The issues with our parking lot

By Zoe Cox

With or without snow on the ground in the blue and orange lots, the parking lots before and after school are a disaster. It seems to most juniors and seniors that as more and more parking passes get sold to the newly licensed sophomores, more and more parking tickets are being given to students.

It’s beginning to become frustrating to all upperclassmen. Most of us have first off, have an appointment for something before school, or are just having a rough morning and are running late. So for the administration to blame us for not being able to find parking is ridiculous.

We’ve been told that if we get here earlier, then there are many places to park. Although that is true, sometimes life happens and not everyone can get to school right on time, and many upperclassmen do not have a first period.

The lots are filling up faster as the year goes on and it becomes harder and harder to find a parking spot. Some days, there are none. When there are no more spots left, and a new tardy rule being held at our school, it is impossible to blame the students for having to make up their own parking spots. Even if a student were to show up early they will end up being late to class due to looking for a spot.

Also, giving student parking tickets for being forced to park in an endcap or a handicap spot is ridiculous. We are all teenagers and we know better than to park in those spots, however, it is challenging when we are only left with those options.

As upperclassmen, we have all paid a huge out of our own paychecks in order to park in the parking lots at our school. We have been given more responsibility as we have grown up, and most of us don’t have a choice other than to drive to school. So, yes, it is frustrating when we are given another fee for not parking in an actual spot, when really, it was our only choice. We pay for a spot in our parking lot, so we should be able to have one everyday without any trouble.

Let’s turn the heat up!

By Zoe Cox

Throughout the 2018-19 school year there has been an obvious change in the temperature at Legend. Of course, as the seasons come and go throughout the year, both weather and temperature change. We come to school after a long summer only to transition to a beautiful, but cold fall. We finally pass our finals and are let out of school to enjoy our winter break. Then comes spring where everything comes back to life and temperatures start to become warm again. However, the temperature being referred to is not at all based on the weather outside; it is solely based on the freezing cold temperatures inside our learning environment each and every day.

A good variety of our peers could tell you the exact same thing; our school isn’t too hot or just right, it is freezing. By taking a closer look inside each classroom, there are easily a handful of people shivering while listening to a lecture, or wearing extra layers while taking their tests. Not only do people bring their coats to school, but there are a good group of people who bring their blanket to class in order to comfortably learn.

Although it is April, and April in Colorado tends to be colder, these cold temperatures have always been a consistent complaint throughout this entire school year, especially since January. Even when school just got back and temperatures outside were still high, there were always people walking around with a coat in their hand in preparation for sitting in the freezing cold classrooms.

A random poll was made on Twitter last week, which brought attention to the school’s cold temperatures, and allowed a variety of students to share their opinion. Of the 81 Legend students that voted, 63% of them said that they think it is too cold inside Legend.

Based on the poll, it is obvious that more than one person in our school thinks the temperatures are too low inside. In fact, almost two-thirds of students agree, which is a conflict that should be addressed. More than half the students at Legend are too focused on how cold the school is rather than the work and learning in front of them. Because students are so focused on how cold it is inside, they are unable to focus on anything else, such as what they came there to do; to learn.

Why They Won’t Work

By Kyra Klay

Everyone knows that teenagers aren’t necessarily the best with time management and that is a given. We are late to sports, school, curfew, extracurricular activities and just about anything you can think of. As a teenager myself, I can personally tell you that I got 15 tardies in first period last semester which is not something that I am proud of. Many studies have shown a relationship between teenagers in not only time management, but also wake up times and being late.

As we are at the start of second semester in the 2019 school year, the school has decided to change the tardy and absence policy. They have stated that if a student is more than 15 minutes late to a class they will automatically be counted absent, along with eliminating tardy passes.

There has always been the same policy, when you are late you go to the attendance window for a tardy pass no matter how late you are. After five tardy passes you are issued detention or Saturday school. There was no reason to change the policy because no matter what, the student still had a punishment. Changing to this new policy will not only result in more tardies, but more absences which is what is trying to be avoided in the first place.

