game was huge for TJ, and they proved that they can beat a top-notch opponent, something they will need to do if they are going to get another chance at a state championship.  

    Dylan Smith was the starting pitcher for the Spartans, and he showed again that he is their go-to man for big games.  Smith held the dangerous Ralston Valley offense to only two runs on five hits.  The defense had another solid performance as well; with only one error, they gave Smith the assurance he needed to pitch another great game. Read more

Girls’ Soccer Falls to Northglenn

Early season continues for the Spartans.

By Keenan Moore

The Lady Spartans played their first game last night at All City Field and they were not able to pull out a win as they lost to Northglenn 5-0.
    The girls looked to make a strong rebound after their devastating defeat at the hands of Rocky Mountain last Saturday.  The same intensity was there, but it just seemed like the Spartans couldn’t put anything together.  The game started out just like the game against Rocky Mountain, with TJ controlling the ball inside the Northglenn zone.  However, this surge in offense was short-lived, as eventually the tide began to turn and the Spartans were on the defensive.  Read more

Girls’ Golf Gears up

The TJ girls’ golfers prepare to swing into a new season.

By Scott Bruskin

    The Girls golf’ team is back in action and ready to play, led by a team full of new and young faces. The team has no returning players from last year. Usually this means that they are due for a let down, but according to Head Coach Mark Smith, that is not the case. “This year the girls are more competitive and just seem to have that fiery edge that it takes to succeed in anything,” Smith said. However, the one thing Smith desires to teach the girls is an appreciation for the game. “I hope to instill my passion and integrity for the game into them.”    

    The girls started the season off a little slow, struggling in their first nine holes. The Spartans were lead by freshman Nicole Brown who shot a 69.  Following Brown was Chanel Beerumen who ended up with a 71 through nine. The girls’ team still has room for improvement as the season has barely gotten underway. Their next meet will be on March 17 at the DPS Spring Classic.

    Now that the season is underway, Smith sees potential in the golfers. “We have the possibility to build a solid team. Through a week and a half of practice, we have made great progress.”  Read more

New Schedule Proposed for 08-09

TJ is considering a modified block schedule for next year.
by Ben Gilliland

     For the 2008-2009 school year at Thomas Jefferson High School there is a proposal on the table for a modified block bell schedule, which is currently being reviewed by TJ teachers and administrators.
     The purpose of the new scheduling is to support more dynamic learning. Assistant Principal Scott Lessard presented the idea for a new schedule to the rest of the staff last semester. “You have to ask yourself, does the [current] bell schedule support learning, and is it the most efficient use of the time we have, and the answer was ‘no,’” said Lessard, who is in charge of building the schedule each year at TJ. At the meeting, teachers were asked to write things that they liked and did not like about the current schedule based on student achievement. Lessard, along with a committee of 12 teachers met and analyzed the results of the study. They identified weaknesses in the current schedule that could be minimized by a new format. Together they came up with four different options, and then narrowed it down to two. Finally, the committee decided that a seven period day with a modified block would be the best option for the school.
     The new bell schedule that TJ would follow is called a modified block, which several other DPS schools are already employing, including East and George Washington High Schools. During the school week three days, Monday, Tuesday, and Friday would roughly be the same schedule that the school currently uses, seven periods plus lunch; but the other two days, Wednesday and Thursday, would be block scheduling. On block days, each period would be 90 minutes long, and on Wednesdays there would be an early release day. Read more

Swimming Steps Up to the Blocks

Boys Swimming and Diving makes a splash.

By Michael Mankoff

This year the Thomas Jefferson swimming and diving team has a lot of new, young talent as the Spartans embark on a new and exciting season.
     On Monday, March 17th, the team had their first home meet against Arvada West, taking on current Wildcat head coach, and former TJ swimming Coach Jeff Cook. The reunion was a great first meet for TJ, as they came out with an exciting one point victory by the score of 92-91.  The meet was was full of highlights, and the biggest event was the 400 freestyle relay, where the team of four boys qualified for state.  With only one qualifier last season, and already four in their second meet of the year, the team is very excited for what lies ahead.
     Whether the swimming team is on the road or in the comforting waters of the TJ pool, senior swimmer Marc Houghton will be giving his all to prove he is among the elite in the state. “I’ve been swimming year round to prepare for this season, and as a result, my times have been better than ever before,” said Houghton, who finished 4th in the state in the 200 meter freestyle as a Junior. Now with two of the opponents that finished ahead of him graduated, Houghton will strive to gain supremacy in the event this season. Read more

Buckle-Up Campaign

Students are informed on the importance of practicing safe driving.
by Ben Gilliland 

   During the week of March 17-21, Thomas Jefferson High School is sponsoring the annual Buckle-Up campaign, a program designed to inform students about the importance of safe driving.
    Student and parents from TJ will be helping educate teens and the community on the importance of traffic safety at several events during the week. All of the work is in preparation for keeping students safe during the DPS spring break. The week’s activities are sponsored by CDOT and coordinated by The BACCHUS Network, a non-profit organization dedicated to health promotion, and prevention education. The events will include a poetry contest, daily safety announcements, and seat belt checks.
    For the poetry contest students were to write a poem about the dangers of teen alcohol use, the dangers of impaired driving, or seatbelt use. The deadline to enter was March 11, and the winner will be announced on March 19. First, second, and third place winners will be receiving cash prizes for their poems. There will also be a crashed car displayed outside of the school as part of a comprehensive educational program for the entire week. 
    On the morning of March 18th, students and parents will be displaying signs near and around the school safety zone, which includes the Hampden Avenue and I-25 intersection. The signs will display messages to remind motorists to use caution when driving around the school zone during their morning commute, and to encourage them to wear their seat belts.
    There will also be a big banner inside the school that will display a number of different pledges. The students will be encouraged to sign the banner and honor the pledges for the entire week. The pledges that will be on the banner are as follows:
  Read more

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