“Look up in the stands. For many of those people, this will be the only football game they come to all year. We have to make a great impression,” said Mr. Otis.
Former Titan takes his magic to Metro
By Jimmy Aaron
Trey Hamsmith is on a mission to bring the Legend experience to Metro State University, and beyond. Throughout his educational experience, he’s been nothing short of a pioneer.
As a member of Legend’s first wave of students, the Class of 2012, the school has been his canvas.
“We are very fortunate for the class of 2012. We had a lot of leaders. We wanted to lead this place knowing it would be a great home. We wanted to leave our mark,” Hamsmith said. “I wanted to make Legend a place people can find their home in.”
In return, Trey was Legend’s canvas. Holding the title of Drum Major of Legend’s marching band for four consecutive years required great discipline and responsibility on Trey’s part. The level of responsibility band director Mr. Otis gave Trey was of a magnitude that reflected a great deal of trust.
“Mr. Otis really trusted me with students and parents,” Hamsmith said. “I represented the students and teachers. I was given the leadership to represent the rest of the school.”
“When people at college hear about this experience, they envy it,” Hamsmith added.
Trey displays this level of investment in Legend in his daily life, from his actions and mentality to the clothes he wears.
“I still wear my Legend gear. I have a right to be proud. I don’t care if people make fun of me,” Hamsmith said.
The passion he holds for Legend wasn’t inherent in Trey, but taught to him. His father started him on the path, and his time at Legend shaped that passion into something far greater.
“Leave the place better than what you came to. If you didn’t make the mess, clean it. Pay it forward,” Hamsmith said, quoting his father.
Academically, he’s a Music Education and Composition student. But he is also very much a teacher, passing on the lessons he learned from Legend to his fellow academics.
“I’m taking that passion I learned and trying to help the [college] community,” Hamsmith said “What we created and left behind made me want to create that same situation in college.”
Trey was forged a Titan, and he will forge others in the same manner. According to Trey, this is done by encouraging everyone to be proud of what inspires them, and pushing them to go forward with that.
Trey was a student who became a teacher, and will teach other students to become teachers. He has started a chain reaction of Titanic values that will widen in scope, starting with lower classmen at Legend, then fellow academics at Metro State, and finally into the community itself. He got the ball rolling, and it’s snowballing into something much greater.
Eli Moore Announces at Homecoming Game
By Jimmy Aaron
Girls’ basketball coach and guitar teacher Eli Moore took the place of science teacher Jay Zimmerman as the announcer for the Homecoming football game, and all future home games.
Moore feels his announcing style is more down-to-earth. While he tends to be more factual, Z is more emotional.
“The only time I get emotional is when we get a touchdown,” Moore said. “[Jay Zimmerman] is one of the best announcers around,” he added.
Mr. Moore’s chant of “Touchdown, Touchdown, Touchdown!” is indeed one of the few moments in which he projects emotion. The chant comes from Kent Pavelka, the announcer for the Nebraska Huskers in the early nineties.
“I’m a big Huskers fan,” Moore said.
According to Mr. Moore, he wouldn’t be able to announce effectively if it wasn’t for the assistance of his spotter, former assistant football coach Andy Wold.
“He’s up there with the binoculars,” Moore said. “He’s the backbone of the operation. I learn something from him every game.”
Moore’s qualifications for the position of announcer come from involvement in performing arts, as well as 10 years of experience as an announcer prior to coming to Legend.
“I [announced] 10 years at Chaparral,” Moore said. “Being a singer and performer helps.”
The stressors that come with announcing can affect anyone, even somebody as experienced as Moore. One stressor he highlights is the delay between speaking and broadcasting over the stadium intercoms.
“You’re already on the next thought. The echo effect can make you stumble,” Moore said.
The environment of the announcer’s booth may be stressful, but it is its own reward. Such an outlook reflects Moore’s experience and comfort with announcing.
“It’s the best seat in the house,” Moore said.
Quotes From the Homecoming Game
Sam Kroner (Junior) “It’s a good way to spend time with my friends, and I like watching the game. I try not to focus too much on the game, though because I get too intense.”
Daniel Gay (Junior – Varsity Football) “We came out over confident and didn’t play with the intensity we should have and that’s what caused the loss.”
Lewis Farrar (Junior – Marching Band) “The football team was awesome, didn’t finish as well as they could have.” “Fun to watch and be in the performance.”
Stevie Campanelli (Senior – On how he felt at his last homecoming game in high school) “I had a lot of mixed emotions going through my head. I was sad that it was over, but at the same time I’m looking forward to moving out of high school. I will definitely come back to see a game next year!”
Katy Nelson (Junior) “It’s a fun thing to do with friends, and it was fun to cheer on our friend Tanner on Homecoming court. I lost my voice the next day from screaming so loud.”