As a student and a teenager with time management issues, if I realize that I am going to be more than 15 minutes late now there would not be a reason to show up to class because it would only result in an absence, so there is no point. If the school stuck with the old policy, students would know they still need to show up no matter how late because they will still be counted present, just tardy instead of absent all together.

All students struggle with time management and arriving to things on time, yes some worse than others, but it does affect all teenage high school students as a whole. Changing these new policies will not just result in the opposite of the goal, but also make students less motivated to get to school as fast as possible if they’re running late.

Time is Relative and New Year’s Resolutions are Pointless

By Lauren Penington

Time has only as much meaning as we put into it. We are the only species who lives in fear of our inevitable death, not because of our elevated intelligence, but due to the fact that we govern our entire lives under the laws of time, a social construct that holds no real meaning in the traditional sense. There is a before and an after, but every second that ticks by is no more than a rustle of the wind, passing fleetingly and only given meaning by the realities of our mind.

In this line, consider the turning of the year. There are 31,536,000 seconds in a year. If that seems like a pointless number, that’s because it is. So, about every 8,760 hours we, as a species, decide to change something about our lives, become bigger and better or healthier and fitter. Every 525,600 minutes we feel obligated to make a resolution for the next series of time. There is no true rhyme or reason to the methods we measure time with, in fact the tools that claim to govern the bounty of time are, in fact, constructs of the same mold. The position of the sun is a product of Earth’s rotation, but is used to dictate the periods where society has deemed rest normal and work mandatory. Though not exceptionally useless as a schedule, the entire concept of governing our lives as decreed by a burning ball of fire in the sky is ludicrous at best.

The concept that we know as time, outside of the ideas of past and present, was created to aid us in our endeavors, but has instead limited our mentality. We have grown so accustomed to it, that we have created certain traditions around the turning of a faux year.

The idea of “New Year, New Me” is a mentality that with each new year comes the resolve to change things in our lives. In all actuality, the idea of New Year’s resolutions holds little meaning at best, and is detrimental at worse – bringing along with it a mentality that each year wipes away past mistakes. Regarding the continuous time stream, while it can be healthy to move on from the past and toward a brighter future, believing in infinite chances is not only harmful to oneself, but the people who surround them in their life. It develops a toxic mentality that actions, and the consequences of said actions, are inconsequential and are mendable at any point.

Look, time is relative, reality is an illusion and illuminati exists, yadda yadda yadda. It is important to, if nothing else, understand the importance of mentality and the role it plays in our lives. By investing so much in a relative year, we put ourselves in an unending loop of adrenaline highs that fuel our actions yearly. Don’t fall into the trap. That is, creating these yearly resolutions that we know will eventually fall through as our resolve collapses as we progress further away from the year end high. Make year-long goals, not year-end goals, and stick to them. Commit to things you know you have the ability to complete, and let each action fuel you to complete the next one. Live in the now, but plan for the future, don’t rely on the power of clocks ticking to dictate your life and actions.

New Music From The Week Of January 7th

By Ronak Dsouza

It’s finally 2019 and that marks another year of great music to look forward to! While not as many full-length projects have been released recently, there are still a lot of great new songs to check out.

First, Kehlani starts off 2019 with a bop with the release of her new song, “Nights Like This.” In the track, Kehlani realizes that she was fooled by her lover into thinking that she had to stay with her. “Nights Like This” is very catchy showing off Kehlani’s light vocals. The song also features fellow R&B hitmaker, Ty Dolla $ign, with makes for an infectious tune due to the combination of the two’s voices.

Speaking of R&B, The Weeknd also enters 2019 with a banger with his feature on the song, “Lost In The Fire.” While The Weeknd is listed as a feature on the song, he is the star on the track with his enchanting voice and his lyrics. However don’t dismiss the main artist, Gesaffelstein, who creates a very catchy beat to match The Weeknd’s smooth vocals.

Finally, Billie Eilish asserts her prominence and dominance in pop and music, with her new track, “WHEN I WAS OLDER.” Eilish utilizes her signature soft singing style which creates a very ominous mood. This combined with the creepy beat, creates a very somber and unique listening experience. The song is a part of the soundtrack for the award-winning Netflix movie, ROMA.

Be sure to also give a listen to Normani and Sam Smith’s collaboration “Dancing With A Stranger,” Future’s songs “Jumpin On A Jet” and “Crushed Up”, Lana Del Rey’s new track “hope is a dangerous thing for a women like me to have – but I have it,” and the remix to Halsey’s hit single, “Without Me,” which features Juice WRLD.

What exactly is a raw diet and is it good for your pets?

By Henley Holland

Now, for those of you that might not follow cute animal accounts on Instagram, there has been a recent spike in popularity for a raw diet for most pets (particularly dogs or ferrets). Even in modern days, racing greyhounds and sled dogs are most commonly fed raw diets, but with the rise of social media, the idea has started to move down into domestic households for more than just dogs. While veterinarians are still debating whether or not this diet is optimal for many pets, there are known benefits and risks as well.

Some benefits of a raw diet can include a shinier coat, healthier skin, higher energy levels, and cleaner, stronger teeth. But, especially without the proper knowledge and research done in advance, this diet can pose a significant threat to both the owner and the pet. Bacteria from raw meat (especially seedier products) can be lethal to humans and animals, failing to balance the diet properly can be detrimental to the animals health, and raw bones can break teeth, puncture internal organs, and even become a choking hazard if not handled properly.

Now, one common misconception is that raw food diets consist only of the raw meat and bones, which is where that danger of malnutrition comes into play. Muscle meat, raw or ground bones, organ meats (such as kidneys or livers), raw eggs, vegetables mixed in or stuffed into the meat (obviously with vitamins necessary for their health), raw eggs, fruit, and even yogurt. Many backers of this diet insist that the lack of processed materials going into their dog’s diet is tremendously beneficial, and while it might cost a bit more, the overall health of their pet is worth the cost.

So, while the jury is out on whether or not a raw diet is truly superior, before you consider switching to this diet, contact your vet and do your research beforehand; it will prevent a lot of issues down the road with such a drastic change. Know that this diet is expensive, requires extensive and meticulous planning in order to keep your pets healthy, and is still controversial in this day and age. But perhaps your interest has been piqued, so my advice to you, is to read for an hour or two on it before you commit and contact your vet. They did not go to school for almost a decade and saddle themselves with extensive debt for no reason, I promise!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

By Zoe Cox

So it’s finally the holiday season; the season everybody has been looking forward to since the beginning of January. School is finally out, testing is finally over, and finally, it’s time to relax. However, while doing nothing and having no responsibilities seems like the dream, after two weeks, it may get absolutely boring. So instead of staying at home and watching Netflix all break, get out and try something new! There are plenty of things to do in Colorado, especially during the holiday season.

Colorado is known for its Rocky Mountains, and long ski slopes. Although we take it all for granted, traveling to the Rocky Mountains during any time of the year is a trip you will not regret. Between the beautiful views and fun activities going skiing or snowboarding is the perfect thing to do over the holiday break. There are plenty of places to go such as Keystone, Breckenridge, Winter Park, and many more. Skiing is a fun thing to do with both friends and family, and is a trip you’ll never forget.

If skiing or snowboarding isn’t for you, and you’d rather do something that involves staying close to home, no worries! There are plenty of things to do, such as driving around and looking at Christmas lights, making cookies with friends or family, or going sledding. Each and every one of these activities can and will create memories that will last forever, and could potentially be newfound traditions.

However, if kicking back and staying at home seems way more entertaining than anything else, then maybe make good use of your time in the holiday season. Watch a holiday movie, listen to the holiday music, and create holiday crafts. There are plenty of things to do during this year’s holiday break, and if not, there is always next year!