Kyle Videtsky (Junior – Marching Band) “The game was pumped up. I mean not so much the game but the crowd. Everyone was anxious and just waiting for the next play.” “The halftime show was quick. Everything happened in the blink of an eye and then I was back in the stands.”
Kayla Hernandez (Senior) “It was the best game because even though we lost I got to hang out with my friends and everybody made it worth it to go.”
Nick Schulhoff (Junior – Varsity Football) “ The fans at the game were electric, full of energy. I think as a unit we made a lot of mental mistakes, but no one person is to blame for the loss. We win as a team and we lose as a team, this time we lost.”
Camille Daniels (Junior) “It was really fun to see the whole school come together to support our team, and even though we lost we still stayed together to support our family.”
Holly Aherns (Junior) “The energy was really great. The kids were really fun to be around. There was a lot of spirit, even though we ended up losing at the end.”
Tanner Avery (Junior – Homecoming Court) “It was great to be recognized and to have the chance to hang out with some amazing people.”
Students from Spain attend Legend
During the first month of the school year, five students from Spain attended Legend. Read what two of those students thought of their experience here at Legend.
Miguel Daniel-Mozo
Q: What have you learned about the U.S. in your time here?
A: American culture is very different from spanish culture. Our time-schedules are different, our societies are different, high schools are different… I got to experience all this for a month, so I got to learn about everything a typical american family would do.
Q: How is high school here different than in Spain?
A: Schools in Spain are organized in a very different way: All the kids, from 1-12 grades, are usually in the same building. Also, most schools are not as highly-teched as Legend, that’s one thing that’s impressed me a lot. Our teachers try to treat us as college freshmen, so we get the feeling on what college is like. There are lots of different things.
Q: What did you think of homecoming here at Legend? Did you dress up?
A: I found it a great way to mix school and have fun together. We don’t have it back in Spain, it’s an idea that definitely wouldn’t work, but I did dress here. I also went to the homecoming dance, I really enjoyed it.
Q: Why did you choose to be an exchange student? Was it a hard decision?
A: I chose to be an exchange student because I wanted to learn more about American culture [and] American high school… I have stayed with a host family three more times, and [it has] always been a great experience, so I thought that this one would be as well.
Carlos Soriano
Q: What have you learned about the U.S. in your time here?
A: US is awesome, people are very nice and there are so many things to do.
Q: How is high school here different than in Spain?
A: First we stay in the same class for the whole year, teachers move. We don’t have lockers. Our teachers in Spain (some of them) aren’t very nice as here in the US where classes are more fun. Finally we don’t have homecoming week.
Q: What did you think of homecoming here at Legend? Did you dress up?
A: I was so fun, I wish we could do that in Spain! Of course I dressed up, I wanted to be part of the school.
Q: Why did you choose to be an exchange student? Was it a hard decision?
A: The experience of being on an American school and [I had] a great time. At first I was not sure, but I finally decided to come.
Lisa Fielder’s “Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story”
Rosaline is adamant about becoming a healer, a older version of a doctor able to help with regular illnesses and injuries, and she won’t let anyone interfere. Unfortunately, her plans go awry when she gets involved with members of the Montague house, Romeo, Mercutio, and Benvolio. Just when she thinks she’s figured out how to end the feud between the Capulet and Montague houses and continue her work as a healer, her cousin Juliet, a Capulet, confesses her love for Romeo. Now, Rosaline is in a rush to end the feud to avoid an all-out brawl.
In Rosaline’s Story, based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, we finally get a glimpse of the “rich in beauty” Rosaline of the Capulet house, the girl that denied Romeo at the beginning of the play, and cousin to his lover Juliet.
Rosaline was never revealed in the play except through Romeo’s discussion with Benvolio, so a take on what exactly happened from her eyes during the span of Shakespeare’s work is a treat for anyone familiar with his plays.
In cheesy RomCom fashion, the protagonist’s reasoning becomes tiring with her hot and cold decisions, including her choices and reasoning toward her infatuations to Mercutio and Benvolio.
Most annoying are the plot twists. Like The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, you are jerked around in the plot. More often than not, a dead character rises again three chapters later. Of course, Fiedler provides very decent explanations as to why the character isn’t dead, but she takes it too far when she kills multiple characters and brings them back multiple times.
If you can look past all this, however, you’ll find that Fiedler is exceptional at keeping the language from the play maintained throughout the entire book. With well placed imagery and symbolism, she draws out the characters and almost makes them real. You learn to love Benvolio more, Mercutio becomes even more mysterious, and Juliet doesn’t seem quite so naive.
Romeo’s Ex: Rosaline’s Story is perfect any and all Shakespeare fans, and for anyone who read Romeo and Juilet and just wanted a little bit more. You can find a copy of the book in Legend’s library right next to Lisa Fiedler’s book Dating Hamlet, which centers around Ophelia from Hamlet by William Shakespeare.
Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars. Despite the plot twists and a friend-zoned Benvolio, Fiedler is a wonderful writer with a good idea.
Great Films Past and Yet to Come
By Garrett Connor
We all saw them: those incredible movies that made us want to go back the next day and see them again.
Movies like The Avengers and The Dark Knight Rises left us walking out of the theatre with up to the film lodged in our minds. We will be kindling those memories until the DVD finally comes out.
“The Avengers was my favorite movie of the summer because it combined typical Marvel action, a good story line and an awesome blend of humor,” said sophomore Joshua Lyon, an aspiring filmmaker.
Looking ahead, great movies will be arriving in theaters within the next year, including The Hobbit (Dec. 14), Man of Steel (June 14), Iron Man 3 (May 3), Oz the Great and Powerful (March 8), and Despicable Me 2 (July 3).
After The Lord of the Rings trilogy, director Peter Jackson is expected to create its three-part prequel, The Hobbit, with no less effort than that which went into The Return of the King.
“I expect The Hobbit to be awesome, because it’s The Hobbit!” said Lyon. “I hope it will be the best Lord of the Rings movie franchise yet.”
As for Man of Steel, a darker version of Superman, director Christopher Nolan may be planning to create films based on several other DC comics. When he’s done there, one can only assume that there will be a Justice League movie conceived within the next three to five years.
Other movies that are destined to come out sometime in the next year are Monsters University (June 21), The Hangover Part III (May 24), The Wolverine (July 26), and Catching Fire (Nov. 22 2013).
However, we would not have such high expectations of these movies without the cinema classics that set the standards for their successors. Movies like these set the expectations for films yet to come to theaters.
“The Illusionist is my favorite movie,” said Lyon.
The Matrix is [my favorite],” said sophomore Tyler Borchert.
“My favorite movie is Sgt. Bilko,” said sophomore Alex Barnes.
If moviegoers are lucky, every movie that the next year has in store will raise the bar a little higher with each new release.
Summer 2012: One Show After the Next
By Alec Bushman
Summer 2012 was a busy one for musicians and music lovers alike. This summer appealed to music fans of all genres, with Vans Warped Tour for the punk rockers, and Summer Jam for fans of the rap genre.
Big name artists appearing at Warped Tour included Rise Against, A Day to Remember, Mayday Parade. Rappers Tyga, Wiz Khalifa, and Rick Ross were featured at Summer Jam.
Many Legend students went to each of these festivals, helping to make their mark in Colorado music.
“I was able to go to Gotye, The Black Keys, Imagine Dragons, and I have tickets to an upcoming show of Two Door Cinema Club for October.” Said Chander Rodden 11.
This summer was also important for Denver’s local bands. Bands such as Viretta, fronted by Legend alumni’s Elizabeth Moroni’s older twin brothers Michael and Rob Moroni, were given the opportunity to record with Isaac Slade, the lead singer of The Fray. They were able to record for 3 days in Candyland Studios, working on a single called “All I Have,” which was released near the beginning of summer for free download.
Viretta then visited Maxwell Studios to record their second EP, “Sanctuary,” which was released this summer on iTunes. They played plenty of shows promoting the EP, including their big EP release show at The Gothic theatre.
Mixolydia, a math rock band co-founded by Legend’s Jack Pumplin 11, also released an EP this summer. They played shows at venues such as The Ogden and The Black Sheep in Colorado Springs.
“The Marquis show July 6th was definitely the most important part of this summer for the band,” said Pumplin. “We are planning on writing new songs and getting a lot more shows.”
You can download the EP for free on the Mixolydia Facebook page, or check them out at an upcoming show.
Easy Makeup Ideas for Fall
By Hannah Ross
For some, fall is a time to sip cocoa and snuggle on the couch in over-sized sweaters. for others, its walking through falling leaves and planning your Halloween costume. For me, fall is all about new hairstyles I can try, finally being able to paint my nails deep earthy tones, and of course, new makeup ideas for the crisp weather. This year, there is one makeup trend that has been popping up all over my beauty radar: brown smokey eye makeup with a nude lip. This trend is perfect for any skin tone or face shape, and perfect for day to night wear.
Step 1: Apply foundation, concealer, and powder to whole face (this sets the foundation).
Step 2: Apply black eyeliner to your water line and on the top of the eye right on the upper lash line.
Step 3: Using a soft dome brush apply dark brown eyeshadow right under your lower lash line.
Step 4: Using the same soft dome brush, apply a mocha eyeshadow form the eyeliner line to just above your crease.
Step 5: Use a pencil brush to apply black eyeshadow to the outer corner on your lid (it should slightly wing up).
Step 6: Using the soft dome brush, apply the dark brown used from under your eyes to the outer half of your lid (never going past your crease).
Step 7: Blend the dark colors on the outer part of your eye using a large blending brush and if needed, clean any excess color off with a q-tip.
Step 8: Finish off with black mascara and a nude lip color with shimmery gloss.
Step 9: Keep being you!